Design trends in interior decoration dictate the presence of natural textures and materials. Moreover, you won’t surprise anyone with Chinese consumer goods. To make the furnishings of the room look decent and original, you can either splurge on a designer decoration or make it yourself. Below we will look at how to make lamps from wood yourself and what nuances need to be taken into account.
Advantages and disadvantages of wooden lamps
Like any thing, a wooden lamp has its pros and cons. Advantages of natural interior elements:
- Natural materials are not toxic, unlike plastic and synthetic bases. They do not emit a chemical odor and can be installed in children's rooms.
- Wood is a malleable material; its processing does not require complex equipment or special skills.
- Wooden lamps give the room a cozy feel.
- No need to buy wooden blanks. To find a suitable piece of wood, you can go out of town.
- Wooden lamps are less fragile than glass ones.
Selection of materials
In the production of wooden chandeliers, depending on the specific purpose of the device, different types of wood are used. Oak products are considered reliable and durable. They look solid and noble. Chandeliers and lamps made of pine have good performance and aesthetic qualities.
You can often find models made of beech, valuable mahogany, and rare tropical wood. Chandeliers made from aged wood look luxurious. The main advantages of this material include:
- naturalness and high degree of environmental friendliness;
- ease of processing;
- pleasant appearance;
- creating comfort;
- huge selection.
But there are also disadvantages:
- fast and easy flammability;
- instability to temperature and moisture;
- fastidiousness in care.
It is necessary to take into account both the pros and cons of using wood to make chandeliers and lamps.
The following are used as additional materials to create a unique piece of furniture:
- forged elements;
- fringe;
- shade;
- metal parts;
- lace;
- glass.
Such models are interesting to consider, they have a wide range of uses and a lot of room for imagination. If desired, you can use all kinds of auxiliary materials. It is important to remember the right combination of texture, shape and style of the finished product.
How to choose a tree
To make chandeliers from wood with your own hands, any available species will do. Each type has its own characteristics:
- Pine lends itself well to processing and has a striped textured base. Since the growth circles are separated by a resin layer, it is not used for small parts. Resin prevents rotting.
- The cedar has a textured pink base, all the rings are clearly visible in the section. Due to the density of cedar wood, small decorations can be cut.
- Larch is most often used for making furniture. They are dense, stronger than pine, and are not subject to rotting. It has a brown texture when cut.
- Oak has a high density, but can split. Therefore, processing it requires a certain skill. The most valuable bog oak. It has a darker surface but is difficult to process.
Regardless of what breed you take, the main thing is that the workpiece is well dried. The material should not have grooves from parasites, signs of rot or mold.
To determine the quality of a natural material, take several pieces of wood, weigh them, and place them in a container of water. After three hours, take it out and weigh it again. The less water the element has absorbed, the more suitable it is for work.
The root areas have the greatest strength and outward originality. The roots have a uniform texture, without annual rings and bizarre shapes.
Application area
Chandeliers and lamps that are correctly selected for the interior bring the room design together and make it holistic. Wooden retro chandeliers can be an excellent addition to rooms decorated in various styles:
- the Provence direction is emphasized by wooden products decorated with silk fabric or openwork weaving;
- Lamps with soft branching lines, decorated with lace inserts or carved patterns, look harmonious with the classic design option;
- Appliances with weighty forged parts and chains go well with country style.
Attention! Each interior style has its own characteristics. This should be taken into account when choosing a wooden chandelier. Otherwise, an imbalance may arise between the decorative elements of the room.
The unique design of a wooden chandelier gives the interior of the room a special charm. Typically, this type of lighting is used in country houses and mansions, or simply to create a comfortable, warm atmosphere in any room.
A fashionable trend in decor is chandeliers made of antique wood. They are successfully used both in public places and in residential buildings and apartments. Such a stylish design element suggests the presence of a vintage spirit and a kind of excursion into bygone times.
