FLflASHAITS: THEA LIITGHT LANTERN
Corrugated Glow
Create sunset lighting with a fiberglass tea light
lantern. BY ROSS ORR
Afriend of mine recently finished a deck remodel,
whose highlight (literally) is a transparent corrugated
roof that diffuses sunlight in a delightful way. This
inspired me to find some way to continue that glow after sunset,
in the form of a lantern illuminated by tea light candles.
There are many colors and styles of corrugated roofing available,
and whole 8-foot sheets (Sequentia brand) are $23 at my local
lumberyard — that’s enough material for 10 lanterns. The kind
my friend used for the deck is fiberglass-reinforced plastic
(FRP), which diffracts light with a sparkly halo. After some feverish
experimenting with cut-off scraps, I eventually came up with the
graceful lantern design shown here.
In the following steps, proceed carefully so you don’t crack
the plastic, which is somewhat brittle.
