If you have a home decor tutorial that you would like to be featured in an upcoming edition of Teach Me Tuesday, please email me at LivingWithLindsay@gmail.com!
Today’s Teach Me Tuesday features a simple project from Karina at Project K.
I love what Karina’s done with this basic light fixture. This is the type of lighting that builders hang in new homes that I just can’t stand. Karina’s fix has improved this poor fixture’s situation by a million percent!
Karina shares her project:
I found this great light fixture at my local thrift store for a steal at $7! I snatched it up right away, not quite sure where I’d go with it, but for seven bucks, I was sure I’d think of something. I bought a can of black spray paint (about $3) and went to town!
First, I carefully disassembled the fixture, making sure to take plenty of digital photos to ensure a speedy reassemble. Then I roughed up the metal with some scrap sandpaper. This will help the paint adhere, last longer and stand up against chipping much more than if you skip this step.
Then I took all the pieces (except the bulb covers and screws) to my well ventilated garage and covered the exposed wires with painters tape. I painted on two light coats of paint, allowing a couple hours dry time between. Finally, one last touch up coat and then I let the fixture dry overnight.
I reassembled the light, omitting the rings at the bottom of the glass, I thought it looked better without them. I wasn’t keen on the chain that was used to hang the light fixture form the ceiling either, so I made a simple cover with some scrap black fabric that I had. The chain was an inch thick, so I cut the fabric 2.5 inches (leaving half an inch for seam allowances) did a simple straight stitch and turned the fabric right side out. I threaded the lighting wire and chain through the cover et voila! A new fixture for my stairwell for under $10!
Thanks for sharing your new beauty with us, Karina! Great job!
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow! It's gorgeous!
I have one of those hanging over my kitchen table right now! I've been wondering what to do with it–short of replacing it—but I'm not sure black is the right color. It's white now.
What a huge difference it made just taking off the bottom rings! Nice!
Soooooo much better in black!!
Looks great!
Looks so much better. I transformed one almost like it with Ant. Bronze spray paint. Looks gorgeous. Hugs, Marty
What a fabulous makeover! I need to do this to some brass beauties in my own home.
Love that fixture! What a great find!
Hi Lindsay,
I just wanted to let you know that I linked to your book wreath in my latest entry. I love it and hope to find some time to make one myself!
-Laura
What a great idea. I've seen so many of those at the thrift store but just walk on by. I wonder if it would work with the brass/gold painted ones…those look a little more shiny, but I bet it would work!
Liz
Loving This Mom Stuff
I'm so dumb! I just threw one of these out that had been sitting in our garage after we replaced fixtures. It was silver. Would have been awesome in black! *she slaps herself repeatedly in the face!*
Lindsay, so glad you came to Blissdom & we got to hang out some. You're a precious person & that lunch we all had together was great. It will be a time we'll all remember.
Hi Lindsay and Bloggers
Thanks for the compliments, it really wasn't all that difficult and I'm sure you could do it in just about any tone spray paint comes in (I wouldn't recommend using anything but spray paint, you don't want to see brush strokes)
Thanks Lindsay for the feature! I hope you all come and check out Project K, where you'll find lots of recipes, travel tips, gardening advice and much more!
Congrats on the pregnancy and thanks again! it looks great!
Cheers,
Karina
Project K
http://www.projectk.ca
I love it. What a great deal and it looks fantastic with just a little spray paint.
Ruth
I love it! My dining room fixture could use a serious makeover, just got to convince the hubby to take it down for me. Don't ya love men who think everything is JUST FINE the way it is?
What a snatch for $7 and another $3 well spent! It looks great and I think the cord cover finishes the off the project nicely. I am off to check out her blog right away.
Chelsea
Everything looks great in black! Nice work!
I have a fixture like that and love your transformation. Thanks for the idea.
nancy
i have one that is the same still but shinny gold..EEEWWW!!! do you think if I sand paper the shinniness i can do the same as you? I hope so i haate the ugly gold
Hi Jennifer,
I think this one was originally brass as well, give it a good sand to rough it up and it should turn out quite nicely! Hope that helps
Thanks for all the nice comments everyone!
Karina
Project K
what a gread find!!! i'm going to keep my eyes out for steals like this! it looks brand new. very impressed. thanks for the post! i just came across your site and am loving it.
Love the redone light fixture!
Hello
It is very good to know about your project..You are right that lights look good without the rings at the bottom.It looks better after painting.Thanks..
dsi r4
I have this exact fixture (in shiny brass) and I absolutely hate it. Its in the middle of my kitchen in an odd spot, puts off next to no light and looks awful. I was seriously ready to throw it out (just told DH today that I'm buying a new fixture to replace it this weekend). After seeing this post I have decided to salvage the fixture, paint it black and move it to a place over my table instead of in the middle of the kitchen. I absolutely love how it looks made over like this (and removing those pesky rings at the bottom was a great idea… I always end up hitting those so they are never straight anyway). I'll put a new fixture up in the kitchen and save myself some money since I had planned to just toss this one and buy two fixtures to replace it.
Of course, you know how one idea spurs another… I decided to sand down my pine table, stain the top darker (its a blonde now) and then paint the legs black. This will look great with the transformed light fixture! Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Sherri
I'm so glad that it helped you save a couple bucks and gave you inspiration!
Karina
Project K
http://www.projectk.ca
Really nice result. I love thrift finds to recreate.