What can’t you do with PVC pipe? Here are 56 incredibly smart (and cheap!) ways to use this do-it-all material around your home and workshop.
Keep your drills and those must-have drill attachments organized and close at hand to make your DIY projects run smoothly. By investing just two hours, you can build this wall-mounted drill dock to house everything you need. There’s a top shelf for accessories, a wider lower shelf for larger items such as battery packs, and the clever use of 3-inch PVC piping makes hanging holsters for different drill attachments. Single Arch Rubber Expansion Joint
The instructions for this drill dock include advice on how to customize the dock to fit your drill and you can even add a power strip to the bottom shelf to keep everything charged and ready to go. In addition to basic tools, you’ll need a circular saw, a jigsaw, and a clamp to complete this project successfully.
You’d be amazed how easy it is to move heavy, awkward objects with three pieces of PVC pipe. Move playhouses, yard sheds, empty hot tubs and rocks weighing well over a ton with this trick. Use 4-in.-diameter ‘Schedule 40’ PVC, which is available from home centers. Here’s how to do it:
This technique works best on relatively flat ground.
Editor’s Tip: PVC is affordable and versatile for home plumbing, but some health advocates warn against it. Here’s to know whether PVC pipes are safe or not.
Here's a terrific way to keep rolls of wrapping paper and ribbon handy, dust-free and unwrinkled. Simply glue a bunch of 30-in.-long pieces of 3-in. PVC waste pipe with all-purpose PVC glue. The rack can sit right on your worktable and you can store it underneath or in a closet. Learn more about working with PVC plastic pipe here.
Tired of not being able to find where the tape ends on your storage boxes? Learn the easiest way to open a cardboard box.
This durable, easy-to-clean dog bed is suitable for indoor or outdoor puppy lounging. The manufacturer says this bed, “Provides firm, even support no pillow or cushion can match.” Here are 11 awesome DIY cat furniture ideas you can try.
Photo: Courtesy of Kuranda Dog & Cat Beds
Use PVC pipe to build a bike rack. Perfect for a corner of the garage, this DIYer used PVC to make a bike rack that holds five bikes upright. Depending on your bike wheel specifications, you can modify dimensions so they all fit snugly. You can also build a wall-mounted bike rack with storage.
Courtesy of Quinnatotor via Reddit
This DIYer used a cut piece of PVC pipe to add to the fish tank. If your fish tank is large enough, try connecting some PVC pipe to make tunnels and “homes” for your fish. Try using an old coffee pot as a dual-purpose fish tank and planter.
Courtesy of bluepenguine12 via Reddit
Help keep your home office space organized by using PVC pipe to hide cords. Just wrangle all those computer, mouse, monitor and phone cords and hide them in some PVC pipe. You can even use some colorful tape to match your office décor. Try these 10 easy DIYs for a home office.
For PVC pipe ideas, this is a home run. With the downloadable plan from The Tinker Shop, and about $15 in materials, you can make this nifty PVC bat and ball holder. Check out more sports equipment storage hacks here.
Photo: Courtesy of The Tinker Shop/Etsy
Need a place to dry all of those wet towels, swimming suits and life jackets? This sturdy PVC rack has room for everything and you can place it where you need it—alongside the backyard pool or near your cabin or summer home. Hang clean dry towels on the rack and when everyone jumps out of the pool, all they have to do is grab one!
Photo: Courtesy of TowelMaid/Etsy
It’s a lot easier to crosscut boards on a table saw or use the surface as a workbench without the fence in the way. But where do you put it? How about tucking it away in a piece of PVC pipe bolted to the saw base? Buy and install a length of 4- or 5-in.-diameter PVC (measure your fence first!). Rip the leftover pipe in half and screw it to the top of the sheath. It’s a great shelf for push sticks, wrenches, featherboards and other accessories. Thanks to Martin Kipp for inspiring this tip to add to our list of PVC pipe ideas! Check out some other savvy storage tips around the house and the garage.
A common frustration for DIYers is dealing with the irregular shapes of furniture legs and spindles. Avoid the headaches of sanding or staining intricate shapes by using PVC pipe as a dip tube. Just be sure to glue a cap to the bottom end of the tube to avoid leaks! Want to know more about refinishing furniture? Learn all the secrets from a seasoned pro.
This DIYer came up with a clever way to harvest honey from his hives. He created a drill-powered honey spinner with PVC pipe. Learn about the setup here.
Photo: Courtesy of Kilted Craftworks
Try using some PVC pipe to build a flower tower. This planter is used for growing strawberries, but you can also use the holes to plant some flowers to brighten up your backyard. You can see instructions for the project here.
