Brilliant Ways You Should Be Reusing Old PVC Pipes In Your Backyard
PVC pipes are made of polyvinyl chloride, which is a resilient plastic. These pipes are designed for plumbing and electrical endeavors, but their uses go far beyond industrial applications. Spare pieces can be reused for a plethora of household projects, especially in outdoor areas. You can build functional items that provide convenience and luxury, primarily using PVC pipes alongside a few other home improvement supplies.
Read on to learn 13 ways to use PVC pipes in outdoor and household projects. Most of these ideas simply require the pipes themselves, fittings or connector pieces, and PVC cement or adhesive. However, if you want to make your design more aesthetically pleasing or functional, you may need paint and a few other common items. Most of these projects are doable for under $100, making them suitable for any budget. Learn more about pursuing these ideas and get tips for completing them in the article below.
Create a dust cover for outdoor dining areas
Keep outdoor worktops barricaded from dust and dirt using a few PVC pipes, 3-way elbow fittings, and plastic wrap. You'll need twelve standard PVC pipes and eight elbow fittings to assemble a rectangular shape. Unroll the saran-style plastic wrap and cover all but one side of your PVC pipe creation. Place the open side face-down over outdoor countertops and surfaces. The plastic wrap will keep bugs, dust, and other debris at bay. If you need longer-lasting plastic wrap, use an industrial-strength option like Amazon's $32.99 extra thick stretch wrap roll.
Build a water mister for hot summers
Create your own mister system like @Household Hacker on YouTube to stay cool during summer. Besides PVC pipes and elbows, you'll need mist nozzle splitters, an end cap, a hose connector, and PVC cement and primer. The end cap isn't optional — you need it to keep water contained in your system. As a general rule, you'll want two nozzle splitters for every five feet of pipe. Place each mini sprinkler about two feet apart. Store any extra PVC glue upside down so it won't dry out and you can use it for touch-ups or future projects. Suspend your mister from a gazebo or pergola, or hang it from a patio roof.
Make a bubble-style privacy screen for outdoor areas
Use different-sized PVC pipes to make a bubble-style privacy screen. Start by sanding the outside of each pipe so the adhesive or cement can hold them together. Create a frame out of PVC — this will be the size of your privacy screen, so ensure it's the right length and width for its intended location. Use two tee and two elbow connectors, ensuring they are the right diameter for the frame pipes. Slice the remaining pipes horizontally with a saw, creating multiple rings to glue together within the frame. Besides using it as a privacy screen, the panels can also double as wall art or plant trellises.
DIY a PVC garden hose hanger
Create a hose caddy similar to the one in @jaenerys08's TikTok using PVC pipe and some elbow and tee pieces. Dry fit the frame before using adhesive and committing to the shape. You'll want to create an L-shaped model that curves up on both sides so that the garden hose can wrap around the bottom pipes and it'll stay in place. Ensure the shape is wide enough and the PVC pipes are sturdy enough to hold up your hose since they can weigh up to 28 pounds without water. Want to create a faux metal look? Paint the holder with a product like Rust-Oleum's Hammered spray paint (available from Lowe's for $9.98)
Create a bucket and pipe deer feeder
Use a bucket, PVC pipe, socket cap, and a Y-tee fitting and create a feeder to attract deer to your backyard. Draw a circle matching the pipe's diameter on the bucket's bottom, and cut it out with a utility knife or drill and jigsaw. Using pipe cement, glue the bucket to the pipe. Put a Y-tee connector at the pipe's base, and stop it with a socket cap. Attach the feeder to a sturdy pole or tree and pour the deer feed into the bucket to automatically dispense food through the Y-tee. To allow fawns access, make sure the lid of the Y-tee isn't more than 24 inches away from the ground.
