Lamp Makeover: From Trash to Treasure

I love Goodwill. I ALWAYS find a treasure…..Last week I found this pair of lamps for 8 dollars!. Lamps are one of my FAVORITE things to makeover, too. 🙂 I texted pics to my daughter and told her to look beyond the gold, at the shape and design. Would this be something she’d like in her house? Sometimes it’s hard for people to see what I see…but thankfully, she’s learned to look beyond.

They were 20 inches tall,  not counting the shade,  which meant they were tall enough to give off good light for the room. I mean, what’s the point of having lamps if they don’t light the room enough?

She said yes…and I was so happy, because I could see them in her family room.  But, of course, I was going to have to do some work first.  As it turned out, not much, tho.

If you are wanting to makeover a lamp…you may need to prime it first.  (after cleaning any dust and grime off)  I spray lamps with a white primer especially if I’m wanting the color to be true.

But this time, I just went for it.  Always remember, it’s just paint…so, if you make a mistake, just paint over it… You can use spray paint or bottles of craft paints or in this case, I’m used a can of paint I had mixed for another project.

Isn’t it amazing what a little paint can do? I used a dusty aqua latex paint leaving some of the gold peeking through my strokes.  Then I went over the swirls with a brighter turquoise. But not too bright.

One thing you’ll want to do if you paint a lamp, or anything else for that matter, is to follow the shape or design of whatever you’re painting. In this case, my brush followed the path of the swirls. It makes the brush ‘work with you’ and makes life easier, and less messy looking. I like seeing the gold thru the aqua paint. It adds a little character.

After I finished painting the lamp, I painted the base. The base was dark, but dull looking and I wanted to keep them dark. So, I added a dark metallic brown mixed with dark brown to brighten the dull brown. It worked!

See the before…just a dull dark brown.  Below,  I added some dark brown to a bronze metallic                              paint to make a nice dark, but not dull, brown.

BTW: Dark Bronze Metallic Paint is Perfect for Dining Room

A friend of mine wanted a brown dining room,  but she was not happy with any of the brown samples she had tried. She finally gave up and just painted the whole room a brown… but it was lifeless.  She came over frustrated, and asked me to help her pick out the ‘right’ brown… I found a metallic brown for her and the room came to life.  It made all the difference in the world.  It is beautiful and so elegant!  So keep that in mind.  Metallic bronze-brown is beautiful on walls. fyi. …..You’re welcome.

The last step is to seal the paint with several light coats of polyurethane. Used spray. (You can brush it on if  you prefer)  Allow to dry.  Now they’re ready for shades.

Tip: I like to try on several shades from around my house to see what style looks best on whatever lamp I’m working on.  I decided I liked drum shades best.  Once I decided on the style shade, I checked Pottery Barn to find the shade I wanted.  I wanted a bargain to go with my bargain lamp…. 😉  So after checking around, I found very similar shades on eBay for half the price….Needless to say, I ordered the shades from eBay. 🙂

The lamps look so classy in her living room. They add just enough of her turquoise color to the room without being overwhelming. And the shades are perfect!

My daughter teaches kindergarten and so having a cheerful, colorful home is very fitting. Red and turquoise are so happy. And don’t the lamps look perfect in the room?

Bright and cheerful is what we’re going for…;)

I  love how they turned out….It’s a far cry from how they began!

Next time you’re in the market for new lamps remember to check out your local GoodWill, Salvation Army and thrift stores. You’ll be surprised at the deals you can find. And with a little TLC (and paint), create a one of a kind decorating statement. Love…