At an auction in the middle of the blazing heat a few summers ago, we dragged home one of the ugliest lamps we had ever seen. It was originally painted like cabbage, or something out of The Little Shop of Horrors. Since then it's been every color under the sun, most recently red. Click through the jump to see how we gave it a fresh new look, including the dingy, fuzzy, water stained shade.
$5 Vintage Lamp Makeover
Follow the steps below as we transform our lamp into a cool new hue!
First up on the list is masking off any metal bits you don't want painted. We use a low stick masking tape that peels right back off when we are done with things.
We have a spot in our building in which spray painting is allowed, so we work indoors on cardboard. Outside is preferred, just make sure to work on a day where there is no wind and dust isn't swirling about. We painted the shade first and then tackled the base.
This vintage shade is a dust collector. We've dusted it until we are blue in the face and haven't made any headway in getting it clean. We chose a flat spray paint in a color we loved and went to town. The water stain disappeared but the dust is still visible.
Using a paper towel simply brush away the dust and lint that was stuck to the shade. Now that its been coated in paint, it falls easily off the shade and onto whatever surface is below (make sure to put down paper or be prepared to wipe things down well!)
As you can see there's a great deal of debris that came off once we gave it a good brushing.
The shade painted up perfectly with the matte paint and brings a whole new life to it. No longer does it wear the stains of it's past and instead adds a great pop of color to our space. Now we just have to find a place for our dressed up auction find in our new space!
Comments (17)
Daily Email
Top Tours
- Roberta, Francesco & Federico's Italian Modern
- Elizabeth's Vintage Finds Filled Apartment
- Heather's Vintage Granny Chic
- Anne's Rock & Roll Loft
- Emily & Jacob's Poetically Photographed Home
Top Posts
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
It turned out so lovely!! I would buy that lamp :)
You just used regular spray paint?
view monicah's profile
that is great!!
view LoriSF's profile
THAT. IS. AMAZING. Good job that is a great, cheap fix to a potentially awesome lamp
view wampler's profile
Great job, and looks great against the brick.
view Sluggy64's profile
Looks great.
You "drug" it home? With what, chloroform?
view Bolder's profile
Bolder - I did, it put up a fight for the first 15 minutes, but it surrendered after that :)
-Sarahrae
view sarahrae's profile
Sarahrae:
The past tense of drag is dragged. You dragged home the lamp. Please. As an AT contributor, the least you can do is be certain that your posts use correct spelling and grammar. Please.
I know there will be those that say this sort of thing doesn't matter, but it does. It just does.
view Ms. Pea's profile
oh I love bad english.
like bad lamps.
view Philip_Littell's profile
I love the lamp.
I also loved the part where you "went to down" (where's that, again?). I know I'm an English geek but I can't read through something without things like that jumping out at me. Edit-edit-edit (another set of eyes never hurts). C'mon, guys!
view TheGoodBiGirl's profile
The lamp looks nice and I like the shade color very much.
But... I don't understand why you would paint a dirty shade? You need a clean surface in order for paint to properly adhere, and I can't help but think the shade is or will soon look shoddy (especially when lit, every little imperfection will be amplified).
The shade should have been cleaned prior to painting. Clean it with a soft brush (or vacuum lightly with a brush attachment). Follow up with a slightly damp cloth if it is really dirty. A paper towel will mostly just move the dust around, and can leave bits paper debris.
view arroyo's profile
The past tense of drag is dragged.
Not in Texas! I suspect Sarahrae is a Southerner. Am I right?
view frum's profile
Here in Virginia one might be tempted to say "I done drug that ornery lamp over yonder to my house." LOL
view Monica's profile
You know....I just realized that typical Virginians would NOT say it that way...only me I guess! Oh, and you have to say it with a bad accent and have a big tooth pic or a corncob pipe (like my bootlegging great, great aunt) in your mouth.
view Monica's profile
This grammatically correct junkstore lamp cost $8 and the reveal is even more amazing: http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/01/cheap-thrills-just-add-elbow-grease/
view ChrisToronto's profile
I have a similar lamp I bought in Sandwich this summer that desperately needs a shade like this one. But I can't find a cylinder-shaped shade ANYWHERE!
Anyone have any thoughts? Have tried Target, Home Depot, Macy's, BB&B... I'm at a loss.
view tyniapt's profile
A great tool for dusting knick-knacks, lamp shades, etc. is an old fashioned shaving brush. For cleaning before painting as well...
(I'm wondering if "drug" and "snuck" have made it into the legitimate dictionary yet? Might have to check... language is fluid, commonly used "mistakes" become real live words...)
view SherryBinNH's profile
tyniapt....I was at marshalls just the other day and there was nothing but cylinder shaped shades. Or you could go to urban outfitters, though it may be a bit difficult to find one that isn't funkified by wannabe urban hipsters.
view ubershibbydude's profile