I love concrete DIY projects, and after making a few concrete bowls I wondered if I could make a Concrete Table Lamp. To my surprise I couldn’t quite find any tutorials for the type of lamp I wanted to create. Go figure!
I made 2 different types of Concrete Table Lamps and they turned out amazing! I shared the process here on Instragam stories (@kourtnileigh) and here’s the second DIY Concrete Lamp stories if you’re more of the video visual type.
I love the Troy Lighting Concrete Table Lamp and I wanted to try to recreate it for cheaper! It’s priced at $258 and I wanted to try to re-create the lamp for less than $50.
I also made another concrete lamp and decided to try it unpainted since Cody was more of a fan of the natural concrete look. This one ended up looking very similar to another Troy Lighting Concrete Table Lamp for $278.
How to Make a Concrete Table Lamp
In this project you’ll actually learn how to make 3 DIY’s in 1! you’ll learn how to make your own concrete bowls and 2 different versions of a DIY concrete Table Lamp.
Step 1: Make a concrete bowl!
I know, that sounds silly, but you’re going to make concrete bowls before you actually get to contract a table lamp. You’ll need 4 bowls, 1 for the outside form and 1 for the inside form and since you’re making 2 you need to double it (4 forms). Make sure the interior forms are smaller than the outer forms or it will not be as deep of a bowl, thus creating a VERY heavy lamp. Concrete is already heaving enough, y’all!
Mix your concrete and water together to a cookie dough consistency. I used a power-drill and egg beater mixing attachment, but you can use any random bowl and spoon or spatchula! I put water in the bucket first and added concrete mix gradually with a plastic solo cup.
Essentially you will be taking your 2 concrete bowls to make something that looks like this! I used these bowls for my outer forms and these bowls for my inner forms. The outer forms are not your traditional curved bowl and have more of a sharp “V” to mimic the inspiration lamp.
Prep your bowls and mix your concrete
Coat your bowls with oil before adding concrete, I used household vegetable oil. You can also use spray pam or even castor oil. I coated the entire bowl before adding concrete. Once I got to my cookie dough consistency I poured the concrete mix into the outer form.
I poured the concrete mix in and tapped the outside of the bowl to release any air pockets (you can also hold a palm sander up to the side to vibrate the bowl). I spent about a week looking for these star “V” bowls, sadly I couldn’t find any online that were less than $10.
Add inner concrete form and weigh down
Prepare to make a mess! I coated my inner form with vegetable oil and weighted it down with rocks. Everyone thought these little rocks were potatoes on instagram!
Remove Your Concrete Forms
I couldn’t find heavy enough rocks so I started adding paint cans and anything else I could find that was heavy enough to keep the inner form from rising.
I let the concrete cure for 24 hours and then removed the inner forms to let the concrete cure for longer.
You can see the concrete looks like it’s not fully dry yet, so I let the interior cure for another 24 hours.
After 48 hours I removed the outer forms by flipping the bowls upside down and lightly tapping the bowl with a hammer until the form loosened. Do you see how dark the concrete looks at the bottom of the bowl? Yep, it’s STILL WET! I let it cure for another 24 hours before continuing.
TIP: If you don’t let your concrete fully cure it will crack or crumble upon use. I waited 72 hours for the concrete. bowls to cure before moving on to the next step of constructing the concrete table lamp.
Step 2: Drill Holes for Electrical
Using a 3/8″ Masonry drill bit, make a hole in the center of your concrete bowl. You will repeat this step for each bowl. If you don’t use a 3/8″ bit the hole will not be large enough for the light kit nipple that will be threaded through the concrete bowl as the lamp base.
Step 3: Thread Electrical
Thread your light kit through the hole and wire the light to check that it works. DO NOT skip this step! If you get a faulty/broken/missing pieces in a light kit and you’ve already glued the bowls together it will be very hard to re-thread the electrical wires.
Step 4: Prep Concrete Bowl Edges for Adhesive
Before you can add your adhesive, sand down the edges of the concrete bowls to remove any loose debris. The adhesive will not adhere if there are any loose pieces. I wrapped a piece of 80 grit sandpaper around a piece of scrap wood and sanded away. Wipe clean with a cloth once you’re finished.