Step by step instructions
Regardless of the DIY craft option, the wood needs to be prepared. For this purpose, the following are used: fungicidal impregnations, which protect against the development of mold, impregnations to protect against moisture absorption. After treatment with impregnations, the workpieces are well dried.
Simple wooden chandelier
To create a pendant ceiling lamp with your own hands, you can use straight, thick sticks. The main requirement: the diameter must be sufficient to pull the cord. For a do-it-yourself wooden chandelier we will need:
- thick sticks;
- LED Strip Light;
- water-repellent impregnation.
Sequencing:
- drill each stick in the middle;
- cover with impregnation and dry for 24 hours;
- insert LED strip into the holes;
- connect the contacts of each tape to the cable and insulate;
- hang from the ceiling with staples or a hook.
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Board lamp
To create a lamp from boards you will need:
- Four plank blanks to form a rectangular frame;
- Rectangular mirror as a reflector;
- Varnish, glue;
- Drill.
Sequencing:
- We make a groove on the edge of each board for installing a mirror element.
- We make a rectangular blank from four planks, into which we insert a reflector on one side. Secure with glue.
- We make a hole with a drill in one block, insert a cable with a socket.
- Varnish or paint.
Another option is to insert darkened or multi-colored glass on both sides instead of a mirror. Then the lamp will produce multi-colored light or a muted diffused glow.
Making sconces
For a DIY wall lamp, it is better to choose geometrically correct shapes in the form of a rectangle or square. To create a wooden sconce we will need:
- flat rectangular blanks 2 pcs;
- corner block;
- self-tapping screws;
- drill;
- varnish, glue gun.
What to do:
- We treat the workpieces with fungicidal and water-repellent impregnation. After drying for two days, varnish or paint.
- We connect two blanks in the form of the letter “G” with self-tapping screws.
- Between them we install a corner with glue to impart rigidity.
- We drill a hole in the upper part for the wire and install the base.
The wooden sconce is attached to the wall with self-tapping screws or on a bracket.
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An additional lamp can be installed in the L-shaped wall lamp. The color and texture of the wood will be emphasized by the warm, amber shade of the lampshade, and silver-coated glass will add contrast to the texture and color.
Features of making a floor lamp
You can make a wooden floor lamp with your own hands. For the floor lamp, wooden elements will serve as a stand. If you have a lathe, the stand can be made from cut timber. If there is no processing tool, the base for a floor lamp can be the trunk of a small tree.
In this case, dry the workpiece, remove the bark from the trunk, and sand the surface with sandpaper. Treat with anti-fungal and anti-moisture impregnations. Make a recess on the back side for the wires.
Place the trunk on a stable base. Make a frame on top with wire to install the base. On top you can put a lampshade made of fabric, paper or wood.
Wooden lampshade
You can make it yourself from thin branches. Due to their small diameter they dry faster. Small branches are more suitable for a ceiling chandelier because they have less weight than timber or solid wood. With a combination of thin elements, the lamp has an airy silhouette that does not weigh down the interior and makes the light diffuse, giving it an intimate feel.
For the lampshade you will need:
- branches;
- thick wire;
- glue gun;
- pruner
What we do:
- We sort out the sticks. Depending on the shape, we select either identical and even ones, or, conversely, with a large number of bends.
- We treat the branches with an antiseptic. If there are no special impregnations, soak for a day in a solution of potassium permanganate, dry at room temperature for a week.
- We make a frame from thick stainless wire. The shape can be any: classic trapezoid, ball, rectangle.
- We attach the sticks to the frame with glue. Don't forget to leave a gap for installing the base.
- We coat the wooden lamp with varnish. It will protect against moisture and fungus.
- We insert the lamp socket and secure it with wire.
Let's create a lampshade
Making a lampshade for a floor lamp when the old one has become unusable will not be difficult. There are many options here, from the more classic to the trendy.
For example, you can use the decoupage technique and decorate the lampshade with beautiful openwork napkins or similar decorated elements.
