Turn An Old Lamp Into A Stunning Garden Feature For Birds

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If you've gone thrifting hoping to find a good end-of-the-season deal on birdbath for your yard but thus far gotten nada, you might want to rethink your plans. Maybe you should upcycle that old lamp you found in the back of the attic last week instead. And why not? Many old lamps boast more interesting construction than many of the traditional birdbaths on the market, making them a beautiful addition to your lawn. And turning one into a charming DIY birdbath is sometimes just a matter of tweaking –- remove a bulb here, add a bowl-turned-bird-bathtub there, and you'll be amazed.

The main component of this lamp-turned-birdbath is your old lamp. Because of this, the DIY supplies list will vary greatly. (No two readers of this article are likely to be using the same lamp for this project.) For example, an old Tiffany-style lamp will require more tools to take them from lamp to birdbath. Meanwhile, a plainer mid-century modern number may require less to make the shift.

In light of this, the following supplies, the first of which is the lamp itself, are suggested, though not necessarily all needed. Still, a toolbox that includes any and all of these items will be helpful: nuts and bolts, a drill, scissors, metal cutters, Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive, sandpaper, and Satin Nickel Mosaic Aluminum Sheet Metal. Falling in Art Wood Panels Kit could be useful when it's time to mount the bowl-turned-bath to the piece. Finally, some decorative sheet metal and some spray paint will turn up the chic levels of the piece and add a flare of originality.

Depending on the style of lamp you've bought, you may have some deconstructing to do before it's ready to be turned into a birdbath. If the lamp has any dangly crystal pieces, lamp earrings, burned-out bulbs, or nuts and bolts that hold pieces in place, remove those. Next, give it a good cleaning with a clean rag and a cleaner that's suitable for the lamp's material. (A metal lamp requires a different cleaner than a stone one will, for example.)

When you're ready to make a base for the birdbath's bowl to sit on, drill a hole in the middle of the birch panels, using one small one and one big one. Where the lampshade attaches to the base, there is often a bolt. The two wooden circles go on top of that. Next, drill a hole in the middle of the shallow bowl you've chosen to use to make the bath portion of the water feature. The important thing to remember is to pick a shallow bowl. That shallowness allows them to move quickly if predators come around and also prevents your feathered friends from drowning. Add the bathing bowl to the birdbath.

Follow this step with improvements. If part of the base needs some covering, cut some of the sheet metal and wrap it around the base. Secure it in place with metal clasps or a soldering gun if you have one. Spray paint that with a bright color, like Krylon Fusion Red Pepper Spray Paint. Finally, fill it with water and set it in your yard.

Birds are vulnerable when they're bathing in nature. In light of their skittishness, you may want to think deeply about some of the features you choose for your lamp birdbath. Making the right decision for its design can help attract more birds to your yard by making the birdbath more comfortable and safe for them. For example, when you're looking for a shallow bowl for the bath portion of the birdbath, something like a vintage galvanized metal bowl with sloped sides will work better than a flat-bottomed bowl would be. The sloped sides make it easier for the birds to get into and out of the bath. The bowl also doesn't have to be made of metal, but it should fit the shallow-and-sloped parameters.

Your feathered friends also prefer water that's moving. That attracts their eyes. Because you've made this from a lamp, your DIY-ed birdbath won't be a bonafide fountain. However, you can finagle the moving water feature of a fountain by adding a AISITIN Solar Fountain Pump for Bird Bath. You'll still have to manually fill the basin with water, but once the fountain is turned on, the water in it moves like a normal fountain. Finally, although it's called a birdbath, some birds don't want to wade into the water when they're drinking. Filling the bottom of the bowl with stones that rise up out of the water gives them a place to sit and allows them to easily fly away should a predator show up.