Rain Chains: Learn How to Make Your Own

Some of the best decor serves a helpful function in addition to providing aesthetic improvement. One example of this is the increasingly popular rain chain. Rain chains hang outdoors to replace a gutter spout. They disperse collected rainwater away from the house while also serving as an eye-catching decorative piece. You can buy rain chains wherever garden decor is sold, but they’re also simple to make. Here we’ll go over how to create your own DIY rain chain using terracotta pots.

What You’ll Need

10 small terracotta pots (2 or 4-inch)
11 feet of chain
2 feet of smaller chain (to fit through the drainage holes)
River stones or other decorative rocks
A large terracotta saucer
Needle-nose pliers

Step By Step

1. Divide up the chain into 11 separate 1-foot pieces. Use the needle-nose pliers to pry the links open and closed if needed.

2. Take the pliers and stick them into the drainage hole. While carefully applying pressure, turn the pliers around to make the hole bigger.

3. Use one link of the small chain through the drainage hole of a pot as a connector between two larger pieces of chain.

4. Space out each of the 10 pots equally. If you end up with extra chain, it’s best to have it on the bottom rather than the top.

5. Place river stones or other rocks into the terracotta saucer. This will be the base of your rain chain that water can drain into.

6. Carefully remove your gutter spout if you have one. Then, attach the top of the chain to the end of the gutter where the water spills out. Depending on the orientation of your gutters and the gutter spout, you may be able to attach the chain to the end of the spout instead.

7. It’s difficult to test the rain chain fully during dry weather, but one thing you can do to make sure it flows correctly is to spray water up into the gutter with a powerful hose attachment.

Now when it rains, you’ll have a beautiful water feature that functions as a gutter spout. The gentle splashing and trickling of the water will add visual interest and a tranquil feel to the yard.

With this basic formula, you can make rain chains out of many different materials and even some household items. You can use practically anything waterproof as long as water can flow from one link of the chain to the next. Get creative and enjoy the next rainstorm with your beautiful and functional piece of DIY decor.