Plastic pipes can be used not only to create pipelines, heat and water supply systems. If desired, unique things can be created from plastic products - for example, furniture. DIY crafts made from PVC pipes can become original creations that will be a source of pride for their owner.
Features of plastic
In this case, plastic refers to the materials used in the manufacture of pipes - polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polypropylene (PP). The first of them is a cheaper type of plastic. It is used mainly in sewerage installations, since it has all the advantages of polymers.
These are: high strength, affordable price, ease of installation, durability. PVC pipes have one drawback - they are deformed under the influence of liquids at high temperatures.
As for PP products, they have the same properties, but they react much better to hot water - the temperature can reach 60 degrees, and in the case of reinforcement - even more.
Both materials are great for creating furniture and other structures - they are easy to assemble. It is enough to come up with a sketch, buy pipes and assemble them in the required order.
The simplicity of the design of the fittings and the possibility of gluing pipe products makes furniture made from plastic pipes easy to assemble.
As a result, you can get interior items with excellent qualities, since they will:
- sustainable;
- durable;
- lungs;
- safe;
- durable;
- cheap.
They are not afraid of moisture, are easy to assemble, disassemble, and can be modified.
What can be made from pipes
It is quite natural to ask what can be made from PVC pipes. From them they create:
- decorative items;
- stands;
- chairs, tables;
- lockers;
- portable structures;
- building.
Indeed, buildings can be made from plastic pipes. Of course, permanent buildings will not be able to be erected, but small facilities will be possible.
For example, there are many examples of creating enclosures, gazebos for relaxation, greenhouses or greenhouses from round and profile plastic pipes. A small house made of plastic pipes can become an original decoration of the territory. According to the schemes, it will not be difficult to complete these structures, the main thing is to have the desire.
General operating principle
Creating a structure of varying complexity consists of several stages:
- Selection of scheme and method of implementation.
- Purchase of materials and tools.
- Cutting pipes in the required quantity according to dimensions.
- Assembly of individual frame parts using soldering or fittings.
- Creation of a complete structure.
- Checking the result for strength.
You can choose the assembly diagram at your discretion. There are a huge number of them. The choice depends on the skills and desires of the master. After this, you need to buy materials and tools. And here the question may arise about which plastic pipes are best to take.
As such, there is no difference. Especially when it comes to small pieces of furniture. Polypropylene is more expensive than polyvinyl chloride. Therefore, if the appearance of PVC and the way it is assembled are suitable, it is better to use it.
Polypropylene is much stronger, but also more expensive. Homemade products made from polypropylene pipes can withstand serious pressure. This is due to the fact that these products have thick walls.
In the case of assembling large structures, it is advisable to use both materials simultaneously. It is better to use PP for the load-bearing part, and PVC for areas with low load (read also: " "). But spending money on pipes with reinforcement does not make sense. Reinforcement is done so that the pipes do not expand when using hot water. There is no benefit from such products for furniture, and the cost increases significantly. It is not difficult to distinguish reinforced pipes from ordinary products: the former have a characteristic colored stripe on the section.
Tools and Assembly
After purchasing the materials, you need to prepare the tools. Cutting is done with pipe cutters. Round-shaped products are cut with your own hands using special scissors.
The sections are assembled together using fittings, usually for diffuse welding. They are easy to work with and inexpensive. You can also use special glue or chemical mixtures. This method is especially preferable if there is no welding device.
However, you need to know that in this case the connections will be monolithic and cannot be disassembled. For mobility and further modifications, it is recommended to use threaded fittings made of metal-plastic.
In addition, you can use combined schemes. For example, the frame for a structure made of polypropylene pipes, such as a table, is made by welding, and the legs are fixed with threaded fittings. If necessary, the legs can be easily removed, and accordingly they can be transported and modified.
Chair made of plastic pipes
You can make your own chair from PVC pipes. It has a very simple design consisting of legs, a main frame, a stand to sit on, and a backrest (optional).
