Concrete Creations

A Desk Lamp

The first-ever piece that made after taking the online course, was a desk lamp (pretty ambitious, I know ;). Actually, my first attempt was a total failure. My concrete mix was not right and the piece broke as soon as I got it out of the mold. So I had to go back and try to improve the process. Some of the things that I did:


  • I decided to use reinforcement. This basically, meant to integrate a metal structure into the mold.

  • I had to make my mix a lot more carefully. Similar to cooking/baking, it is really important to use correct proportions of cement and aggregates in the concrete mix (more on that below).

  • I had to be more patient and wait for the concrete mix to cure long enough before taking it out of the mold.


Doing all of this, my second attempt turned out a lot better (see the picture below), and I was quite happy with it.

right out of the mold

sanded and cleaned

finished desk-lamp

desk-lamp in use

I made the mold using regular foam boards and used metal screens (like the one shown in the picture) as the reinforcement.

Depending on the concrete mix, after pouring, it usually takes about 24 hours for the concrete to set. At that point, I removed the piece from the mold carefully and let it sit for another half-day before sanding and cleaning the piece.

Finally, I added the light. For the light I used LED light strips (they are relatively cheap on Amazon and very easy to use).

Materials Used

  • For the concrete mix, I use

    • portland cement

    • high purity silica sand (replace with regular play sand)

    • fiber

    • in my case, I found out that if I use a 2:1 ratio of sand to cement I end up with a strong concrete mix that also comes out very smooth (note that depending on your ingredients you might need to change that ratio a bit)

  • For the reinforcement, I use a decorative metal screen cut to desired sizes (note that having holes is preferred)

  • The light source is a very simple LED strip (they can be bought online very easily and they come with a driver)

  • I seal the piece with a regular sealant that can be bought at any hardware store