I was convinced my no-drill bathroom sconces would fall into the sink – five years later, they’re still up

Home decorator Ammarah Hasham is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts infusing her rental house with plenty of personality. See the rest of her articles here.

The past few weeks have mostly been spent refilling ice trays on repeat and hunting for birthday presents for an offspring who, by the way, has reached the stage where birthday lists come with very precise links. These days, I am far more aware of hair products, skincare launches, and mascara prices than I ever expected to be. I was also recently told that it would be a really good idea to have a bathroom mirror with a built-in Bluetooth speaker. I am in alien territory here. I am not that cool.

I do, however, feel pretty smug when I come up with ideas such as using self-adhesive floor tiles on the walls (yes, you read that right), a trick I previously shared in my family bathroom makeover. I think that is probably more my area of expertise. I remember promising to share how I attached the wall sconces beside the mirror without drilling a single hole. So here we are.

The makeover dates back to 2021 and, rather reassuringly, both the tiles and the light fixtures are still in place. But before we get into the lights, you can hop over to my original bathroom makeover and see the full before-and-after here, which will make the next part easier to follow.

Finding the lights

I found these LILLHOLMEN wall sconces in IKEA’s As-Is section, which is somewhere I always check before wandering around the rest of the store.

These lights were actually discounted display items and I was lucky enough to find two for around £7.50 each. I had been looking for something sleek and timeless for the bathroom, and I also liked the fact that they came with easy-to-clean glass globes.

Creating a no-drill mount

First, I dismantled each light fitting.

Next, I cut a small piece of wood to fit inside the recessed area at the back of each light. It needed to be thick enough to fill the space and sturdy enough to take the screws. The idea was for the screws to pass through the existing holes in the fitting (the gold part) and into the wooden block, creating a solid mounting point.

However, as luck would have it, somewhere between all our enthusiasm and improvisation, we managed to lose the screws. To this day, I remain fully convinced that I had nothing to do with it. Anyway, I found our stash of regular screws that looked fit for the job. The only problem was, they were silver.

The wooden blocks were screwed into place and the mounts were ready. Don’t worry, that silver didn’t stay silver for long.

Attaching the wall sconces

This part needed patience…I applied a generous amount of No More Nails to the back of the wooden block, following the instructions, and pressed the light fitting into position beside the mirror. I taped them firmly in place using a heavy-duty duct tape.

I was still slightly nervous about the whole assembly staying put, so I added Gorilla Glue around the areas where the fittings met the vinyl tiles to give everything a firmer hold. Gorilla Glue expands slightly as it cures, which actually worked in my favour and helped secure the light fittings more tightly in place.

A small prayer was sent and everything was left alone for the next 24 hours or so. Looking back, I probably could’ve used Gorilla Glue from the beginning. But DIY projects are often a bit of trial and error.

Turning them into cordless lights

Once everything had fully cured, I carefully removed the duct tape. Since wiring them wasn’t an option, I added self-adhesive, battery-operated puck lights inside the globes. They are basically small wireless LED lights that run on batteries and can be switched on with a tap or remote, so no electrical wiring is needed.

This meant I could still get that soft ambient light effect without drilling into the tiles or touching the electrics. For a rented bathroom, where drilling into the tiles was a complete no-go, this felt like a pretty good solution.

What would I do differently

If you’re thinking about trying something similar, I would keep the light fixtures as lightweight as possible. I would also choose a light fitting that made changing the puck lights easier. Although the glass globes looked lovely, they proved a little fiddly to remove, so over time the sconces became more of an ambient feature than a practical everyday light. In hindsight, rattan or fabric shades might have been a better option.

I would also keep a more vigilant eye on the screws. Having to colour my replacements with a Sharpie to vaguely match the gold fitting was not exactly part of my plan, but in the end it worked just fine.

Considering I was half expecting one of the sconces to make a dramatic descent into the sink at some point, the fact that they are both still here five years later feels like quite the result. For a completely improvised DIY experiment, happy to call this one an aesthetic success.

A quick note

Although this little hack has worked well in my bathroom, please always check the manufacturer's guidance on weight limits and suitable surfaces before trying something similar, especially with glass fittings.

Adhesive performance can vary depending on the surface, the weight of the fittings and the conditions of the room. And just to be clear, I applied the adhesive only to the removable tiles, not directly to the original tiles in my rental.

As you were.