Satin ribbons, all kinds of bows, chic gathered fabric, photographic film. There are actually a lot of ideas.
Options from timber and driftwood
You can create wooden chandeliers with your own hands from thick solid timber. To do this, we need LED lamps that are built into the suspended ceiling. We measure the required length of the beam. Cover with varnish or stain. We drill round holes in the timber for the diameter of the lamps. We install the emitters with heat-resistant glue.
To attach a timber lamp to the ceiling, you will need several consoles. If you make a stable stand, the lamp turns into a floor version.
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Publication from Maren Kozyreva (@marenka_kozyreva) January 7, 2022 at 6:40 PST
From driftwood you can make unusual DIY table lamps with intricate shapes. To do this, the driftwood is dried and varnished. The base is cut down smoothly or placed on a stable support. A hole for the cable is drilled in the middle, and a base is secured to the top.
A table lamp made of driftwood with one lamp will look laconic. To add more aesthetics to your table lamp, install a lampshade.
How to get an antique effect
Antique wooden lamps are distinguished by their deliberate roughness. Their designs often contain forged metal elements: chains, hoops, candlesticks. In general, wooden chandeliers and antique-style lamps are made from solid solid elements without small parts.
An old hunting-style chandelier might be a wooden cart wheel suspended from the ceiling by a chain. But for such a chandelier you will need ceilings of at least 5 m.
To add an antique flavor, you can artificially age the wood with your own hands. To do this, the workpieces are covered with an uneven layer of Pinotex. After drying, the surface is lightly sanded with a wire brush, then paint is applied unevenly. After several stages of painting and sanding, the surface of the wooden lamp takes on an aged appearance.
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Design options for wooden lamps for various interiors
In order for the product to look harmonious in the interior of the room, you need to correctly design its main part:
- in any antique style, chipped or cracked boards and saw cuts are appropriate, they are tinted, given texture by removing soft tissue with a steel brush, varnished and scuffed varnish is created, candle-shaped lamps are used;
- rustic, antique, fairy tale styles will be combined with lamps made from cart wheels;
- Provence and country styles will fit well with the remains of a beautiful service mounted on a wooden board or ceramic pots used as lampshades for lamps;
- for a minimalist design, make a base from sawn wood or plywood without unnecessary decoration, and place the lamps between the ceiling and this screen;
- A high-tech lamp made of wood is a combination of a rectilinear shape (block, board) and shiny elements (bars, lampshades) made of chromed metal.
A few words about self-assembly
A big danger when using wooden lamps is fire. To minimize the risk, you need to correctly assemble the craft with your own hands:
- Leave a distance between the lampshade and the lamp of at least 15 cm, and between the base and the base 5–7 cm.
- As a radiation element, use energy-saving lamps up to 15 Watts or LED strip.
- In order not to drill through the workpiece, you can make a groove on the back side for the wires.
- When laying wires in a wooden trench with your own hands, they need to be insulated. Silicone sealant is used for insulation. After drying, it can be painted to match the wood and the wires will be invisible.
Secret of success
Looking at the photo of a homemade floor lamp, it turns out that the secret of their universal adoration lies on the surface. The most original ideas and bold decisions produce the most attractive options.
So, clay, putty, liquid nails, and sealant can be used.
In addition, the floor lamp can be made from a vase, an ordinary umbrella, an old mesh with handles, or, alternatively, a denim skirt.
Tips for caring for the product
To prevent wooden lamps from deforming or cracking, you need to properly care for them:
- Do not allow excessive temperature or humidity in the room.
- Do not place wooden lamps close to heat sources (radiators, fireplaces). The distance to them should be at least 1 m.
- To wipe off dust, use a dry, soft cloth.
- If contaminants cannot be removed, use an aqueous solution of ammonia (1:6).
- To remove scratches and add shine, mix vegetable oil and lemon juice (1:2) and wipe the wooden surface.
