I found the perfect lantern at Ikea to use for this clay pot lighthouse. These cute yard decorations are easy to make!
Supplies:
Steps:
This page contains the following solutions.
This terracotta lighthouse is just 2 large plant pots cemented together and painted, with a lantern on top.
Make a cute terra cotta pot lighthouse for you garden. Check out this video and learn how easy they are to make!
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Where can the top of lighthouse be purchased ? It looks like one that is on my lighthouse I purchased from Walmart.
By Liz
How did you make the windows on the terra cotta lighthouse?
By M. Campbell from Front Royal, VA
I was wondering the same thing, I'm guessing they had a template.
I did mine free hand but you could use a template.
What kind of cement is used to put the pots together?
By Brenda from Morristown, TN
You can stick just about anything to anything with E6000 glue avail in craft and home improvement stores. It comes clear, black or white so be sure to get the color you prefer.
Could you possibly use a solar path light, that looks like a lantern, for the &"topper"?
By Tray J. from Dannemora, NY
I've been making lighthouses out of clay pots since '85 and always used the regular solar lights for the top. Recently I did see on the internet where someone bought the lanterns but was going to use a candle with it.
I found a box of 6 at Home Depot for $18 that fit perfectly on a 4" saucer.
Family Dollar has the solar lanterns, in pastel colors. Just spray paint black. Comes in three peices. I got all they had. They were 2 dollars a peice.
What kind of paint do you use for the lighthouse? Is it spray paint, as last time I painted a terra cotta pot with a paint brush it was all streaky. Any ideas on how to paint it so it is even and has not got the streak lines?
By Wendy
To make the lines clean use painters tape around the pot then spray the pot with spray paint of your color choice. There is rayon spray paint that goes on anything.
I used Folk Art multi-surface paint. It states that it can be used on terra cotta. Use a good quality brush to minimize streaking. Multiple coats of spray acrylic coating will pretty much hide the streaks.
Make sure your paint is colder than what you are painting even if you have to put it in the fridge. It should result in a streak-free finish.
I made a bird bath for my daughters shower and I painted the pots with a sponge. I had a much better finish.
Are you sure its just two large terra cotta pots? looks like more to me.
By Janet T
The directions are for using 2 pots. The picture at the very top of the page uses 5 pots. I think you can use as many pots as you want per your taste :)
What size pots do you use to make the 5ft tall lighthouse??
What do you use for the base of the 5 pot lighthouse please? Thanks.
Try a red clay plate like the kind that u put red clay pots on, but I would think you would want it slightly larger than the bottom pot of the lighthouse and glue the whole thing in the center of it, either with the plate upside down or right side up.
It does look like a larger saucer upside down painted Black!
What size clay pots are used to make the large terra cotta light house -using 5 pots?
I need specific instructions for Cape Hatteras clay pot lighthouse.
By Deb
Has anyone had a problem with the weight of 3 or 4 pots stacked on each other breaking the ones below them?
By Nina W.
I made lighthouses stacking 3 pot with no breaking problems. I would feel ok doing 4.
What is used for the fencing at the top of the large lighthouse?
By Juanita
Some one was wanting to know where to get fencing for light houses. Hobby lobby sells these in 3 different sizes.
What sizes of pots do you recommend for making this feature? The pots that I have looked at stack too low down on each other.
You can place small blocks of wood, plastic, etc., between the pots so that they can stack as whatever size you prefer.
Has anyone ever cut the bottom of the pot out so the "lighthouse" can fit over a well cap?
By DT
What kind of lantern did you attach to the light house? How do you connect the pots together for the pot heads?
By Deborah from Perrysburg, OH
Why do you have to use cement, why couldn't you use Gorilla glue?
By Debbie
Any glue that works for outside use is fine.
What type of paint do you use for the clay pots? Should you use two different sizes of pots?
By Ellie G.
A spray primer is a good idea. They make craft acrylic paint that is for outdoor projects. I found it at Joann's. Yes...it is best to use pots that get progressively smaller in size.
How large of pots did you use?
By Linda from Denison, IA
What is the black part of the lighthouse just below the lamp. It looks circular with a rail?
By Patty
Great idea- Is the little light battery operated? Does yours really light up?
By Winona from RI
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Here's a lighthouse you can make with graduated terra cotta pots and a solar garden light.
