DIY wall sconce or home decor hack? Whatever you want to call it, this simple DIY project looks cute and doesn’t cost a fortune.
Sure, this is a DIY wall sconce, but it’s also a wireless wall sconce. Which in my opinion is so much better – no hardwiring or electrical wires needed. So that means…this would be a great beginner DIY and/or weekend project for anyone that needs tackle lighting on a budget.
I found a simple wall lamp online (for a good price) that I thought I’d use as a place holder until I found what I really wanted. But after a simple tweak, I ended up liking how these turned out more than I thought. So I stopped looking…at least for now.
Click through for the simple tutorial in 3 easy steps – for less than $65 per sconce!
I found some simple wall sconces for the bedroom that I absolutely loved. Love the color, the shape, all of it.
The only catch was they were more than I wanted to spend ($600-1,000 for a pair – depending on the size). So, as usual, I thought I’d try to find / make something similar for less.
I was hoping to spend less than $100, and full disclosure, I did go over budget. But not by much. And I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.
Amazing what some spray paint and tape can do to completely change the vibe, right?
DIY Wall Sconce Ideas
I found the simple sconces on Amazon for under $50 each and ordered them right away. They’re a couple dollars more now, than when I bought them, but still a great deal.
Then I went to a local hardware store and picked up some spray primer and a spray paint in a neutral color that would work on metal.
Materials
Instructions
1. Remove the glass globe and tape off the parts that you don’t want to be spray painted.
I already had blue painters tape at home, so I used that to tape off the base of each sconce, after removing the lamp shade / globe.
You can use any kind of painters tape or masking tape that you have. Just wouldn’t use duct tape because it will likely leave a residue.
*IMPORTANT: Make sure you thoroughly tape off the inside area where the bulb will go. You don’t want any paint to get into that area, at all.
2. Prime and paint the metal base of the sconces outside in a well ventilated area.
After taping everything off, I took the sconces outside to spray paint them. I started with a thin coat of primer on each of the two scone spaces.
Once the primer was dry, I spray-painted the beige-tan color onto each sconce base.
*I highly recommend using primer made for metal (I linked it in the materials list). It will ensure the paint bonds properly to the surface. You don’t want the paint to peel after putting in the effort to make them look their best, right?
3. Once dry, remove the tape, install the sconces bases and reassemble.
After that was dry I brought them back inside and removed the tape. Then I reassembled the sconces and they were both ready for install.
I don’t have specific installation instructions to share because it really depends on whether you go hardwired or not.
If you choose to hardwire the lights with the help of an electrician (and use a regular light bulb), obviously there will be some additional expenses for installation.
But if you try the lighting hack below instead, it should only about $20 to the overall cost, which I already factored into the final budget breakdown.
Wireless Wall Sconce Hack
So how do you make these cute wall sconces wireless?
You probably can’t tell from the pictures (and that’s the point), but my bedroom wall sconces are not hardwired. I used the magic light trick instead, so I didn’t have to worry about electrical wiring. Much easier and faster than getting an electrician.
So now I have the look of sconce lights, without the trouble. Wireless wall lights might be the best home decor hack as of late.
Using Puck Lights
The puck light trick is when you attach a battery-operated puck light where a bulb would normally go.
And then use a remote to control when the light goes on, instead of using a light switch. Effectively creating wireless sconces.
The back of the puck light is usually attached with Command strips or adhesive tape, but I’ve seen some people use hot glue as well. Not sure if I would recommend that last one though.
- There are wireless puck lights used for this purpose available lots of places online. I found a bunch of led puck lights on Amazon that would work for this purpose. There are even some options for rechargeable lightbulbs.
Using screw in bulbs
There are special kinds of bulbs that you can actually screw in where a normal bulb would go, that also work on a remote control.
So this is a good option for spots where you don’t want to use Command strips OR a puck light wouldn’t fit, etc.
This is the option I went with – and these battery operated bulbs are very similar to the ones I used (more options here). Like a magic bulb or something.
Benefits of Opting for a Wireless Wall Sconce
Aside from not having to deal with potentially installing a new electrical box and doing electrical work, there are some other strong benefits to going the wireless route.
- You can mount each light in pretty much any desired location, which isn’t always possible with a hardwired light.
