DIY Black Fluted Light Fixture – Easy & Affordable

January 5, 2023
Lighting
DIY black fluted light fixture finished product

I am so excited to share this easy DIY black fluted light fixture with you all! I will be showing you all the step by step instructions of how I made this light fixture for under $100. You can also find the cost breakdown at the very end of this tutorial.

When picking the color scheme for my son’s big boy’s room I knew that I wanted a black light fixture, specifically a fluted black light fixture. After looking I finally found “the one“,  turns out “the one“, was close to $300… so I decided to DIY this fluted light fixture.

I needed a light fixture that had at least 3 bulbs because my son’s room is a decent size with high ceilings. It seems like the more bulbs a light fixture can take the more expensive they are, and $300 was just not in the budget.

Joss & Main black fluted glass light fixture

The inspiration

So I started thinking of ways that I can make this light fixture that would not cost me $300.

Found this light fixture on Amazon for $26

That’s when I came up with the idea to turn this $26 light fixture I found on amazon to a black fluted light fixture. 

amazon light fixture before

This is what it looked like put together in real life

Materials For Your DIY Fluted Light Fixture

Tools

Step 1- Cut the half rounds

Measure and cut the half rounds 8.75 inches using your miter saw.

You will need to cut 63 pieces. You only need 60 pieces for the light fixture but I recommend cutting at least 63 in case you mess up. I cracked one of my pieces when drilling the hole so I’m glad I had extra pieces.

 

Make sure to use painter’s tape before each cut to prevent the wood from splitting.

QUICK TIP logo 
After making your first cut create a stop block with a scrap piece of wood and a clamp so you don’t have to keep measuring each piece.
cutting half round miter saw with stop block

Once all the pieces are cut smooth out the edges with a 220 grit sanding sponge or sand paper.

Step 2- Assemble the light fixture frame

Assemble the metal frame of the light fixture. This was pretty easy to do just follow the instructions it came with.
light fixture testing out half rounds

Using the 6 rubber bands (3 at the top and 3 at the bottom like you see in the pic below) to hold the half rounds in place around the metal frame. Do this to ensure you have enough half rounds to cover the entire metal frame. I already did the math for you to avoid having to make two trips to the store to get more half rounds, but you can always still do this step if you want to double check.

light fixture testing out half round

Step 3- Priming the half rounds

Before priming or painting I used painters tape to hold the pieces down on a cardboard box so so they don’t move around while I paint them.
half rounds taped on box to be painted

I use to always paint without priming because I thought that priming was just so I can start with a white surface and not need that many coats of paint. Then I found out how important priming is before painting so now I almost always prime first. This primer is my go to. 

 
I used my paint sprayer for this project because it was the fastest way to get over 63 pieces painted all at once. If you don’t have a paint sprayer you can use a paint brush or a roller. I would definitely recommend a roller to avoid brush strokes. 
 
Another option would be to use spray paint primer, Zinsser is one of my favorite primers and it also comes in a spray can.
 

Step 4- Painting the half rounds

Once the primer is dry time to paint your half rounds! 

Usually I would recommend sanding between coats of primer/paint, but honestly I was lazy and didn’t feel like un sticking all the pieces from the tape to sand it and stick it back. So I did not sand between coats of primer/paint and it turned out fine.
I also used my paint sprayer for this step. I ended up giving them 2 coats. If you don’t have a paint sprayer you can paint it using a roller or paint brush. 
 
Another option is using a spray paint can, my absolute favorite black spray paint is Farmhouse black by Rustoleum. 
I decided to leave the part that will be facing the inside the natural wood, I thought about painting it black. Then I remembered that light will bounce off a light surface not dark, my logical thinking might be wrong but that was my reasoning lol…

Step 5- Attaching the half rounds to the light fixture

Remember those 3 pieces that came with the light fixture to hold it together? well we are going to replace that with 3 of the half rounds we painted.
dewalt drill bit 3:16 black fluted light fixture copy

I used the 3/16 drill bit from this set that made the perfect size that I needed. 

I used the piece that came with the light fixture to clamp it to the half rounds to make sure I drilled the hole in the correct spot on all 3 pieces.

half round clamped to old piece
Make sure you slowly drill or else you will end up with a cracked piece like this, which is why I recommended to cut and paint extra pieces.
black half round split in half
Before attaching of half rounds, you want to scuff up the metal frame by sanding it down to remove any coating on from the frame to ensure that the glue will bond the wood to the metal, I used an 80 grit sanding sponge.
scuffed up metal frame
Once the hole has been drilled on all 3 pieces attach it to the light fixture with the hardware provided.
3 half rounds attached to light fixture
In case you decide to go with a thicker wood to created this fluted look and need longer screws, these screws linked here fit perfectly. I looked for them and got longer ones in case the ones that came with the light fixture were not long enough but turns out they were the perfect length.
Now time to attach all of the other pieces with glue. I used this gel super glue attach the wood pieces to the metal. The good thing about this glue is that it’s a gel so it does not easily drip, and it dries quickly.
locite super glue gel
Using the 6 rubber bands (3 at the top and 3 at the bottom) to hold the half rounds in place around the metal frame.
black fluted light fixture with rubber bands holding half rounds

As you are gluing each piece, hold it in place for a few seconds before moving on to the next piece so your pieces to shift around while they are drying

AVOID this mistake graphic

In order for all of the pieces to fit, each half rounds have to be close to each other both top and bottom. As I was putting it together I only paid attention to the top and not the bottom, so the last half round did not fit at the bottom and I had to do a lot of sanding to get it to better. You can see it in the pic bellow
 
mistake black fluted light fixture with words
It still doesn’t fit perfectly but since it will be up high you won’t really see it so I left it like that.
 
Once you have glued all of the pieces use your band clamps to hold it while you let It dry.
 
black light fixture with band clamps

Once it’s all dry If you need to now is the time to patch up any spots with paint.

Step 6- Mounting the light fixture to the ceiling

stephanie holding black fluted light fixture top of ladder.

caution graphics

ALWAYS ENSURE YOU ALWAYS CUT OFF THE POWER AT THE BREAKER BEFORE REMOVING OR INSTALLING ANY LIGHT FIXTURE. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE HOW TO DO THIS PLEASE CONSULT AN ELECTRICIAN.

Follow the instructions the light fixture came with to mount it to your ceiling.
 
black fluted light fixture mounted to ceiling
total cost graphic$92.67
COST BREAKDOWN
  • Half rounds $6.96×7= $48.72
  • Glue $17.96
  • Light fixture $25.99
  • Primer already had $0
  • paint already had $0
 
This DIY fluted black light fixture was exactly what this room needed!
 
Overall this was a very easy project. It took me a while to figure out how I was going to do it, since I figured it out you don’t have to and could get this done in 2-3days only because you need time to let the primer and paint and glue dry. 
Stephanie drill signature transparent background

homewiththedaniels

Welcome! - I'm Stephanie, and I am so excited to have you here! I am here to show you how you can pick up a power tool and bring your Pinterest boards to life one DIY at time!

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