We have another super easy IKEA hack for you today. In this post we will show you how to take a SINNERLIG pot and a cord set from IKEA and turn it into a DIY industrial table lamp.
When Courtney and I brainstorm projects we usually underestimate how long a project is going to take. No matter how simple we think a project is, when we are making something for the first time we almost always run into some sort of problem we have to solve. This is especially the case when we have a short amount of time to work on it.
We wanted to make a DIY industrial table lamp based on a lamp we saw at Urban Outfitters for our library and figured what better time to experiment on making something for the first time than the night before you have to present it on live TV.
On the plus side, we worked out all the kinks and can now share with you the best way to approach this project.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
In the video below we will walk you through how to make an industrial table lamp using an IKEA pot plant and a light cord set.
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SUPPLIES
- (1) SINNERLIG Pot of from IKEA
- (1) Cord set
- (2) Wire nuts
- (1) Light bulb (Edison)
- Drill
- 1-5/8″ Diamond coated hole saw
- 1-3/4″ Wood hole saw
- 5/8″ Glass and tile ceramic drill bit
- Sander and 220 grit sand paper
- Matte spray paint
- Scrap wood
- Wood clamps
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Here is an outline of our crazy day
- — 10:00 AM —
- Feeling optimistic, Courtney emailed me a detailed shopping list complete with pictures of the lamp she wanted to recreate and all the supplies need.
- — 04:00 PM —
- Off work and headed to Ikea before traffic gets bad.
- — 04:05 PM —
- Made it to Ikea and should be in and out super fast because I know all the secret passageways. Proud of myself for not even stopping for a cinnamon roll on the way in.
- — 04:08 PM —
- Oh no! They don’t have the cloth cord set we are looking for. Guess, I will try and find and employee in case I am missing them.
- — 04:20 PM —
- Slight setback, they are out of cloth cord sets but after talking to employee, they helped me find an alternative one that will work.
- — 04:25 PM —
- Okay, made it to the pots and plants section. I should be out of here in no time.
- — 04:35 PM —
- Oh no, took two laps around the pot and plants section but can’t find the pot on my list.
- — 04:45 PM —
- Spent five minutes trying to pronounce the name of the pot I am looking for to another employee because apparently, black pot isn’t descriptive enough. He asks me to type it into his computer to find the name.
- — 04:55 PM —
- The employee informs me that they don’t carry that pot. Panic is now officially setting in since our entire project is based around this particular pot. Contemplate getting a $1 hot dog to cheer me up but instead head back to the pots section to do one final walkthrough.
- — 05:00 PM —
- I can’t believe my eyes. Suddenly it as if a ray of light strikes those beautiful pots. I found the hidden stash behind the palm trees. Grateful that I don’t have to tell Courtney I couldn’t find them.
- — 05:05 PM —
- Well, that was another IKEA trip that took too long. Oh, hello Houston evening traffic.
- — 07:00 PM —
- Finally made it home after fighting rush hour traffic. On a positive note Courtney has dinner ready. On a negative note “It’s raining Ben” (The Bachelor) on TV starts tonight but we can’t watch because we need to knock this project out. I reassure Courtney we will be done in time for the “final rose”.
How We MADE a DIY Industrial Table Lamp
1. First we flipped over the pot and carefully removed the stickers and felt feet.
The fun thing about this project is we are using the SINNERLIG pot for the base which comes in a variety of shapes, giving us options when it came to the style of the light fixture. We purchased a few to test and chose the shape above for an industrial look.
2. To turn this pot into a lamp, we needed to drill a hole in the bottom of the pot with a 1-5/8″ diamond coated hole saw. To keep the hole saw centered as we drilled, we found it helpful to use a jig to hold the hole saw in place.
To make a jig, we drilled a hole with the 1-3/4″ hole saw in a board larger than the base of the pot. Then used clamps to hold pieces of scrap wood around the base of the pot to hold the top board with the hole in it center on the pot.
3. The diamond coated hole saw leaves a smooth finish but exposes the clay center which is why we needed to paint it. When we pulled off the sticker and felt feet from the bottom, it left three squares of exposed clay.
4. Through a frustrating and unsuccessful trial run, we found that the red clay absorbs the spray paint more leaving those areas a different color.
To make sure the entire bottom of the pot is a consistent texture, we found it necessary to sand the entire bottom of the pot before spray painting it. For this step we used a sander and 220 grit sand paper.
5. Before painting, we drilled a hole with a 5/8″ glass and tile drill bit in the side of the pot towards the bottom for the cord to go through. This step will also expose some of the red clay but it will also be covered up by the spray paint.
6. We wanted to give our industrial table lamp a matte finish so we spray painted the entire pot with black matte spray paint.
7. In order to thread the wire through the pot, we cut the cord six inches from the light fixture. Then we stripped the wires exposing half an inch of copper on both the white wires and both the black wires.
8. Then we threaded the stripped ends of the long side of the cord through the small hole in the pot.
9. We pushed the fixture through the large hole and screwed the threaded flange tight.
10. Finally, we twisted the copper parts of the black and white wires together and then screwed the wire nuts on each wire to hold them together. Our DIY industrial table lamp is finished!
- — 10:30 PM —
- Now for the moment of truth, we plugged the light in, flipped the switch and we have light! It was the wonderful sign that our DIY industrial table lamp is complete and it’s bedtime! Oh wait, we still have to make our DIY tiered stand.
- — 01:30 AM —
- After prepping that project, it is finally time for bed.
- — 05:30 AM —
- Rise and Shine Courtney! Its time to get ready for Great Day Houston.
- — 07:30 AM —
- As we are on our way to the studio we ponder why we procrastinate on these projects. Is it all really worth it? Sometimes they are so much work and stress.
- — 10:00 AM —
- The show went great. At brunch Courtney and I discuss how much fun that was and how much we love how the projects turned out and look in the room. We agree we should do it again and start brainstorming our next project. Omelets really do wonders for morale.
Don’t let our crazy day deter you from making this DIY industrial table lamp. It is a great weekend project that turns out awesome. We are growing quite fond of these quick and easy (now that we have the process figured out) IKEA hacks.
PROJECT FEATURED ON GREAT DAY HOUSTON
Out DIY industrial table lamp was one of the repurposing ceramic projects we shared on the local live morning show, Great Day Houston. In case you missed it (or don’t live in Houston) you can watch our DIY segment here.
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