How to Make a Concrete Lamp Base With LED String Lights

Measure about 5 inches along a 4 inch PVC pipe. Clamp a stop block at that mark on your miter saw so both cuts come out the same length. Cut two pieces, one for each lamp base. If the pipe has been sitting outside, wash it before you use it. Dirt on the inside of the form transfers straight onto the concrete.

The electronics need somewhere to hide, so the base has to be hollow. A plastic water bottle makes an easy placeholder. Cut it with a utility knife so it stands at least an inch and a half below the rim of the PVC form. Place it in the center later. A core that sits off to one side leaves a thin wall that can crack.

Peel the backing off 1 inch foam weather strip and press it around the inside of the top rim. This makes the top of the base narrower than the body, so a glass vase can sit over it. Then stretch plastic wrap or foil across the bottom of the pipe and hold it with painter's tape. That seals the form so wet concrete stays put.

Pour high strength concrete mix into a bucket and add water a little at a time. Turn it over with a hand shovel until every bit of powder is wet. Aim for thick oatmeal. Too wet? Add more dry mix. Too dry? Add a splash more water. Wear gloves and a dust mask while you work with the dry powder.

Set the cut bottle in the middle of the form. Spoon concrete in around it with the shovel, working your way up the sides. Tap the outside of the pipe with a mallet as you go so the concrete settles to the bottom. The bottle is loose and wants to float up, so keep an eye on it and push it back to center.

Hold a palm sander against the side of the filled form and switch it on. The buzz shakes trapped air up to the surface, and you will see bubbles pop on top. Press a nail into the bottle to keep it from rising while the form shakes. Work all the way around the pipe, then let both forms cure for several days.

Clamp the form in a vise. Cut along the PVC with a hacksaw, but stop before you reach the concrete. Make two cuts about 2 to 3 inches apart. Leave a thin skin of plastic, then pry the strip loose and peel the rest of the pipe away. Remove the foam strip from the top to reveal the stepped collar.

Fit a palm sander with 60 grit paper and work around the narrow collar. Coarse paper takes concrete off fast. Stop often and test the vase. You want the glass to slide over the collar and rest on the shoulder of the base. Sand the bottom edge lightly too, so the base sits flat on a table.

Put a masonry bit in your drill and bore down through the middle of the collar into the hollow core. If the bit pushes the plastic bottle down, pull it out. Then cut a small channel across the bottom edge with a multi-tool and a grout blade, or a masonry bit, so the power cord can run out flat under the base.

Feed the LED string lights up through the hole. Pass the remote sensor through too, so it sits on top where the remote can reach it. Plug the controller into the adapter. Run hot glue into the channel, press the cord in and cover it with more glue. Stuff the lights loosely into the vase and set the glass over the collar.