I have been loving seeing the resurgence of glass bricks in interior design and when done right, they can look so good!
The last time I paid my local tip shop a visit I noticed a big pile of glass bricks and immediately grabbed a few! I thought all the way home about what I could make from them and had so many ideas but the one that really stuck with me was a light. I wanted to make something really clean and sleek that would be super simple to put together but that would make a statement.
These little glass beauties can often be found at junk yards and tip shops and I found this one for just $3! Combine that with a little wooden craft box and light bulb and you have the easiest, cheapest and coolest project! Here’s how I did it.
Materials
- Glass brick
- Wooden box (I had one in the cupboard but you can buy similar ones from Spotlight)
- Light cord set
- Low heat LED light bulb
- Wood stain
- Rag
- Nano-blade or similar
- Sanding block
- Wood glue
- Adhesive sealant
How to make a glass brick lamp
1
I began by giving the glass brick a really good clean. I placed it into a bowl with some warm, soapy water and used a wire brush to scrub off all the paint and bits that were stuck to it.
2
I then moved onto cutting down the box to size so that the glass brick sat neatly on top. I measured out the size and then used my Bosch NanoBlade to cut it. I then cut a rectangle in to the top of the box (for the light to shine through). Once that one was done, I used wood glue to attach a scrap piece of wood to the back side to close in the opening. It now looks a bit like a tissue box! I also cut a small slot in the side of the box for the cord to sit.
3
After this, I sanded smooth all of the cut edges and then stained the entire thing. I used Feast Watson Proof Tint in Oak and I love that the dark colours keeps the wood grain shining through.
4
From here, I placed the bulb inside the box. I found that gluing the cord in the slot made the bulb sit up and prevented it from touching the sides and bottom of the box. It's important to use a low heat LED bulb for this.
5
Finally, I glued the glass brick onto the wooden box with some adhesive sealant and it was ready to be plugged in and used!
