DIY Halloween Pool Noodle Candles

Learn how to make your own spooky Halloween candles this year using pool noodles! These easy DIY Halloween Pool Noodle Candles are such a hit and so easy (and cheap) to make.

image shows Halloween candles made out of pool noodles on a mantel next to a ghost candle

Get ready for the easiest spooky season tutorial for a cheap project that makes a BIG impact. These DIY Halloween pool noodle candles look like the pricey ones at your favorite home stores, but for only a fraction of the cost.

This DIY project has been all over TikTok this year. I was able to make mine for under $5 TOTAL, using items from my local dollar store. These pool noodle Halloween candles are so fun and the perfect addition to your Halloween decorations this year!

image shows 7 black Halloween candles made from pool noodles

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Supplies Needed to Make Pool Noodle Halloween Candles

Image shows supplies needed to make pool noodle candles

To make these DIY Halloween pool noodle candles, you only need a few supplies:

Pool noodles
Spray paint
Battery operated tea light candles (love these black ones for our Halloween decor!)
Hot glue gun
Hot glue
Utility knife

How to Make Halloween Candles with Pool Noodles

While these candles might look complicated, making your own DIY Halloween candles from pool noodles is actually really easy.

Step 1: Cut the pool noodle

Using a utility knife or steak knife, cut the pool noodles into different sizes. I got 7 different sized candles (aka pool noodle sections) from just one pool noodle.

image shows cutting the pool noodle with the utility knife

Step 2: Widen the noodle for a spot for tea lights

You’ll notice that the pool noodle hole is a little too narrow for tea lights. The top of each noodle section will need to be widened using your utility knife. Keep a tea light nearby for size reference.

image shows the pool noodle hole after being widened

Step 3: Spray paint the pool noodles

The pool noodles I purchased were yellow, because that’s all my local store had. I spray painted the noodles using black spray paint. I added a light dusting of gray to that, to give them that perfect Halloween look.

image shows spray painting the pool noodles

Be aware that too much spray paint will damage the pool noodles, so spray paint sparingly or lightly to get your desired effect.

If your tea lights are white, you might want to give those a light coat of paint so that they will blend into the dark colored pool noodle final product.

Step 4: Secure with hot glue

My kids really wanted us to be able to easily move these DIY Halloween pool noodle candles so we could display them in different places. I used hot glue to glue the pool noodles together into one big piece.

image shows pool noodles being glued together

If you plan on using your candles outside, I recommend attaching the pool noodles to a flat base so that it can be weighed down if needed.

Using my hot glue gun, I added some glue down the top of the candles to create the illusion of candle drippings. If you want to avoid melting the pool noodle foam use a low temp glue gun. If you don’t have one, unplug your regular glue gun and let it slightly cool before applying the hot glue.

I personally liked the look of the slightly damaged and melted pool noodles, because they looked more like real candles that way, so I used my regular glue gun.

image shows black halloween candles with fake melted wax made from hot glue

Step 5: Add Final Touches

Gently add your electric tea lights to the center of the pool noodle. The best tea lights for this project are ones that are controlled with a remote or a timer, but I didn’t want to spend a ton of money. I grabbed these black tea lights off Amazon.

You can use any kind of tea lights. Just be sure not to glue the lights into the pool noodles so that you have access to the off-on switches.

image shows black pool noodle candles with electric tea lights added

If you’d like, add a few spooky finishing touches, like spiderwebs, fake spiders, skulls, Halloween colored flowers etc.

Pick the perfect spot to display! These DIY Halloween pool noodle candles look great sitting on your mantel during the day, or on your front porch too. When it gets dark and the lights start to flicker it’s amazing how they look!