Operating procedure:
- Making chair legs.
- Assemble the frame for the stand.
- As a stand, take a sheet of plywood of the required size - it is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws.
- Screw or weld the legs.
- The design is being finalized.
Assembling stands
With stands the situation is simpler. There are a lot of options. Such DIY crafts made from PP pipes can be made from one pipe. The simplest example of a stand is made from a single frame onto which special holders are installed, which are subsequently attached to the wall. In order to create a mobile product, legs are attached to it.
At the same time, the stand can be easily modified into a clothes dryer. If desired, you can make the drying beveled in the form of the letter “Z”.
In this case, the base is made of profile products. A vertical part of the structure is connected to them, with longitudinal pipes on which things are hung. This part can be at an angle from 30 to 60 degrees.
Plastic pipe hanger
It is very easy to assemble a hanger from PP or PVC pipes. Such products can be used not only in the hallway, but also for a mini-wardrobe in the room, depending on the design. A DIY hanger made from polypropylene pipes or PVC is mobile, reliable and functional.
They begin to create it from the legs, make a support and a stand. First, a pair of tubes 20 centimeters long are connected using a T-shaped connector, and the same is done with the second pair. Then protective caps are put on the ends of the pipes (on one side) to prevent dirt and dust from getting inside. On the other side, attach the corner so that when it is on the floor, the T-shaped connector in the middle of the leg is directed upward.
Then one of the 1 meter long pipes is inserted into the corners - the base is ready. A 1.5 meter long pipe is inserted into each of the T-shaped connectors, resulting in the formation of side posts. Afterwards, corners directed towards each other are attached to each rack, and a 1 meter long pipe is inserted into them.
If desired, any furniture made from pipes can be painted. For plastic pipes it is recommended to use acrylic paints. Homemade products made from PVC or polypropylene pipes give you the opportunity to show your creativity and save money at the same time. At the same time, such crafts do not require a lot of time and allow you to use up excess material after repairs.
Plastic pipes are successfully used in the installation of water supply, sewerage, and heating systems. They are usually bought in specialized stores. The cost and ease of processing have made such materials popular. For construction or repair work, they are taken with some reserve, and after completion, unnecessary pieces remain. So what can you make from these plastic pipe scraps?
Material and its qualities
PVC pipes and remaining mounting elements will make successful crafts. A thrifty owner will not throw them away or litter the balcony or dacha with them. After the plumbing is completed, the skill of processing and joining will appear. Why not use it in creating useful things and improving your living space. Fantasy, skillful hands and ideas in our photos of pipe crafts will inspire you to create unusual items.
The main advantages of pipe materials:
- price, PVC pipes are inexpensive, but you have already paid for the scraps, you may have to buy additional connecting elements;
- environmental safety, plastic water pipes are completely neutral and do not corrode;
- the strength and light weight of the structures are ensured, which is undoubtedly convenient;
- appearance, white plastic looks good in any modern interiors;
- service life - manufacturers confirm a half-century service life of pipes;
- ease of assembly and disassembly, if necessary, repair of structural parts.
Processing Features
Making any crafts requires precise measurements and neat cuts. This is mentioned in every master class on crafts made from pipes. Three rules for working with plastic must be followed:
- Measure the length of the segment with a tape measure, be sure to mark it with a marker.
- Cut the marked area with a knife.
- Secure the pipe before cutting it with a hacksaw or pipe cutter.
Connections are made easier if the pipes are cut at right angles. Fasteners sold in hardware stores are designed for this angle.
Treat and clean the cuts to avoid nicks and chips.
Pipes can be bent. To do this, they are heated with a hair dryer or, with caution, with a gas burner. The heated pipe is bent according to a template, fixed and left to harden in this shape.
How and with what to connect
PVC pipes have become popular due to the ease of installation and assembly work. To connect them, you need corners, couplings, crosses. They are fastened either by hot soldering using an “iron” or simply with glue and screws.
