Easy PVC Grow-Light Stand

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This PVC grow-light stand is inexpensive and very easy to build, even for a beginner. Once the pieces are cut, it takes less than a minute to assemble or disassemble the unit and it takes up very little space when not in use. Comparable ready-made grow-light stands retail for $50 and up so save yourself some money and do it yourself. If you can use a tape measure and a hacksaw, you can build it.

Materials:

Since the stand is so small, 1/2" PVC would probably work, but we used 3/4" because that's what was on hand at the time. In addition to one eight-foot piece of PVC, you'll also need two elbows, two tees and four end caps. The total length of all the pieces is less than 8' and shouldn't cost more than $7 or $8 including the elbows and tees provided you have a hardware store or Lowe's nearby. You'll also need some kind of a saw or conduit cutters in order to cut the pieces to size, and if you're not familiar with the various tools, you can check out our PVC Conduit Cutting Tools post.

Buying supplies on Amazon:

If you don't have a hardware store nearby you can purchase the PVC and fittings from Amazon but it will be more expensive. You'll probably have to buy a ten-pack of each fitting (elbows and tees), and the conduit is only sold in shorter lengths which is more expensive than buying it in an eight-foot length. Here's a link to the elbows, the tees, and PVC pipe in a three-foot length. The end caps can be purchased individually instead of in a ten-pack.

Grow-light stand dimensions:

The top piece needs to be a few inches longer than the light fixture. For example, in this project the light fixture is 27" long so the top piece needs to be at least 30" long. The side pieces need to be tall enough to allow for the thickness of the light fixture, the height of whatever plants you're growing, as well as space for the chain system used to hang the light fixture. The side pieces used in this project are 12" long. I'd recommend starting with side pieces around 14"-16" long. If you start out too long you can always cut them shorter, but if they're too short you're out of luck. If you need taller side pieces, you'll want to adjust the length of the base pieces to keep the stand from becoming unstable. The base pieces for this project are each 9" long (18" total length), which gives the 12" height plenty of stability.

How to assemble the grow light stand:

Once the PVC pieces are cut, assembling the light stand is easy and quick. Here's how to build a PVC light stand in photos:

1) Cut all the PVC pieces to size and get the necessary elbows and tees:


DIY grow light stand pieces

2) Once the pieces are cut, connect the top piece to the two side pieces using the two elbows:


pvc grow light stand step 2

3) Connect two of the 9" base pieces together using one of the tees. Do the same for the other two base pieces:


pvc grow light stand step 3

4) Insert the two side pieces that you made in Step 2 into the tee of the base pieces:


pvc grow light stand step 4

5) Attach the light hangers and chains and adjust the height of the light. That's all there is to it.


pvc grow light stand completed

Buying a grow light stand:

If you don't want to build the stand or if you don't have the tools or a nearby hardware store to buy the PVC, Amazon has several ready-made grow light light stands in both two-foot and four-foot sizes. The four-foot grow light stand runs about $60, but that price includes a T5 light fixture and adjustable light hangers, so it's not a bad deal. They also have a two-foot model that comes with a T5 light as well.

Assembling Grow-light stand video

Here's a video showing how easy it is to assemble the grow-light stand once the pieces are cut to size: