I wish I could take credit for this one. I really do. But surprise surprise! My friend LZ and I are doing a little blog switcheroo today for a fun change of scenery.
Whenever I meet a blogger who I think y’all will love as much as I do, I like to share their talents, and LZ is showing off a really unique rustic project that I think I’m ready to find a place for in our own house.
Tomorrow, I’ll be guest posting over on her blog for a sanity-saving organization project, but until then, check out this little slice of awesomeness:
Hello Bless’er House readers! It’s so nice to meet you 
I’m LZ over at The Summery Umbrella, and I’m so excited to show you how to create your very own ladder light!
For those of you who have never seen the inside of my home before let me just say, it has gone through some major changes in the last year since my husband Mike and I have purchased it. Instead of explaining every little detail let me just show you. The below picture illustrates the exact state that our kitchen was in. Yikes!
Thankfully the “bones” of our home are good to go so all it needed was a little bit of TLC and lots of rustic inspiration!
Now, this is the current state of our home. We are still tweaking a few bits and pieces here and there, but it’s coming along quite nicely.
Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let’s get started!
Our ladder consists of items that we had around the house so no costs were involved here. For instance, recently I changed out my master bedroom closet clothes rod in exchange for a branch so I decided to repurpose it for this project.
I then cut seven rungs into 11″ pieces from this rod.
Next, we used two pieces of 8 foot long barn wood that was cut down to 3″ wide by 1″ thick.
We tore down an old barn a few years back, and surprisingly we still have a TON of the wood left that we use on nearly all of our home projects. However, for this step you could definitely use whatever you have on hand.
Then, pre-drill holes in each piece of wood where you would like your rungs to go, and then also in all of your rungs. Trust me on this one. It’ll make attaching your rungs so much easier!
Finally, attach all your rungs to one piece of the board first (as shown in the below picture), and then to the other side of the board.
I have to admit, I almost didn’t want to use this ladder for this project. I liked it just as an ornamental piece!
Now, it’s time to get this baby up in the air. So, go ahead and add four screw eyes to your ladder. Put two on each side of your ladder and at the ends. I used #10 x 1-3/8″ screw eyes that I picked up at our local Lowe’s.
Then, using drywall anchors and an additional four more screw eyes we inserted two on each side of our ceiling where we would like our ladder to go.
Note: If you have a slanted ceiling like we do it can get a little tricky. Definitely use a tape measurer to calculate the distance on your ladder to help make the least amount of mistakes. However, don’t worry if you do make any. That’s what drywall joint compound is for 
In order to hang up our ladder I used a decorative chain in an antique silver finish (also from Lowe’s).
This step might take a little bit of trial and error depending on how high or low you would like your ladder to hang from the ceiling. You’ll just need a pair of nippers in order to pull apart the chain pieces to adjust.
Next, it is time to attach our vintage style string lights. Aren’t they gorgeous? We used two boxes at $29.99 a pop, AND you can purchase replacement bulbs. Win-win on that fact alone!
Neither my husband or I are electricians so I honestly would not feel comfortable guiding you through how we achieved this particular step so if you are in a similar predicament I strongly suggest hiring an electrician (or finding a very handy friend) that can ensure that they are attached correctly.
After you have your lights hooked up you’ll then want to secure your chains to the screw eyes from both the ceiling and the ladder.
Now, all you need to do is wrap your lights around your ladder to your liking, and your masterpiece will be complete!
I noticed that there were a few times I wrapped my lights around the rungs and they just weren’t hanging the way I wanted. If you have the same problem just use a staple gun to keep them in the proper location.
And that’s it! You know have a beautiful, unique, and very rustic light fixture.
Not only would this DIY ladder light look amazing in your kitchen or dining room, but how stunning would it also look outdoors on your back porch? There are just so many possibilities!
Now, all I need to do in order to finish up my kitchen is add in some canned lighting, a backsplash, and few more details.
Thank you so much for having me Lauren, and please stop by The Summery Umbrella anytime for more rustic inspiration!
LZ Cathcart
You can also find me on: Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest
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