If the structure does not require tightness, then soldering the pipes is not necessary, and without it it is also easy to disassemble the structure. This technique is used when creating greenhouses, when they are installed for the spring-summer period, and then dismantled for the winter and stored in this form.
Crafts made from plastic pipes
Products made from PVC pipes are divided into two types according to assembly methods:
- collapsible, this is a kind of construction set that can be assembled and disassembled many times;
- not dismountable, they are assembled once.
In the first case, such structures are assembled for the season or if necessary. Interesting crafts made from pipes for the dacha - greenhouses, gazebos, swimming pools, or folding chairs and tables for camping in nature - are examples of collapsible crafts. Lightweight, durable and useful products are easy to assemble and disassemble.
In non-dismountable crafts, pipes are held together with glue or screws. Short scraps are easily combined into simple bookshelves and stands. Original ideas for crafts made from pipes will help you try your hand at assembling elementary structures, look at the resulting result and be inspired by it to create products in a minimalist style.
Armchairs and chairs will update the interior of the apartment. And if you have basic knowledge in the field of electrical engineering, then you can assemble unique lamps - sconces, table lamps, chandeliers or floor lamps.
Very short remains up to 10 cm in length are well suited for designer organizers. Tools will find their place in them on the workshop wall, stationery items on the desk, even cosmetics in the bathroom.
Assembly example
Let's show you how to make a craft from pipes with your own hands using the example of a mobile clothes dryer. The simplest form resembles a folding easel. The dryer is made from two rectangles of the same height but different widths. The inner rectangle is made already at 10-12 cm. The widest part of the dryer was taken to be 80 cm, but you can do it at your discretion.
To make it you will need:
- all pieces of pipe with a diameter of 25 mm, legs 60 cm long 4 pcs, 20 cm 12 pcs, base crossbars 80 cm 4 pcs, inner rectangle crossbars 70 cm 3 pcs;
- connecting corners 2 pieces;
- tees 12 pcs;
- clamps 2 pcs.
Procedure for assembling the structure
We make dryer racks from pieces 20 cm long. To do this, we vertically connect 3 such pieces with tees. We get racks a little higher than 60 cm. We insert the legs from below, we get 4 racks of 120 cm in height. We connect two racks with a wide crossbar using corners.
We insert the crossbars into the free horizontal holes of the corners, we get the main and inner rectangle. Using clamps we attach the inner narrow rectangle to the top crossbar of the base.
The dryer is installed like the letter “L”; for stability, you can adjust the angle of the rectangles. The laundry is hung on bars, and the dryer can be placed in any convenient place. The assembled structure can easily be hung on the wall in the pantry.
Important: Similar step-by-step instructions showing how to make a craft from pipes can be easily found on the Internet. The use of leftover plastic pipes is not limited to the ideas presented; this material can actually be used in your own home workshop.
Photos of crafts made from pipes
PVC pipes are the best option not only for plumbing, but also for making crafts with your own hands. How often does it happen that after repairs there are several pieces left that are a pity to throw away and so they lie at home or in the country and wait in the wings? This situation is familiar to many, so we make room and create original crafts from pipes for our home and site.
Pipe connection options
Plastic pipes are a general name for products used to create water supply, sewerage and heating systems, which are made from various polymers, most often PVC or polypropylene. Such pipes are distinguished by a lot of advantages, including high strength, lightness, durability, safety and ease of maintenance.
To make crafts of this kind, it is important to know how you can connect their individual parts to form the intended design. Polypropylene pipes are connected to each other using a welding machine, which is expensive, so the best option would be to rent it. But you still need to learn how to work with such a device, so fittings are often used for these purposes.
If we talk about plastic pipes, we most often mean PVC products that are connected in the following ways:
After becoming familiar with the technology of connecting plastic pipes, you can perform any craft. It is only important to initially draw a sketch of what you want to get in the end, indicating all the dimensions and structural elements of the craft.
