High-End DIY 2-Foot Wall Sconce | Dollar Tree Chopping Mat Hack
Repurpose clear, flexible chopping mats into cordless wall lighting embellished with brilliant crystalline textures.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, links in this post may earn me a small commission at no cost to you.
Have you ever walked through a designer furniture store and fallen in love with the wall lighting, only to see the disappointingly high price tag? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret: re-creating a high-end looking ambiance at home is much easier than you think, especially when you look at everyday kitchen items in a whole new way. Featuring a shimmering lace texture and cascading crystals, this project of mine creates a luxury designer glow that rivals high-end home staging pieces.
📺 WATCH: See the ‘Chopping mat-to-wall sconce’ transformation here.
Materials
Browse my curated list of Favorite Craft Supplies, Tools & Embellishments.
2-Foot Wood Palette (Dollar Tree)
2 Plastic Chopping Mats - 11x14 inch (Dollar Tree)
Silver Glittered Lace Fabric (Slightly stiff)
Fairy String Lights (Battery operated, small battery pack)
Chrome Car Trim (Self-adhesive, mirror finish)
Mini Mirror Tile Sheets (Self-adhesive)
Metal L-Bracket & Small Magnet
Rechargeable LED Puck Light
Metal Picture Hook (From frame backing)
White Acrylic Paint (Dollar Tree)
Tools
Hot Glue Gun (High heat)
Singer Fabric Scissors (Or high-quality stainless blades)
Fix-All Adhesive
Double-Sided Tape
💡Sandy’s Crafting Tips & Hacks
The Heat Bond: For a permanent bond between plastic mats and wood, let your glue gun get extremely hot. Thinner, cooler glue will clump; hotter glue spreads thin and creates a professional, flush seal.
The L-Bracket Magnet Hack: Hot glue a metal L-bracket to the interior of the wood board. By adding a small magnet to the back of your Puck Light, you can “click” the light onto the bracket upside down. This makes it easy to remove for charging without taking the whole sconce off the wall.
Even Glow Distribution: Tape your fairy lights in four even rows up and down the board before attaching the cover. This prevents “hot spots” and ensures the light illuminates the lace fabric uniformly.
Precision Trimming: When working with lace and mirror tiles, use nano-tip scissors to trim away tiny fabric overhangs. This keeps the borders of your Chrome car trim perfectly straight.
Instructions
Prepare the Backdrop: To get started, we’re going to create our high-end reflective foundation. We’ll begin by covering a large wooden panel with mirrored contact paper. This is a complete game-changer because it reflects the light source outward, effectively doubling the ambient glow of your finished sconce!
Texture the Diffusion Layer: Next, let’s add some sophisticated designer texture. We’re going to apply a layer of adhesive to our plastic chopping mats and stretch beautiful lace fabric over the surface. I highly recommend using clips to hold the fabric taut until it’s dry; this prevents sagging and ensures a smooth, professional-grade texture.
Create the Waterfall Effect: Now for the fun part: it’s time for some boutique bling! We’ll connect crystal garland strands across the surface of the mats at even intervals. I like to use a tiny dollop of hot glue to anchor the ends, creating a shimmering “waterfall” effect that catches the light beautifully.
Assemble the Lighting: It’s time to bring our project to life with a warm glow. We’re going to weave battery-operated string lights behind the mats before bonding the units to our mirrored backboard. For a permanent, long-term bond, I always recommend my “adhesive duo”: use Fix-All or E6000 for structural integrity and supplement with hot glue for an immediate hold while you work.
The Final Polish: The last thing to do is add our final designer touches. We’ll apply silver rhinestone ribbon or chrome card trim to hide any raw edges or glue joints. Finally, give all the surfaces a good clean—and don’t forget to use a dry paintbrush to twirl away those pesky hot glue “spiderwebs” for a flawless, professional store shine!
Related Content & Resources
▶️ Watch Next: More DIY Wall Sconce Lighting Ideas
▶️ Browse the Collection: See all my Lighting DIY’s
💎 Join the Community
Don’t miss a single transformation! Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for weekly step-by-step video tutorials.
Disclaimer: I’m not a professional. All my DIY’s are for entertainment purposes.