
30 Jan DIY: Vintage lamps makeover
For quite some time I was hunting for vintage or secondhand matching lamps for a DIY project to transform them for my twins’ rooms. I wanted to make one for a girl’s room and one for a boy’s room to show how one lamp can look two different ways. I finally came across a pair at an antique shop in Saint-Sauveur. As I was walking back to the car empty handed, I spotted them outside on the porch of the shop.
I snagged these vintage lamps for $20!
First I set out to pick out my colours:
Rust-oleum Aqua spray paint
Rust-oleum Lagoon (teal) spray paint
Before priming the surface you must remove any chipping paint or rough surfaces with sandpaper.
In my case, I planned on rewiring these lamps so I removed the socket and wiring. If you are not, then you tape up the wire and socket (where the lightbulb goes) to ensure you don’t get spray paint on them. I applied two coats of a grey primer spray paint from Rust-oleum.
How they look after being coated with primer:
I left the lamps to cure with the primer for 24hrs before applying the colour. I added 2 coats of colour to each lamp. Make sure to spray evenly and that the first coat isn’t too thick or you’ll have drip lines which happened to me. Once the paint dried, I sanded lightly and re-sprayed that area.
Since I was rewiring these lamps I needed:
2 sockets (holds lightbulb)
2 harps (holds lampshade)
2 6′ lamp cords
These supplies can be bought at most hardware stores. In my case I found everything at Home Depot including the spray paint. It was not complicated at all. I just followed exactly what was pictured on the back of the socket package to attach the wire to the socket and I got it on my first try.
The lampshades I found at my second home; Homesense of course. One shade was on liquidation for $12 and the other was $15. After I added everything up the lamps came out to about $45 – which in my opinion is an incredible price! Also, I added ribbon with a glue gun to the shades myself with stock I had at home already to add a little more interest.
The finished products:
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