DIY Outdoor Lighting For A Table


I'm taking small steps...unintentionally...towards making our patio look beautiful. I thought for sure by this time this year it would be done. But....well, it's not. Which I guess is fine :) It already looks a ton better with the benches added to the farmhouse table. Now I just need to get some chairs for the ends and other seating...and well, there's a lot more stuff I want to do but won't get into it.

But for now, I figure I might as well figure out some of the lighting. I hung up the shepherds hooks to string some lights, but apparently there are no white 'Christmas' lights for sale in August. Figures. And I can't find my tub full of them. So I guess I have to wait until the stores start selling stuff for Christmas, which, lucky for me, is probably only a couple of weeks away :) Heck, I bet if I check Hobby Lobby right now they will have some Christmas stuff. lol
outdoor lighting
Okay...so besides that...I wanted lighting for the table too. I had my humongous candle lantern out there for a little bit, and loved it...but it's hot and those are real candles...and real candles melt in the heat apparently. So that didn't last long. I needed fake candles. So I went and bought an awesome lantern with a fake candle in it...and well, it looks better in my living room :) It never made it outside lol.

But then I got to thinking about solar lights. Those would work perfect. But how do you put them on your table without gagging at the site?....especially the ones I ended up getting for a buck a piece. Not the prettiest ones ;)
Okay, so here's what you need to make one of these outdoor light fixtures:
Solar lights
Spray paint
Painters tape
4x4 wood pieces varying in size
Paint
Drill bit and drill
Jute

Step 1: Disassemble the lights. The top should come off and you won't need the bottom.

Step 2: Place painters tape over the 'solar reflector'. I'm not sure what this is really called. But you get my drift :) Also place the tape on the light just in case you get paint on it.


Step 3: Spray paint the tops.

Step 4: Paint your wood using your desired technique. I distressed these a bit with a new technique I'm trying and looove. I'll tell you about it soon :)

Step 5: Drill into the center of the top piece of wood. Go about an inch down. Make sure your drill bit is large enough to fit the 'glass' piece of the solar light. "Glass" as in plastic :). If you don't have a bit large enough, like me...mine was just a tad bit too small...just circle it around the hole a little to make the opening bigger.

Step 6: Assemble. Place the "glass" piece into the wood. Place the top on top...

Step 7: Round 'em up with some jute or rope...or just leave them. Put them in a row. Whatever.
diy outdoor lighting

And there you go! I like this for the table because it's hefty. We get some crazy mighty winds around here, so I needed something that wouldn't blow away.

diy outdoor lighting
Plus, now I don't have to worry about the candles...or batteries :) For the most part, these solar lights will last awhile. Well, maybe... I guess they were $1 for a reason lol. We'll see how long they last. But luckily....they are easy to change out.

The total cost of this project was $5. $1 per light and the wood and paint I had on hand.

diy outdoor lights
I'm excited to see how this  looks at night! I'm still wondering about the green ones though...I may just end up spraypainting them all white. What do you think? I thought adding green would add a little interest. I'm not sure.....

11 comments

  1. Perfect! I'm totally pillaging this idea over the weekend, provided I can drum up enough energy to wield the drill...

    I 'like' the green, but I don't 'love' it. KWIM? Maybe it's just that the two greens are at the same height?

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  2. Great idea.
    Your light will make a nice gift.

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  3. I too was trying to think up something for the little patio table (I have two -one big sits 6 the other sits two) I saw this cute solar light in the shape of a tulip at the dollar store. By the time I got it home, the top broke off from the stick. I had a whole set of empty spice bottle and the tulip fit perfectly in it. It also lights the table perfectly. the bottle has stones in the bottom to keep it from blowing away! To cover the spice bottle I took a balloon then pierced it and put it over the spice jar. (saw this idea on Pinterest). This worked great but we've had alot of rain, heat and even a hailstorm this summer, so my tulip is now colorless (I can paint it but for $2 is it worth it?) and the balloon on the spice jar sort of melted from the elements so I replaced it. I also could not afford too many real plants so I bought some fakes and hung them in a box outside my garden shed. I also stuck in a solar light which lights up the plastic flowers at night! Looks great from far and nobody dares to come into my yard because of my dog. I've had many compliments from the neighbors who haven't figured it out yet!! LOL!! I love your idea with the boxes - I would add some fake flowers and it would look great!!! Maybe next summer!!

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  4. What a cute idea! I think I might try this too! You know how it is, just let it sit a few days and sooner or later, if it bugs you, you will change it. :-)

    You have the coolest imagination!

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  5. Girl, Hobby Lobby has had Christmas out since mid-the end of July! So scary! I'm just getting summer posts up, I'm not ready to start with Halloween, let alone Christmas!
    I love your idea! I'm not sure about the green, either...I like the variety in color, though. Maybe a blue???

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  6. I have these lights in my yard in a horrible brass color. I think I might just need to paint them because these look adorable!

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  7. Alicia....creative ideas you have got here. I love this really and will surely use this lighting for my table also. Thanks and keep sharing.

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  8. The beautiful place turned into superb place. I really love it. I wish I could set up a place like this. Perfect for my backyard.

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  9. What a cute idea! I think I might try this too! You know how it is, just let it sit a few days and sooner or later, if it bugs you, you will change it. :-)

    You have the coolest imagination!

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happy DIYing! Alicia