How People Are Turning Bowling Balls Into Stunning Home Light Features

If you have time to spare, here's an upcycle that will help address another challenge in the what-to-do-with-it game — turning a bowling ball into a lamp. That's because bowling balls, which are usually made of either polyester or urethane, are too expensive for municipalities to recycle. Short of selling, donating, or giving bowling balls away, finding new uses for the object is a score (and you don't need to wear weird-looking old shoes to do it).

This upcycle is one of the most creative DIY ways to repurpose bowling balls, thanks in part to their perfect spherical shape, unusual and often colorful designs, vintage look, and workable materials. When transforming into lamps, some makers paint the bowling balls to create one-of-a-kind designs, coating them first with a primer for plastic surfaces and then using spray paint. Bowling balls have also gotten makeovers with mosaics, stones, and pieces of glass, which can add a whole other dimension to a lamp. Other makers like to keep bowling balls in their original state. If old, they retain the patina from their wear and tear over the years. The project is also great for using a new bowling ball with its array of graphic designs, from tie-dye to holograms.

Some lamps require machinery to hollow out the ball to transform it into a lampshade, especially if a bowling pin will be used as the base and it and the ball will be lit from inside. Some will take the hollowed-out ball and fashion it into a lamp. A simpler version requires a drill and lighting kit. Here's how you can do it: After decorating the ball, set it atop a ramekin and make a hole through it with a long bit. If any pieces of the ball break off, repair it by using e6000, the handy glue you should have stocked in your home. Electrify the ball by wiring it with an all-thread lamp pipe kit, a 15-foot cord set, and an on-off socket. When you add a lampshade, you don't need to spend much, especially if you don't have one handy: You can even DIY a unique custom lampshade using an unexpected Dollar Tree item. Meanwhile, a small shade can be used to show off more of the ball. For a stand, place the ball inside a bowl or mount it to a wood base.

Other ideas incorporate the bowling ball into a lamp's design. The bowling ball can be used as part of the base of an old lamp, which might require some creativity. Or, the ball can be mounted on a base and not be electrified at all, becoming simply an element of the design.