Photo: Courtesy of Urban Green Space
This PVC mitten/glove dryer utilizes the heat from the floor vent. The racks are made from a 6-inch piece of PVC, a wire hanger, some electrical tape and glue. For the full instructions, visit revrider.net.
Photo: Courtesy of Rev Rider
Slit some up PVC pipe down the middle and you’ve got stackable drawer organizers to keep all your small tools handy. See why a pool noodle inside a kitchen drawer isn’t such a crazy idea.
My neighbor had a new septic system installed last year. The lift pump inside the tank has a brilliant red light on the top that lets him know the unit is working. But it was so bright that it was like having a harbor navigation buoy in the yard—it drove me crazy! So I got his permission to build a shroud from 3-in. plastic pipe. I cut out a little slot in the shroud, slipped on a cap and caulked it down over the light. Now he can see the beacon from his kitchen window, but the light doesn’t bother me. — Pete Simpson. Pretty good neighbors but here’s what happens when neighbors don’t get along.
A grease gun is big and, uh, greasy. So don’t slime up your drawers or cabinets with it. Slice up a few sections of 1-in. and 3-in. PVC pipe and screw them to a plywood backer to make this slick grease gun holder. Then slap up a 2-in. coupler and cap to hold a backup tube of grease.
Install 2-in. sanitary tees on the ceiling and drop a pipe near each car door. Install a long 90-degree bend and a stubout to connect the hose. Cap off the stubout with a standard 2-in. pipe cap when not in use. Check out the complete plans to upgrading your garage here.
Here’s a nifty way to cut PVC pipe on the fly. Just make a couple of notches in the top of a 5-gallon bucket. Set the pipe in the notches and you’ve got a stable spot for sawing. As a bonus, you can load up the bucket and carry your tools along, too! Five-gallon buckets are the ultimate utility tool to have around, check out some other ingenious uses, including one you’re dog will love.
I always seem to have extra bits, jigsaw blades and other small items lying loose in my toolboxes and bags. To keep things organized, I cut different diameters of PVC pipe to the lengths needed for my accessories. I glue one end cap in place, put my items inside and slide on the other end cap. Use a marker to label each container and you’ll be able to find all your bits, blades, screws and whatever when you need them. — Tom Richardson. Have a religious experience in your garage with these 27 life-changing tips for your garage.
After building a PVC fence, I was left with a few extra 2-ft. lengths of fence post. I turned one of them into a home for grocery bags that I reuse. I stuff them into the top and pull them out the bottom. If you don’t have any leftover fencing, 3-in.-diameter PVC pipe works well too. Attach it to the door inside a pantry or closet, or to a wall of your workshop or garage. — Dave Mitchell. Get those bags out of the way in the kitchen too, and organize your kitchen.
When assembling PVC pipes, you should cut and “dry-fit” everything before cementing the components. If you don’t and the pipe fittings aren’t oriented perfectly during reassembly, the contraption won’t fit and you won’t be able to get the fittings apart to make adjustments. Next time, number and make alignment marks on the pieces so you can join them in exactly their correct positions.
If you use spike-type sprinklers, try setting them into permanent sockets made from 1-in. PVC pipe. Not only will these sockets make moving the sprinklers a snap, but they’ll keep the sprinklers upright and shooting water where you want it. Water you lawn efficiently and save some big bucks with these tips.
Cut a 2-ft. length of 4-in. PVC pipe lengthwise with a scroll saw, creating a trough that’s a little more than half the pipe’s diameter. Glue or screw in 1/2-in. thick wood partitions to create compartments for often-used screw and nail sizes. To make it tip-proof, trace the pipe’s curve on a couple of scrap 2×4 blocks, power-sand or saw out the curve, and screw the pipe on this scrap block base.
Use a saber saw to cut lengthwise notches in a 30-in. long piece of 3- or 4-in. dia. pipe then glue on a PVC end cap. Drill pilot holes in the pipe opposite the notches and screw the quiver to a shop wall. Your notched-out quiver will hold any size dowel— from standard 36-in. lengths to stubby leftovers—for instant access. Thanks to George Marchalk for sending this tip down the pipeline.
If you’re ever in a pinch for spring clamps, reader John Larson advises making them yourself from short sections of PVC pipe. Use 1-1/2 to 3-inch diameter pipe, cut into 1-1/2-inch wide sections; slit the sections across the width. They’ll give 8 to 10 pounds of clamping pressure for all kinds of gluing and holding tasks.
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