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Dining Room DIY Flower Chandelier: From 135 Flowers to a Finished Light

A dated look at Kristi Linauer’s dining-room DIY flower chandelier: 135 small clay flowers, rods bent around a 25-pound kettlebell, the later painting and gluing process, reported costs and essential electrical caveats.

By ThatPainter Team 18 October 2026
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Kristi Linauer’s September 21, 2026 progress report captured the project before assembly: 135 small air-dry clay flowers were made, the rigid metal rods had been bent, and the chandelier had not yet been put together. A September 24 follow-up records the finished dining-room light, including its 24-inch sputnik base, nine bulbs, painted flowers and final attachment method. Read together, the posts show both the mid-build decisions and the completed result, while leaving electrical compatibility and mounting details to the fixture manufacturer and a qualified professional.

Read the September 21 progress report and the September 24 finished-project update.

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What the September 21 progress report actually showed

The progress post is a point-in-time snapshot, not a finished-project reveal. A change in weekend plans kept Linauer working on dining-room projects while hardwood flooring acclimated indoors. She treated the chandelier as a creative studio project and concentrated first on producing its decorative elements and shaping the support rods.

135 smaller flowers for this room

Linauer made 135 air-dry clay flowers. She described these as lighter and daintier than the larger flowers she had used on a chandelier for a walk-in closet. That distinction matters: the dining-room design was not simply a repeat of the earlier fixture at a different scale. The smaller flowers were intended to keep the new chandelier visually delicate despite the large number of pieces.

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The flowers still needed to dry completely before finishing. Linauer planned to sand them and paint them white with an iridescent finish. Her observation that the clay “sands very smoothly and easily once it’s completely dry” is especially relevant to the painting stage because a smooth surface reduces visible roughness beneath a pale, reflective coating. That is her description of this clay and this project, not a performance guarantee for every air-dry clay.

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Bending the rigid rods

To create the curved arms, Linauer gripped one end of each rigid metal rod with pliers and wrapped the other end around a 25-pound kettlebell. The weight served as a bending form rather than as a component of the chandelier. At the end of the progress report, she had not assembled the fixture and was unsure whether the rods had enough curve.

That uncertainty is part of the useful information in the post. A curve that looks adequate on an individual rod may produce a different silhouette once many rods, flowers and bulbs are installed. The report does not provide a template, a bend radius, a rod diameter, a load rating or a structural test, so the kettlebell method should be understood as Linauer’s project-specific workaround rather than a universal fabrication specification.

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How the finished chandelier differed from the progress snapshot

Three days later, Linauer reported that the dining-room chandelier was finished. The completed build used a 24-inch sputnik chandelier as its starting fixture. She bent its rods around the kettlebell, shaped and dried the clay flowers, then completed the surface finishing and attachment work.

Surface preparation and paint

  1. Allow the flowers to dry. The follow-up reports approximately 24 hours of drying time. Treat that as the author’s timing for her flowers and conditions; thicker or larger pieces, different humidity and different clay can require longer.
  2. Sand the dry pieces. Linauer used 220-grit sandpaper. Sand only after the clay is completely dry, and remove loose dust before applying a finish. The source does not specify a sanding machine, primer or sealer.
  3. Apply the iridescent coating. She painted the flowers with Artist’s Loft Iridescent Medium after planning a white, shimmering appearance. The post does not establish the number of coats, drying interval between coats or long-term durability of that finish, so those details should be determined from the product label and a test piece.

For a painting-focused version of the project, make one spare flower your finish sample. Use it to check whether the white base and iridescent medium give the amount of shimmer you want, whether brush marks remain visible and whether the finish changes the flower’s fit at the attachment point. A sample also lets you confirm that the coating is fully dry before handling a batch of 135 pieces.

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Drilling and attaching the flowers

Linauer drilled a hole in the bottom of every flower. She first tried hot glue, but found it difficult to use cleanly. She switched to super glue and attached the flowers after drilling. This sequence—dry, sand, paint, drill, then glue—kept the final adhesive work separate from the surface-finishing stage.

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The posts do not identify the drill-bit size, hole depth, adhesive brand, cure time or the force each flower experiences during installation. Those variables affect both appearance and security. A hole that is too large can leave a visible gap; one that is too small can split a brittle piece. Test the drilling and adhesive process on a finished spare before committing to all 135 flowers, and follow the adhesive manufacturer’s ventilation and handling instructions.

Materials and what each one did in the project

Material or tool Reported use
Air-dry clay Formed the 135 small flowers
Oval clay cutters Named among the supplies used for shaping the flowers
Rigid metal rods Created the curved decorative arms
Pliers Held one end of a rod while the other end was bent
25-pound kettlebell Served as the form around which the rods were wrapped
220-grit sandpaper Smoothed the dried flowers
Artist’s Loft Iridescent Medium Provided the reported iridescent surface finish
Drill and bit Made a hole in the bottom of each flower
Super glue Attached the flowers after hot glue proved difficult to apply cleanly
24-inch sputnik chandelier Provided the purchased light-fixture base

The finished-project account says the base was bought on Amazon and describes it as a 24-inch sputnik chandelier. It does not give a current product listing, model number or price for that exact fixture, so the phrase is a description of the starting point rather than a recommendation of a particular listing.