You can independently create unique crafts from pipes that will delight the owner with their appearance and practicality, and even more so surprise guests.
Organizer
This craft is the easiest way to use plastic pipes. If there are only small pieces of pipe, then they will fit perfectly into the overall idea. To make a mobile organizer, you just need to glue pieces of pipes of the required size together in the intended sequence and decorate the structure. This storage option will always keep your workplace in order.
The second version of the organizer craft is a stationary one. In this case, the craft blank is mounted on a horizontal surface or wall. This is how you get niches for various little things, created with your own hands from pipes.
Frame or partition for the room
If you want to decorate the wall of your house with a mirror, but it doesn’t have a suitable frame, you don’t have to spend money on buying a new one. To perform this you will need to cut pipes of different diameters into thin rings. On paper you need to draw a model of the future craft in real size and assemble it directly from pipe scraps on it. You can create either a strict geometric frame or a set of chaotically scattered rings. As a result, the resulting pipe craft can be painted in the desired shade or decorated depending on the owner’s imagination.
Thus, it is not difficult to create a decorative partition from pipes, which can decorate not only the interior of the house, but also a suburban area. Of course, you will have to put in more effort, but it is worth it.
Shoe rack or wine rack
The situation with a pile of shoes in the corner of the hallway is familiar to many, but there is not always room to install a full-fledged shoe closet. In this case, you can get creative and make a shoe maker craft from plastic pipes. To do this, you will need to take pieces of pipe with a diameter sufficient to fit a pair of shoes, and cut them into pieces about 30 cm long.
Important! It is best to connect the components of the craft using self-tapping screws to ensure that the structure is as reliable and durable as possible.
The assembled product must be secured to the wall to prevent it from falling. This shoe rack is compact and in appearance is no worse than store-bought shoe organizers.
This technology can be used to build bathroom shelves, a wine bottle holder, and even a place to place children's toys.
Vases and flower pots
From scraps of sewer pipes you can make craft pots that are perfect for planting flowers in them and placing them in your summer cottage. If you first attach the bottom to the blanks, for example, from a plastic bucket, or simply provide them with a stand, then you can even place such pots indoors.
Crafts made from small-diameter pipes look stylish. By placing several blanks of different heights, decorated using the decoupage technique, you will get a spectacular place for cut plants.
Stands and shelves
If you need to equip a country house or garage, then creating shelves from PVC pipes will be an excellent alternative to buying solid wooden products. To form this kind of crafts from pipes, you will need to connect the segments in a certain sequence.
Thus, snake-shaped shelves are suitable for storing books and photo albums. They are also convenient for hanging clothes or towels.
Flower stand crafts look no less creative. During the manufacturing process, special attention is paid to the places where parts are fixed to each other and the reliability of the structure. You will also additionally need pieces of plywood or other material to make a countertop made from pipes.
garden arch
Such products, entwined with plants, look sophisticated and elegant on the site. They can even decorate any celebration. For example, if you decorate such an arch with satin ribbons, flowers, tulle, then this will become an excellent decoration for an outdoor wedding ceremony or photo shoot. And making crafts doesn’t take much time.
There are many options for arches, so the design of the craft is selected in accordance with the wishes of the master. The main difficulty in forming this craft is the need to bend some parts of the pipes. The easiest way to do this is to slightly heat the desired section of the pipe using a gas burner.
If this is not possible, then the pipes for the craft are simply connected at an angle. In this case, a trapezoid or triangle is formed. They make an arch with two arches so that between them there are transverse elements, which during operation will help the greenery to be distributed over the entire surface of this craft.
Alcove
Not only small products can be made from pipes. For example, a gazebo made of this material will be an excellent option for complementing a relaxation area. To do this, you will need to take long pieces, form arcs from them and secure them in the ground. A thick awning fabric is stretched between them as a roof, and a dining table or bench for relaxation is installed in the interior space. This is how, without wasting extra time and money, you can create a masterpiece gazebo that will save you from the summer heat.