Craft a drying rack for swimming towels and clothing
If you're looking for something more portable than a clothesline, create a clothes or towel drying rack out of PVC pipes. The lengths are up to your preference, but you should use ½-inch pipes to keep your project lightweight. You'll need two extra long pipes, three medium, four short, two elbow fittings, and six tee fittings. Once the rack is assembled, lay weighted bags over the horizontal legs to keep your creation stable in windy conditions. Once again, if you want to make the rail look like it's made from metal, you can spray paint the pipes black, just make sure you sand them lightly first.
Build a poolside table for above-ground pools
Instead of hopping in and out of your pool to change the music or grab a drink, build a poolside table directly on the metal or resin edge. You'll need multiple 1-inch PVC pipes, elbow fittings, and tee fittings, which you can assemble into a table by cutting to length and fitting together into a hook-on frame that can support a sheet of acrylic glass or Lexan, as demonstrated by @JDee's on YouTube. If you want a set of plans, you can also purchase this $8.25 Etsy blueprint. To customize, you can spray paint the frame in a fun color, or apply waterproof decals to the tabletop.
Make frames to raise planters
All you need to make a raised garden bed is some 1½-inch PVC pipe and four 3-way elbow fittings. Cut the PVC pipe into eight pieces; there should be four short legs and four longer pieces to use as the frame. The frame dimensions should be the right size to lift your current garden planters, so make sure you cut according to their dimensions. The PVC pipes shouldn't obstruct any drainage holes. Got smaller pot plants? You can also construct a plant shelf by simply going up another level (using 3-way elbows) and adding some trays, such as these plastic charger trays from Dollar Tree.
Build a projector screen for outdoor movie nights
Gather three 10-foot PVC pipes, six elbow fittings, four tee fittings, and an oversized sheet to build a backyard movie projector screen. Cut the pipes into two 5-foot pieces, four 1-foot pieces, and four 3-foot pieces. Assemble them into a shape similar to a football goalpost, with one PVC pipe on top. Finish your setup by draping a gray sheet over the topmost pipe. You don't have as much control over lighting when you're outside, and the gray color makes it easier to see projected video.
Craft an organized fishing rod holder
Make a DIY fishing rod holder with 1¼-inch PVC pipe, 1½-inch tee connectors, and two elbow fittings. Use the PVC pipe as the base, and purchase as many tee connectors as you have fishing rods. Cut the pipe into 2-inch pieces, connect the tee pieces in a row, and insert the longer pieces of pipe in the tee connectors so they face up. Put the elbow fittings on both ends of the main pipe and insert two smaller pipes into the ends to keep the stand upright. If you want a sturdier solution, you can also fill a bucket with sand and some lengths of 1½-inch pipe.
Build an agility course for your beloved pets
Use some PVC pipes and tee and elbow fittings to craft homemade obstacles for your pets to jump over. Cut lengths of pipe to your desired height, and make it adjustable if you plan to improve your pets' skill over time. If your pet isn't experienced, only make the first jump as high as their "withers" or up to their shoulder blades. Make sure the adjustable pipes fall when knocked into — they need to dislodge easily so your pet isn't injured when they trip over the horizontal pipes.
Make tiny planters for succulents
Use thick PVC pipes to make an arrangement of succulent planters. Cut them straight or at a 60-degree angle for aesthetic purposes, and sand the outside and edges if you wish to paint them. The above demonstration uses textured spray paint for a stone-look finish. You can also use linseed, milk, or water-based paints to color the planter if you're worried about chemicals leaching into your succulents' soil or rock foundation. Wait for at least 24 hours after painting, or as long as the paint brand recommends, before putting any plants in the receptacles.
Make a tiered hanging planter
Repurpose spare PVC pipes into planters by cutting 3-inch wide pieces into three equal sections. Draw cylinder-shaped pockets on each, and use a drill and jigsaw to cut openings to tuck plants into, or slice the pipes in half lengthways. You'll also need six 3-inch end caps to enclose the pipes. Either paint over the material or spray it in Amazon's $42.99 Sun Guard UV protectant to keep the PVC from breaking down in direct sunlight. Don't forget to drill small holes at the bottom of each planter pipe for drainage, and finish off the DIY by suspending the planters with ferrule wire or rope.