This post will show you three different ways to make a matte black PVC pipe candelabra.
Should I tell you right off the bat that Mike hates how these turned out? I told him he just doesn’t have any vision…I think they turned out pretty cool. You see, he got a bunch of PVC pipe to make a little climbing gym for Tootie. She is pulling up on everything, and he wanted to make her something that she could safely pull up on. And he had some leftover pipe, so…craft time!
I saw my friend Lindi’s pipe candlestick holder a few years ago and really loved the idea. I’ve wanted to make one since, so this was the perfect project for the leftover PVC pipe. (She had used copper pipe for hers.) I just had to pick up a few more elbows and whatnot.
Here’s what I used for my matte black DIY PVC pipe candelabra…
- PVC pipe and assorted elbows, end caps, and t joints
- Handheld PVC pipe cutter
- 3/4″ pipe nipples (only necessary because I couldn’t find candles to fit the openings on the 3/4″ pieces)
- Craft glue
- Matte black spray paint
- Taper candles
**Suggestion! Buy your candles first. Then take them to the store with you to make sure they fit in the size you’re buying. Taper candles are cheap and easy to find, so I picked up two slightly different widths to try out. I looked kind of insane laying out PVC pipe pieces on the floor of Home Depot…and sticking candles into t joints…but I wanted to make sure I could get everything to fit. I ended up needing to get the pipe nipples because I couldn’t find candles wide enough for the 3/4″ openings (note that it’s actually about an inch).
And here’s how I made it!
Option #1
Step 1: For the first layout option, I used 3 T-joints, 2 elbows, and a few pieces of pipe. 2 were cut down to about 1.5 inches, while the other 3 were about 3 inches each. (Note: I only ended up using 2 of the 3-inch pieces.)
This is not an exact process. If your piece is too long, you can cut it down more. Also, remember that you have some lee-way when assembling the candelabra regarding how far you push the pieces in. Oh, and don’t freak out about the rough edges from the pipe cutter. That’s all hidden, too. 
Step 2: I attached the the 3 T-joints together using the 2 shorter pieces of pipe I cut.
Step 3: Next I attached the elbows to the outside T-joints using the 3-inch pieces I cut. This elevates the candelabra. Once I was happy with everything, I took it apart again and added glue for stability.
I also added the pipe nipples into each spot where a candle would go.
And here’s the first one painted and done!
Option #2
Step 1: For the second one, I used 1 cross, 4 elbows, and 4 pieces of pipe cut to roughly 4 inches each.
Step 2: I put them together like this with the elbows facing up. Then I glued for stability, added the pipe nipples for candles, painted…
…and viola!
Option #3
Step 1: I wanted to do something with a little curling design for the third one. I used 6 elbows (2 were 45 degrees, 3 were 90 degrees), 2 end caps, 3 T-joints, and 10 pieces of pipe cut to about 1-2 inches each.
It’s easiest to just look at how I assembled the curly sides, with the 45 degree elbows between two 90 degree elbows:
Step 2: And then I made the T-joint candle holder area just as I did for option #1.
Step 3: After attaching the curly legs to the main base to make sure everything fit well, I glued for extra stability, added the pipe nipples, and painted.
And that’s that. A matte black DIY PVC pipe candelabra three different ways. Mike hates all three, I hope you like at least one.
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