I have seen a few tutorials floating around for this DIY Hanging X Wooden Chandelier but they all seemed so complicated with fancy cuts and tricky wiring.
I made my own and actually used a prefab cheapo 6 light builder basic bathroom light bar to wire it. It was so much easier than wiring each individual bulb.
I love the rustic farmhouse look of this light. What I most adore is all the rusty accents on the chain and hooks I used to hang the light. More on that later.
Supplies for Wood Chandelier:
- Bath bar light (you can use however many lights you want, I used 6) $22.98 (Home Depot)
- 3 – 2″ x 4″ x 8′
- 18-2 Lamp Cord Set $4.99 (Menards)
- 5/16″ Anchor Shackle $2.24 (Home Depot)
- (4) #4 Zinc Screw Eyes $2.36 (Home Depot)
- 5/16″ Grab Hook $5.21 (Home Depot)
- 1/2″ x 12′ of manilla natural fiber rope $5.52 (Home Depot)
- 1/4″ x 1′ of Chain $2.21
- 6 Edison Bulbs (I used 40W)
Basic Woodworking Supplies:
- Table saw, Chop Saw
- Nail Gun
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Drill
- Hole Saw
- Wood Glue
Supplies To Rust the Metal:
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Muriatic Acid
- Salt
Optional:
- Swag Kit if you need to move where the light is located
- Canopy Kit $6.67 (I just reused the one from my old light)
- Final Size: 42″ x 15″
To make it cheaper I decided to just use 2 x 4’s for the whole project. I just ripped them through my table saw to get the 1″ x 1″ and 3/4″ x 3/4″ pieces.
How To Make a Hanging Wood Chandelier
If you have clamps use them to help keep the light square while you nail it in place.
Don’t be afraid of angles. I cut mine at 40 degrees but yours might be off a degree or 2. I find it easiest to cut each one individually so you get a nice fit.
Finish the entire piece.
I used Minwax Weathered Oak and Minwax Classic Gray layered.
Probably 4 coats were applied letting it dry between coats to get the depth of color I wanted.
Using a vanity bath bar makes it easier to wire. No need to wire the bulbs together one at a time.
I rusted out all of the metal parts to make it look older.
To watch a Facebook live video of how accomplished this click here.
Next, I predrilled each corner and screwed some hook eyes in each corner.
Here is a picture to show you how to hang everything to make it look like mine did.
I tied two lengths of rope to the hook eyes and then used the grab hook to hang the entire chandelier.
You will have to use a level to get it straight. Adjust the rope to make it level.
And then just wire the lamp cord to your ceiling’s electrical box and use electrical tape to tape the cord down to the vanity light.
I also used staples to make the cord lie flat on the wood part.
Add some Edison Bulbs and you are done!
I absolutely love the way it finished my kitchen off.
I would like to paint the kitchen table this summer but all in all, I am in love with how my kitchen turned out.
If you would like to make your own chandelier, you can download the pdf with the instructions here.
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