Advice! You can combine the elements of the craft to make a house. This is also an interesting version of a large craft made from PVC pipes.
Plant containers
If the dacha plot does not have sufficient area, then vertical plantings are the best option for preserving space. This way it is easy to grow greens, flowers and even some varieties of berries.
To do this, you need to form the semblance of oblong flowerpots from sewer pipes. You can get them by making holes along the craft and leaving enough space for soil and plants. At the bottom of each craft there are holes for water drainage. It is convenient to mount such pots on a pre-prepared wooden stand, directly on a wall or on a fence. If you connect these beds with a thick rope, you get a single structure that you can simply hang.
Lamp
Interesting DIY crafts are suitable for modern interiors. One of these interior details can be a lamp made of plastic pipes. The product can be of completely different shapes, the main thing is the correct connections and the ability to connect electricity for the craft. You should only undertake the creation of such a craft if you have skills in working with electricity.
It is not even necessary to connect the elements of the craft with each other. If you take pieces of pipes of different lengths and cut holes of different configurations on them, you will get a unique lamp that will leave fancy patterns on the walls.
Coffee table
If you want to decorate a garden area or update the furnishings of the veranda, plastic pipes can also become the base material. Making a coffee table from them is easy. First of all, they draw a project for the future craft and, following it, form the frame of the table. It can be different, either assembled from many parts, or consisting of several segments mounted on a stand.
As a rule, glass or a sheet of plywood is used as a tabletop for crafts. It can be decorated at your own discretion. The glass tabletop looks impressive and stylish, but it will need to be additionally secured to the frame.
Conclusion
Crafts made from pipes are a unique way to decorate not only a summer cottage, but even a home. There are many interesting ideas worth exploring. If you spend a little time and effort, you can make almost any thing out of plastic plumbing or sewer products.
After construction and renovation, there is always a lot of waste left, most of which has nowhere to be disposed of. However, some garbage is not at all useless - for example, from plastic water pipes you can make simple and comfortable furniture with your own hands that will organically fit into the industrial interior of your home.
At the dacha, such household items are good because they are easy to assemble and disassemble, and due to their small mass, they are not difficult to move from place to place.
Advantages of plastic crafts
Is it worth bothering with PVC pipes if you can buy simple furniture in any store? Of course it’s worth it, because it will not only bring satisfaction from working with your own hands, but will also make life easier.
Products made from polypropylene pipes have many advantages:
- Do-it-yourself assembly takes little time and does not require much effort - even a young mother or even a teenager can handle the job.
- Furniture items made from plastic pipes are very light, which will not cause difficulties when rearranging.
- Rigidity – pipes can withstand quite high loads.
- Resistance to aggressive conditions, thanks to which products can be safely placed outdoors.
- Wide scope for design ideas - it’s easy to make simple chairs for a summerhouse, a small wardrobe, a children’s bed or a playhouse for kids from PVC.
- Low cost - if a young family is just getting on its feet, you can avoid spending money on expensive furniture and assemble it yourself from polypropylene water pipes available to everyone.
What will you need to make furniture?
Assembling PVC furniture with your own hands is not at all difficult - you will need a minimum set of tools, basic skills in working with them and a little creativity. The result will definitely be comfortable chairs, armchairs, shelves and even tables - the range of possible products is limited only by your imagination.
The assembly process will take no more than an hour for each item - and this includes design. By the way, in order to quickly figure out how to shape this or that piece of furniture, on our website you can see a variety of photographs of plastic products. For example, the photo above shows a very convenient and stylish rack for books and magazines, and when complemented with flat shelves, other items can be placed on it.
The minimum set of necessary tools is as follows:
- roulette;
- marker;
- hacksaw for metal.
