| Homemade Nightlights |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-202 |
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Q: I have a nightlight in my daughter's room. Can you help me create one for the hallway that will fit in with my decor?
A: (Debbie Stapely, Ask DIY Crafts Expert) This is an inexpensive, fun idea! Make a designer face plate from a cheap plastic nightlight (figure A), which is available at the hardware store in a two- or three-pack for just a few bucks. Here's what you do: Materials:
Inexpensive plastic nightlight
Flat art image or photo to reproduce
Piece of glass cut to fit image
Spray adhesive
Metallic foil tape
Service entrance cable strap
Copper wire
Industrial strength craft adhesive
Electrical tape
- Choose a design. It can be from a clip art book, a photograph or even your child's artwork. Take it to a copy shop and have them copy the image on to a piece of acetate. Make the acetate copy brighter than you'd like to see the eventual face plate.
- Get a piece of glass to fit the image. Cut your own if you know how, have a glass shop do it or buy one that fits at a stained glass or craft store.
- Attach the acetate to the glass. To make the image look more pronounced, consider painting the glass with frosted glass spray paint first (figure B). Then attach the acetate to the glass by putting a light coat of spray adhesive on both the glass and the acetate. Let the glue get tacky for 10 seconds or so, and then smooth the image on to the glass.
- Cut a piece of silver foil tape about an eighth of an inch longer than each side of the glass, four pieces total. Use them to cover the sharp edges, peeling off the protective sheets and then pressing the tape to the edges of the glass, burnishing it front and back (figure C). Clip the tape at the corners and fold them so they'll lie flat.
- Pop off the plastic nightlight cover.
- Create a better place to attach the glass face plate you created to the front of the nightlight. Place a service entrance cable strap (which I randomly selected because it works for this project -- who knows what it's really supposed to do!) around the neck of the light. Then attach it by knotting a length of copper wire, threading it through one hole of the cable strap, around the back of the light neck, and through the other hole of the cable strap (figure D)
- Put a dab of industrial strength cable adhesive in each hole of the service entrance cable strap, and center the whole light/cable strap face on the back of the glass (not the side with the image), with both lying flat on a table. Let it dry (figure E). If you like, reinforce the bond between the nightlight and glass faceplate with electrical tape (figure F).
More Questions for Debbie:
Q: If I don't have the required grade of sandpaper needed for a project, will any grade do?
A: Not really. You could use anything finer, but you wouldn't want to use something more coarse.
Q: I like to use foam brushes. Can I use them to apply polyurethane?
A: Yes you can. But you will have to throw the brush away when it starts to disintegrate after a while.
Q: Will regular brushes work for painting a stencil?
A: Not really. But if you have an old paintbrush, you can try cutting it very short, so that the bristles are maybe a quarter of an inch. Then try using that as a stencil brush. Web site resources for Night Lights: Creative Night Lights from DIYNET.Com Custom Night Lights from HGTV.Com Lamp Shade Night Lights from HGTV.Com
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