apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We just bought our first home and it has original ceiling fixtures in the bedrooms. They are currently painted a very ugly dark brown.

What's the best way to paint them a soft (not shiny) silver? I have some silver acrylic paint that I've used on terra cotta - would that work?

Frankly, I don't want to take the fixture down or strip off the old paint. I'm not sure what might be under there, and what the lead paint hazards might be. Thanks!

Well, you might wanna pull that thing down, as much of a pain as it is. Ceiling fans collect a whole lot of dust what with the whirlin and the twistin and what not. They usually have vents for the motors that suck in a lot of dust and all that needs to be cleaned prior to painting. I think you'll also find it a much easier to paint once it's off the ceiling. Go to your local home center or paint store and ask them for a primer that might help your paint stick to the current finish. Simple cleaning and primer will go a long way in improving your final results.

hth...

Thanks. They are not ceiling fans, just one piece with 2 bulbs.

Ahh.....silly me...

I appreciate your help. I wasn't clear.

I had something very similar in my apartment. one of mine was a flush ceiling mount with a brownish glass and rusty colored metal trim. the other was a hanging lamp and the base was the same rusty metal, brown glass decorative pieces and then the brownish glass. I painted the exposed metal and the decorative glass with silvery paint that I got at a craft store. then I replaced the glass with a new set that I got at lowes--a lot of them are standard sizes, so a new set (I got white frosted glass) worked nicely. I didn't have to take anything down (basically changing the glass is as complicated as changing a lightbulb.) it isn't perfect, but it looks so much better than it did and the whole thing cost about $30 for the two lamps.

Does anyone have any information on this chair? Like the approx year it is from? Thanks!

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=zyai35&s=4

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2cgygcx&s=4

Speaking of ceiling fixtures, I'm looking for a mini chandelier for my stepdaughter's bedroom. She's 9, and would prefer purple, but everything I like is too bland for her and everything she likes is too wild. We settled on this from the Mary Kate and Ashley line (yeah, I know), but I can't find a store that stocks one to see it in person, and one manager told me they are cheaply made and advised against buying anything from that line. Know of anything similar?

http://www.elklighting.com/product_detail.php?type=CHANDELIER&collection=ROSAVITA&item=4053%2F3