Other items that can be found at any summer resident may also be useful - a file for smoothing cuts of plastic pipes, a drill, a soldering iron. But, for example, a level is not needed - all the parts, as when assembling ordinary water pipes, will be connected with special fittings - it will not be possible to deviate from the desired angle no matter how much you want. Because of this feature of PVC products, separate fasteners - screws or glue - are not needed.
Important: despite the fact that working with products made from polypropylene pipes is very safe, you should use protective equipment - goggles and gloves.
Furniture assembly process
In general terms, assembling household items from polypropylene pipes is no different from any other work with this material. You should develop a project for the future product, select PVC pipes of suitable length and diameter, and you can begin assembling it yourself.
Let's look at the technology using the example of assembling a simple chair for a summer house - such as in the photo above. The process will consist of just a few steps:
- Pipes of suitable size are selected; If you don’t find any, you can saw off the excess from plastic elements that are too long.
- Using suitable fittings and a soldering iron, the frame of the product is assembled.
- A soft seat will increase the comfort of using the chair. To make it, you need to take a suitable piece of not too thick plywood, put a square of foam rubber on top of it, which is then covered with thick fabric. It must be larger than the plywood so that the edges can be stapled under the seat.
- The seat is fixed to the frame with self-tapping screws.
- If the furniture is still not comfortable enough, you can make a soft back in the same way.
Of course, the chair can have almost any shape. If you take PVC pipes of larger diameter and bend them with a blowtorch, then attach them to the legs from below, you can get a rocking chair. By extending the seat, you can get a comfortable and waterproof chaise lounge made of plastic pipes that you don’t have to constantly dry.
Other pieces of furniture are assembled in a similar way - clothes dryers, laptop stands, table frames and much more. The design can be very different, and you can improve it a little by painting the resulting product. For this, it is best to use acrylic paint - it looks bright, has many shades and does not deteriorate when cleaning furniture.
Plastic items without fittings
There is no need to make crafts from water pipes in such an industrial style. You can come up with products that will have no less functionality, but for assembly you will not need either fittings or a soldering iron.
So, from scraps of pipes of different diameters you can make a convenient organizer for various small things - office supplies and similar useful things. To do this, PVC pipes are cut at an angle and the cut end is screwed to a board that can be mounted on the wall. You can simply place the pipes on the table surface - in any case, you will get a very convenient device, as in the photo above.
In the same way, you can make design details of almost any piece of furniture. There are excellent options for plastic beds and coffee tables - a large number of polypropylene pipes of the same or different diameters are fastened close to each other, and on top of them a rigid sheet of plywood or other flat material is laid under the mattress, and in the case of a table, you can immediately install a tabletop. One of the options for such a bed is in the photo below.
At the moment, many people have PVC pipes in their households. If you have already become tired of them, then under no circumstances should you even think about throwing them away and replacing them with others. They have a whole host of advantages.
First of all, one cannot fail to note the pleasant white color. It is perfect for creating interesting products. In addition, you can use the most common glue to hold the elements together. If you don’t glue everything, then it’s even worse. You will receive a kind of LEGO constructor. Let's look at some interesting ideas that might appeal to you. You can think for yourself what you will do, just show your imagination.
Just look at the high chair pictured below. Surely you will want to build it. The temptation is very great.
You can easily make a folding chair from one pipe. It is ideal for a picnic.
Do you want everything to look organic? Then simply create a set of several chairs and a table from the same pipes.
A children's bunk bed would also be great. But you need to choose pipes of optimal diameter so that the load is distributed.
If you have a dog at home, then you can create a bed for it too. You just need to take into account the weight and size of the dog.
From 1/3 or 1/2 pipes you can make a very good stand for your laptop.
Want to get a good laundry basket? Then just make it out of pipes. You just need to make calculations according to your needs. Just look how stylish it looks.
You can do bigger things. In particular, a hanging swing, on which you can have a great time in the country.
Are there only leftovers from PVC pipes? Then you can simply add a bottom to them and store pens, pencils and much more. It all looks very creative.
