apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You could just paint the top and replace the chain with a black chain from the hardware store.

I recently used a product called Kilz and I know they offer low VOC versions. They had a low and no oder primers. I hear they also have a line of paints. I saw they had spray paints and primers as well but I did not take a close look as I was looking for pails.


you can check out their site for more details http://www.kilz.com

P.S. I wore one of those breathing masks they sell in the painting section (similar to surgical masks) it helped a lot as I barely smelled anything while I was painting 3 large pieces of furniture indoors the other week.

Don't know about the VOC aspect, but a few suggestions for painting the mount and chain. Try doing it in several light coats and let them dry REALLY WELL between so that the chain links don't stick. Each new coat, rearrange the chain for eventual even coverage. I can't tell if the brownish color is brass or rust -- if rust, look for a rust treatment paint which will stick better and will slow the oxidation. (It might only come in brush on, though.)

To save you the hassle of painting it you could do a few different things..

Chandelier Cord Cover Up: http://www.cordcoverup.com/
Purchase black chain from the hardware store

Painting the chain would be a PAIN, but you might like detailed stuff like that :)

How about a mix of the ideas above? I think the cord cover up it kind of ugly, but I like the idea. I'd say buy a new chain (I don't think it would look that bad even if it was silver), and then maybe wrap the cord with fabric strips or a nice ribbon or something. Both would be a pain to paint, and have a high to certain chance of the paint cracking off.

As far as the mount, I'd think brush-on paints would be healthier than spray types as there would be less getting dispersed into the air. I think you are more likely to find low- or no- VOC varieties here too. I think it would be fine to brush paint the mount, maybe with a foam brush to reduce brush lines.

When I saw the photo with this post, I thought it was a cool piece of art!

As long as the cord is fully intact then, yes, you can paint it and the chain.

They also sell black ceiling mounts for like, $5 -$10 at Home depot.

There's a brand of spray paint called Design Masters it's sold in craft stores. It's intended for spraying flowers so it's very low on chemicals. It's a flat finish s if you want any gloss you'd have to spray on Polycrylic which is an acrylic based coating, and also very low odor.

you could easily rewire with black cord if you're taking it apart to put new chain on.