How to Make Cute PVC Candy Canes That Even Light Up
Are you looking for some simple DIY Candyland decor ideas? These PVC candy canes are great for a front doorway if you are wanting more than just a wreath to deck your door this holiday season.
All you need for this project is some paint, PVC pipes, and a good strand of lights.
I don't personally have a doorway to decorate these with, but I have a very Christmas decoration-loving grandma who was super excited to add these to her front porch.
Here's how to make PVC pipe candy canes for a Candyland Christmas:
Tools and materials:
- 2 Strands of LED battery-powered lights
- 2 2"-3" PVC drain with stainless steel strain
- 2 2" PVC P-trap with union
- 2 2"x2" PVC solid pipe in 2' length
- 2 2" street elbow
- Sandpaper or sander
- Scotch tape or painter's tape
- Spray paint in colors of your choice (I used red and green)
- Handful of stones or rocks
- Ribbon (or pre-made Christmas bows)
1. Sand
Sand off any words from the PVC pipe pieces.
2. Assemble the PVC pipe candy canes
Place your PVC pieces together to form the shape of a candy cane.
On the bottom, you will put the drain with the stainless steel strain then the 2' solid pipe.
On top of the solid pipe goes the p-trap and then the elbow is attached to that.
3. Wrap tape
Wrap tape around the entire pipe form in a swirl so as to create the classic candy cane stripe.
4. Drill holes
Drill holes in between each tape stripe. This will allow the lights to shine through. Then spray paint the parts of the PVC that are showing with red paint.
5. Add a second stripe (optional)
Once your red paint has dried, you can add another smaller stripe in another color, if you want.
All you have to do is make sure to cover all the red paint that is on the piece and then leave small stripes within the white space open to be sprayed with another color.
You could use green, gold, or silver; the options are endless.
6. Remove the tape & drain
Once all the paint has dried remove all your tape and the bottom piece of the cane (the drain). Then feed your light strand into the pipes.
7. Add the lights
You can just leave the strand in the pipe to shine through or you can feed one bulb through each hole to rest on the outside of the cane.
Simply remove the bulb and feed it through the hole and then place it back in the socket once it is through and the bulb will rest on the outside.
8. Add a bow (optional)
If you want you can add a bit of extra charm by adding a bow around the candy cane.
You can buy a pre-made one or you can make your own and either tie it or as I did you can secure it with hot glue to the candy cane.
These bows are definitely a great touch. You can see them glistening against the string of lights in the candy canes and they just sort of complete the piece.
9. Add rocks or stones as weights
Before placing your drain back on the bottom of the candy cane add a handful of rocks or stones. This will help give weight to the bottom and keep the candy cane(s) from getting toppled over in the wind.
DIY PVC candy canes
Honestly getting all these bulbs through the holes was an interesting task when I got to the middle of the pipe, but I used some tweezers and pulled them through and I think it was worth the effort.
I took these to a neighbor's front door to test out how they would look and there you have it.
They looked great in the daylight and at night. The dark picture doesn't give them justice, but in person, they were gleaming away!
What do you think of these PVC pipe candy canes? Let me know in the comments below.
DIY Christmas Decor Ideas
Comments
Join the conversation
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Love the paint job. That brings the eye in. I might consider using lights to follow stripes so at night at any distance the candy cane “reads”. So many decorations look great in daytime but at night with lights read a blob of lights or rather indistinguishable of what your display is. Thanks for sharing
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I think I'm going to make this and I. Thinking to get the lights to the middle to use a piece stiff wire and go through the hole you want that light to be and hook it and pull it back through that hole.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
what did you use to put a bulb through each hole. Unless you use a extra wide PVC pipe you’ll need something to snake up the pipe and push into that tiny hole. Your picture show it done But what’s the Secret?
What was the cost for the projects,verses buying or making?
Can’t figure out how you could possibly push each bulb through each hole that you made in the pvc pipe! Seems impossible to me!! Like someone else asked…what is the secret???