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Chandelier Solar Light | Hanging Solar Light

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You all know I love a good deal and a great repurpose! I have a fun and simple project today. I’ll show you how to repurpose a chandelier into a functional outdoor patio solar light.

Thrift Store Chandelier

thrift store chandelier

I picked up the chandelier on the left for $2 at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. These old brass chandeliers are so plentiful at thrift stores.

Gut The Chandelier

how to gut a chandelier to repurpose it

This is not the first chandelier I’ve taken apart. I’m getting much better at it. The most important thing to remember is how it comes apart so you can put it back together. I unscrewed the pieces and started snipping wires and pulling them out.

Test Various Solar Light Options for Your Project

test your solar light in the repurposed chandelier

After removing all the wires, I removed one of the bobeches to see if my solar light would fit on the arm. It did! Perfectly! NOTE: See the big brass piece to the right. I decided to leave it off.

Reuse Original Nuts From The Chandelier

save original nuts from chandelier

TIP: The threads of the arm are a funny size, so I always reuse the original nuts that came with the candle tubes. The one on the right is original, and the one on the left is after I bent it back and forth several times until it snapped off. Voila! I have the perfect nut to hold my original bobeche on the threaded arm.

Spray Paint is The Best Option

spray paint chandelier

For this repurposed chandelier, I used Krylon Dual Paint+Primer in Oil Rubbed Bronze on all of the pieces. I did a little sanding on the bobeches because they were gross.

oil rubbed bronze spray paint on repurposed chandelier

After letting the pieces cure, I got busy trying to figure out exactly how I wanted the finished repurposed chandelier  project to look. Isn’t the finish of the Krylon ORB gorgeous?

Hang Repurposed Chandelier on a Shepherd’s Hook

solar lights chandelier

I tried it with the solar lights directly on the arms without and bobeches or candle tubes. The lights fit very snugly by themselves.

repurposed chandelier with solar lights

I replaced the bobeches, and tested to see if the candle tubes that come with the solar lights would fit. They sort of do, but MY oh MY, they are TALL.

Compare Options For The Best Look

solar lights on repurposed chandelier

See? I sort of felt like Goldilocks. These are too small; these are too tall.

repurposed chandelier as a solar light

I cut the candle tubes with my compound miter saw, making each tube have a short and long piece.

New Solar Light Fixture Made From a Chandelier

use solar lights on repurposed chandelier

For now, it has the bobeches and the shorter candle tubes. But it is totally customizable to the new owner. The solar lights could be removed if the new owner would like for it to be a candelabra.

solar lights charge in shady areas

Have you bought solar lights lately? They have come a long way. These will charge in the sun or shade. How cool is that!? How about wrapping a chandelier with rope and using it as a candelabra?

gail

Sharing at Serving Up Southern Homestyle Gathering

I think you will love these solar light projects:

Floor Lamps and Solar Lights

Whiskey Barrel Planter with Solar Lights

Dollar Store Solar Lights on Reclaimed Landscape Timbers (five tall landscape timbers)

Easy Reclaimed Landscape Timber Solar Lights (three short landscape timbers)

Glass Globe Solar Lights (ceiling fan globes)

Floor Lamp Solar Chandelier

40 Comments

  1. This really is a fabulous project! I am very impressed and inspired by what you did with an old chandelier lamp and how you problem solved your way to make a really neat outdoor solar hanging light!

  2. Gail, this is the coolest project! I would never have dreamt this one up. I have an old brass chandelier on my work bench, and just yesterday was checking out solar outdoor lights. I see one of these in my future. I would LOVE if you could link this up at my group link party tomorrow afternoon at Redouxinteriors.com Thanks for sharing!

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