**The edges will not be smooth but there will no longer be anything chipping off when you run your fingers over it.
Step 5: Apply Adhesive and put Concrete Bowl Together
I used Rapid Set Adhesive which is a construction grade adhesive specifically used for concrete and masonry uses. This stuff is very tacky so be careful not to get it on anything, it left a sticky residue on my fingers even after washing my hand with Dawn dish soap.
Keep the electrical threaded and assembled, apply adhesive around it and be sure to not get it on the electrical cord.
Flip the top bowl on top of the other bowl to create you lamp base. Pull the excess electrical cord through the bottom till the light kit can be attached to your now lamp base. I used additional adhesive around the nipple and placed it in the predrilled hole.
I filled in the cracks with additional adhesive so there were no gaps to see inside the lamp. Let adhesive dry for the recommended amount of time stated on the bottle.
Optional Step: Fixing Chips and Big Gaps
This is not a necessary step unless you did what I did – chipped your concrete bowl. For my second go-around with the concrete lamp I used Henry’s Patch n’Level because I had chipped my bowl leaving a big hole that couldn’t be filled with adhesive. This stuff does not dry the same color as the concrete so don’t overdo it lie I did. I thought it would dry like concrete and it didn’t.
Step 6: Mend the Gap between the Concrete Bowls
I used a drywall taping knife and Henry Feather Finisher to fill the gap and it worked beautifully! I was able to create a tapered angle and not loose the concrete bowl shape. Feather finisher dries the same color as concrete which is perfect!
TIP: you can not just mix up additional concrete and slap it on the dried concrete. Old concrete does not adhere to new concrete.
Follow the drying directions for the feather finisher and once it’s completely dry take your 80 grit sand paper and smooth out any ridges to to create a smooth finish!
Step 7: Seal Concrete
Use Rust-Oleum Matte Finish Spray paint to seal the concrete. This helps with keeping the oils from your hands and anything else from absorbing into the concrete. If you decide not to seal it just remember concrete is porous and will absorb anything.
**If you are making the painted concrete lamp, skip Step 7 and jump to Step 8!
Natural Concrete Table Lamp Complete
We added a linen lampshade from the At Home store! I wasn’t able to finish anything online that would keep me under budget. I will link some similar options but they were all a bit more pricey!
Step 8: Prep Your Concrete Lamp for Paint/Texturing
I used left over drywall spackling, DAP Patch-n-Paint to fill the gap where the two concrete bowls meet. If you are painting your concrete lamp you do not need the feather finisher. I had some left over paint samples from our DIY Dry Bar project (think every black Behr Paint carries and I had a sample of it).
I ultimately used a few paint samples: Carbon, Backout, and Black by Behr Paint. The inspiration lamp has a sponge or blotted technique so I used a cheap paint brush and blotted some spackling mixed with paint all over the concrete lamp.
Then I added the black till I felt like it had enough or mimicked my inspiration lamp enough. I let the paint dry completely before sealing, follow Step 7 for sealing the concrete lamp.
Painted Concrete Table Lamp Complete
The painted Concrete Table Lamp is my first attempt at this type of project and I love how both of these lamps turned out! I used the same lamp shade for both and the same light kit. It’s a short and stout lamp and it is a little snug getting your hand in there to turn it on and off, but I love the design and how it looks.
I really didn’t want to be able to see the finial or the lamp base at all from far away and I think I nailed it. Now I just need to make a matching lamp for this one in our master bedroom!
Be sure to read through all the directions before purchasing supplies for the Concrete Table Lamp. Depending on the look you’re going for you will need different supplies as they both do not require the same finishing supplies.
Concrete Lamp Supplies:
Cost:
$58 (cost will always vary based on the supplies you currently already have on hand)
Get the Look
You can find individual items in, “Shop Our Home” or click here for our Master Bedroom Sources and Dining Room Sources.
- Nightstands
- Upholstered Bed Frame
- Sheets
- Tan Knit Blanket
- Cement Vase
- Foliage (Free from my neighbors tree)
- Clock
- Wooden Jewelry Tray (Lid from bathroom canister)
- Books (Target ad Thrift Stores)
- Wooden Storage Box with Lid (AtHome Store)
- Rug
- Woven Seagrass Basket
- Brown Throw Blanket
- Bluetooth Blinds use code: KOURTNI for 15% off!
Let me know if you have any questions about anything building wise or product questions! I’m an open book 
For more behind the scenes on all of our DIY and home projects be sure to follow along on instagram @kourtnileigh. To see all of our inspo and upcoming projects be sure to follow along on pinterest.