A practical build sequence based on the two posts

  1. Choose and inspect the light base. Start with a fixture whose manufacturer documentation identifies its bulb type, maximum wattage, mounting method and permitted shade or decorative loads. The source does not provide those ratings for the 24-inch base.
  2. Make the flowers in batches. Linauer’s count was 135 small flowers. Batch work makes it easier to keep approximate size and shape consistent while preserving room for natural variation.
  3. Let every piece dry fully. The follow-up gives a roughly 24-hour drying time for this project. Do not rely on the clock alone; a piece should be firm throughout before sanding, drilling or painting.
  4. Sand with 220-grit paper. Smooth edges and tool marks without thinning delicate petals. Remove sanding dust before paint.
  5. Paint and allow the finish to dry. Linauer used Artist’s Loft Iridescent Medium for the reflective effect. Keep the flowers supported so wet surfaces do not pick up new dents or dust.
  6. Bend the rods. Use pliers on one end and the 25-pound kettlebell as the bending form, as described in the progress report. Check the silhouette repeatedly rather than assuming every bend will match.
  7. Dry-fit the decorative arrangement. Before gluing, place flowers temporarily to check spacing, balance and clearance from bulbs. The progress report specifically notes uncertainty about whether the rods had enough curve, so this is the stage to correct the shape.
  8. Drill the flower bases. Linauer drilled a hole in each flower. Use eye protection and secure each piece without crushing the dry clay.
  9. Attach with the tested adhesive. Hot glue was tried and rejected for cleanliness; super glue was used for the final attachment. Allow the adhesive to cure according to its label before moving the assembly.
  10. Install and test only within the fixture’s instructions. The finished account reports nine bulbs and says a dimmer was still needed because the light was too bright for the photographs. It does not establish dimmer compatibility, wiring requirements or a safe decorative-load limit.

Cost and inspiration figures, with the right context

Linauer reported that her DIY version cost under $200. That is her total for this particular build, at the time of her September 24, 2026 follow-up; it is not a current materials estimate for every reader. Clay quantity, fixture choice, tools already owned, shipping and local prices can all change the result.

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Figure What it refers to Qualification
Under $200 Linauer’s reported cost for her DIY chandelier Personal, project-specific total reported September 24, 2026
$2,820 Price she cited for one inspiration chandelier Dated comparison in the follow-up; not a current price guarantee
$2,199 Price she cited for another inspiration chandelier Dated comparison in the follow-up; not a current price guarantee
160 leaves Leaf count she described on an inspiration chandelier Her description of that reference fixture, not a requirement for this build

The comparison figures explain why a handmade version appealed to her, but they should not be read as a retail-market survey. A reader pricing a similar project should make a fresh list of clay, cutters, rods, paint, abrasive, adhesive, drill supplies and the light base, then add any electrician or mounting cost required locally.

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Lighting, dimming and overhead safety

The completed chandelier used nine bulbs. Linauer also said she still needed a dimmer because the light was too bright for the photographs she wanted. Brightness for photography is a personal preference; it does not establish that every dimmer will work with every bulb or fixture.

Neither post supplies electrical compatibility data, bulb specifications, fixture load ratings, ceiling-box details, mounting hardware or code guidance. Do not infer those requirements from the flower count or from the appearance of the finished light. Before installation:

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  • Read the fixture manufacturer’s instructions for bulb type, wattage, weight and approved modifications.
  • Confirm that any dimmer is rated for the installed bulbs and the fixture’s electrical system.
  • Ask a licensed electrician to handle wiring or to check a modified fixture when you are not qualified to do so.
  • Verify that the ceiling support and mounting hardware can carry the complete assembled fixture, not just the empty base.
  • Keep clay, adhesive and painted decorations clear of hot bulbs and any component the manufacturer identifies as requiring ventilation.

Bending rods, drilling dry clay, gluing pieces overhead and modifying a listed light can introduce risks that the project posts do not evaluate. Linauer’s method documents what worked for her chandelier; it is not a safety certification or a universal installation recommendation.

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The project timeline at a glance

Date Stage reported
September 21, 2026 135 small flowers made; rods bent around a 25-pound kettlebell; sanding, painting and assembly still ahead; curve adequacy still uncertain
September 24, 2026 Chandelier reported finished; 24-inch sputnik base used; flowers dried, sanded with 220-grit paper, painted with iridescent medium, drilled and attached with super glue; nine bulbs installed

That chronology is the central lesson of the progress report. The first post should not be captioned as though the chandelier were already complete. The later update supplies the resolution: the rods became part of a finished fixture, the flowers received their planned surface treatment and the attachment method changed from an unsuccessful hot-glue trial to super glue.

What this project demonstrates for a painted floral fixture

The design succeeds by separating four jobs that are easy to confuse: forming a repeatable decorative unit, creating a graceful support shape, preparing a paint-ready surface and securing the finished pieces. The 135-flower count belongs to Linauer’s room and composition, not to a standard chandelier formula. Likewise, the 24-hour drying report, 220-grit abrasive and iridescent medium describe her materials and workflow, not mandatory specifications for every clay or paint system.

For anyone adapting the idea, the most transferable decisions are procedural: finish a representative sample before producing a large batch, inspect the silhouette before permanent attachment, and treat the light fixture as an electrical product with its own limits. The progress post records the uncertainty honestly; the follow-up shows how the maker resolved it and what remained outside the project’s scope.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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