We may earn a commission on purchases made through links.
When building anything out of brick, it’s helpful to have a few extra bricks on hand in case of breakage. Those leftover bricks can sit in your yard for a while if you don’t have an immediate use for them. One way to incorporate them into your outdoor living area is to convert them into contemporary patio lighting Brightens up your patio. Perforated bricks, sometimes called 3-hole bricks or corded bricks, have just the right amount of space in the holes to fit battery-operated tealight candles. Dollar Tree carries three-packs Luminescence flickering LED white tealight candlesSo one pack is enough for one brick.
You are not limited to tealights. Any small light source that fits into the holes in the brick will work, such as strings of miniature fairy lights. Whatever lights you use, these brick lanterns can be placed on a side table or patio table, or placed every few feet along the perimeter of the yard to set a boundary for an evening soirée. A small garden party.
How to make a brick patio lantern
The easiest way to make this brick lantern is to stand the brick vertically. Turn on the tea lights, insert one light per hole, and place a brick on the table near your seating area for some ambient light. For added convenience, consider upgrading to a remote-controlled tea light so you don’t have to turn it on and off individually.
If you’re short on spare bricks to make this DIY, perforated bricks are often less than a dollar at stores such as Home Depot. Choose bricks with smooth holes if possible, as some can be quite coarse and create an uneven surface for your light. If you’re not a fan of the earthy red color, you can always Color your bricks Match it with your outdoor decor with brick stain or acrylic-based masonry paint.
To take a brick lantern apart, set the brick flat on a metal tray so that the three holes in the brick face up. Fill each hole with a small amount of sand, then insert a taper candle or other small candle. Fill the remaining space in the brick holes with more sand to stabilize the candles. Place the candle tray on a patio table away from anything flammable, including tree branches. To keep an eye on the candles, leave them lit only when you are out.
