Making a Driftwood Lamp

My mother-in-law recently had her living room decorated in New England style. She saw a driftwood lamp for sale that she would have loved for her room but it was over £100. She mentioned it to me that it was lovely but too expensive so I decided I would secretly make her one and give it to her as part of her birthday present. So here's how I made a Driftwood Lamp.

Driftwood - Local Beach

Lamp - Thrift Shop

Cord - B&Q

Lampshade - The Range

Bleach - Local Shop

Epoxy Resin Glue - Poundland

Various sized containers

Luckily, near where I live, is a beach that is full of driftwood. I searched through the debris trying to find pieces of wood that were an unusual shape as this would later add interest to the lamp.

(Note: Wear safety googles, mask and gloves when dealing with Bleach. Also please don't do this step with good clothes and shoes on as Bleach can splash up and destroy them, wear old clothes and shoes, you have been warned.)

Driftwood collected from the beach can contain insects and microscopic mites and goodness knows what else. To kill anything that was living in and on the driftwood I placed the wood into a large container. I boiled up a couple of kettles of water and made sure that it covered the wood completely. I then carefully added 1/2 litre of bleach to the water and left it to soak for a few days in the solution.

(Note: Wear safety googles, mask and gloves when dealing with Bleach. Also please don't do this step with good clothes and shoes on as Bleach can splash up and destroy them, wear old clothes and shoes, you have been warned.)

I lifted the various pieces of driftwood out of the bleach solution and set them into various containers I had lying around. I then left them on top of radiators around my house to dry (keep an eye on the containers as they can warp or melt with the heat so please don't use expensive Tupperware). Unfortunately the weather in the UK is unpredictable so leaving them outside to dry was not an option. I was also concerned that left outside maybe some insects would make the driftwood their home again. I left the pieces of wood to dry for a few days and once they where bone dry I then sealed them in one large plastic container until I was ready to use them.

When creating a driftwood lamp its important to buy a lamp that has a long stem and a good sized base like the above picture. I purchased my lamp from a thrift shop for £5. On buying the lamp I made sure that it was pat tested and therefore safe to use.

Where you add the pieces of driftwood to the lamp is really up to you. I tried to pick out pieces of wood that were really odd shapes and sizes. There really is no right or wrong way to do this. Just place them where you feel they can add interest to the lamp. 

I used epoxy glue for its ability to stick the driftwood together and also for its quick drying times. You could use wood glue and elastic bands or tape to hold the driftwood together but epoxy is just so much quicker and easier. In the UK you can buy a tube of it for a £1 so it’s a cheap option. 

Using white acrylic paint, I painted the lamp with a light white wash to make the wood a bit lighter in places. This was purely an aesthetic choice. 

To seal in the wood I used a spray matt varnish. This is to stop insects making their home in the wood again and to ensure that the wood doesn’t deteriorate. I placed the lamp on a Lazy Susan which enabled me to rotate it while I sprayed the base with a light coat of varnish.

I added cord to the bottom of the lamps base to hide any of the silver base. I used epoxy glue to stick it in place. I think the cord works well with the driftwood/nautical style of the lamp.

I found a lampshade in my local Range store that had beach huts on it. I bought it as it complemented my mother-in-laws living room décor and went well with the driftwood/nautical look of the lamp.

I gave my mum-in-law the lamp for her birthday and she was really happy with it. It sits on a coffee table in her living room and she constantly uses it to read by. I wasn't sure how the lamp would turn out in the end but I'm really happy with the result and especially glad that my mother-in-law loved it. Hopefully you will give making the lamp a go and please post the pictures here as I would love to see them. Happy Crafting!