- Since they’re battery-operated bulbs, they will work even if the power goes out. Which is a huge plus for someone like me. I don’t know if it’s a Southern California thing or what, but our power goes out semi-regularly around here. And it can be annoying, especially at night.
- Last but not least, it’s EASY! Probably one of the easiest projects you can do to upgrade your house. Making it the perfect choice for beginners (or anyone that doesn’t want to spend a ton of time on house projects).
How much did these battery-operated wall sconces cost?
In total, this project did cost more than what I was hoping. The final budget breakdown in below.
Although I went slightly over budget, I’m happy with the results. I still ended up saving over $450+ in the end, compared to the sconces I was originally thinking about.
And because they were so affordable, I won’t feel bad about spray painting them in new color if I ever decide to change it up.
Budget Breakdown
If you’re curious, here’s the full budget breakdown for how much this sconce hack actually cost me.
- $49.99 per sconce ($99.98 for two)
- $6.19 primer spray paint
- $5.98 color spray paint
- $17.46 battery-operated puck light
- painters tape (no additional cost bc I already had it)
Total cost: $129.61 for two sconces or $64.80 each
I hope you found this easy DIY project useful. And now that you know how to make these budget friendly wall sconces to create ambient lighting, you may find different ways to start working rechargeable light bulbs into your home for a warm glow.
They’re a great way to add wall-mounted lights to a bedside table or window seat, flanking a fireplace in the living room or on a gallery wall in dining room – you could even use them as reading lights.
So many easy ways to incorporate wireless lights into your home.
DIY Wall Sconce (Lighting Hack)
I found some simple wall sconces for the bedroom that I absolutely loved. But they were more than I wanted to spend ($600-1,000 for a pair – depending on the size). So, as usual, I thought I’d try to find / make something similar for less. I was hoping to spend less than $100. I did go over budget, but not by much. And I’m so happy with how they turned out. Amazing what some spray paint and tape can do to completely change the vibe, right?
Servings: 2 sconces
Cost: $112
Remove the glass globe and tape off the parts that you don’t want to be spray painted.
-
I already had blue painters tape at home so I used that to tape off the base of each sconce, after removing the glass shade / globe. You can use any kind of painters tape or masking tape that you have. Just wouldn’t use duct tape.
-
*IMPORTANT: Make sure you throughly tape off the inside area where the bulb will go. You don’t want any paint to get into that area.
Prime and paint the metal base of the sconces outside in a well ventilated area.
-
After taping everything off, I took the sconces outside to spray paint them. I started with a thin coat of primer on each of the two scone spaces. Once the primer was dry, I spray-painted the beige-tan color onto each sconce base.
-
*I highly recommend using primer made for metal (I linked it in the materials list). It will ensure the paint bonds properly to the surface.
Once dry, remove the tape, install the sconces bases and reassemble.
-
After that was dry I brought them back inside and removed the tape. Then I put in a light bulb and put the glass shades back on and they were ready to install. When installing though, I realized, it would have been easier to just keep the sconce unassembled until the base was mounted to the wall.
-
Anyway! You can hardwire these into the wall with the help of an electrician. OR do the puck light trick with a remote.
In total, this project did cost more than what I was hoping. The final budget breakdown in below. Although I went slightly over budget, I’m happy with the results. I still ended up saving over $480+ in the end, compared to the sconces I was originally thinking about.
And because they were so affordable, I won’t feel bad about spray painting them in new color if I ever decide to change it up.
Budget Breakdown
If you’re curious, here’s the full budget breakdown for how much this sconce hack actually cost me.
$49.99 per sconce ($99.98 for two)
$6.19 primer spray paint
$5.98 color spray paint
painters tape (no cost)
Total cost: $112.15 for two sconces
Looking for another lighting related DIY tutorial?
- 16 of my fave table lamps right now. There are some very unique ones on the list. Including a few that I can personally recommend because I have them (and love them).
- 8 DIY lighting ideas – My post on cool lighting trends that are totally DIYable.
- The most insane DIY pendant lights we ever made. And idk if it was good or bad at this point. They were unique….I’ll say that. Haha.
- And a globe table lamp DIY with concrete.
