Erin Spain

Home, DIY, & Photography

  • Home
  • About
    • Press
    • Advertise
    • Podcast
    • Disclosure & Policies
  • Project Gallery
  • YouTube
  • Photography
  • Contact

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

April 30, 2012 By Erin Spain 47 Comments

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

We all know that I thoroughly enjoy transforming old thrift store lamps and making them new again. I know I said before that I promise I will not hoard lamps, but I’m not quite to that point (yet). This thrift store lamp makeover is simple but made a big impact.

Here’s a lamp that I picked up for $8.00 at a thrift store:

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover (Before)

All it needed was a coat of chrome spray paint and a new shade (this one came from Target and you can find it here).

Just to recap since I have posted tutorials before, painting an old lamp is very easy. You just tape off the parts that you don’t want painted (socket, cord, etc.).

I usually stuff the cord in a plastic grocery bag and then seal it with tape. Make sure you give the lamp a good cleaning with a wet rag and get all of the dust and grime off of it.

Then, spray it with some primer. When your primer is dry, spray it with the color of your choice. I used Krylon chrome finish on this one.

And here it is now:

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

I love comments! I read them all and try to respond to as many as I can. Also, if you see something you like on the blog, feel free to “Pin” it!

You Might Also Like:

  • DIY Geometric Pendant Light
  • 9 IKEA Bookcase Hacks
  • 7 DIY Project Ideas for Kid’s Rooms
  • Upcycled Wall Sconces

For more project ideas, check out my Project Gallery here.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

subscribe box post footer

You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Filed Under: Decorating, DIY, Home & DIY Blog, Popular Posts, Thrifting

« Dream PillowZzz Etsy Shop Giveaway!
A Day in the Life »

Comments

  1. Erica Deuel says

    April 30, 2012 at 10:56 pm

    Amazing!! I love it! Great job! I can show you how to recover a thrift store lamp shade some time to make it even cheaper!

    Reply
  2. Katie Goldsworthy says

    April 30, 2012 at 11:44 pm

    OMGosh! That is awesome. I just posted on one I did last week that was so similar! http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-cool-bubble-base-yarning-lamp-shade.html

    Decorating minds think alike!

    Love the material on your shade!
    –Katie
    @ Creatively Living

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 1, 2012 at 12:04 am

      Ooh I love yours too! Thanks for sharing!

      -Erin

      Reply
  3. Musings From A French Cottage says

    May 1, 2012 at 1:22 am

    This is great!! I really like the way it turned out and the shade you chose for your new lamp is perfect.

    I love thrift store lamps. I am a self proclaimed thrift store lamp hoarder – haha! There are just so many cute lamps to be rescued. Great job.

    Have a nice week!
    Kathleen

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks Kathleen!

      Reply
  4. Emily says

    May 1, 2012 at 1:31 am

    I’m loving that lamp shade – and the shiny silver makes a great combination. Beautiful transformation!

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:35 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. tzun zi says

    May 1, 2012 at 3:42 am

    hi erin…ive been wanting to do this project for all our lamps. have you ever tried spray painting on a touch sensitive lamp? i dont even know if this is what you call it. im afraid if i spray paint it then it wont work anymore. any ideas?

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:34 pm

      Ooh, good question! Not sure if it would affect the touch lamp’s functionality or not. I wouldn’t think so, but you never know. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  6. Maggie @ Snag A Bargain says

    May 1, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    I love what you have done with that lamp. It has truly inspired me to find an old lamp and refinish it. Love it!

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:37 pm

      Thanks Maggie!

      Reply
  7. Lindsey Nickens says

    May 2, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    Love it and before I read the end, I was thinking “where does she find room for all of these lamps” I LOVE lamps, but I have no space for them!! I need a bigger house!

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:36 pm

      I am going to end up with quite a lamp collection! At least we didn’t have many to start with.

      Reply
  8. [email protected] Design for Living says

    May 2, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    Don’t you just love taking something from a thrift shop and making it look fabulous. Great job!

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:37 pm

      Thanks, Shauna! Yes I do love it!

      Reply
  9. Michele says

    May 7, 2012 at 7:29 pm

    That lamp looks like it came out of a fancy-smancy shop with a three digit price tag on it at least. You did a great job.

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 7, 2012 at 7:36 pm

      Thank you so much, Michele!

      Reply
  10. Lindsay says

    May 8, 2012 at 2:05 am

    Cute! Cute! Cute! LOVE the fabric!

    Reply
  11. Christine @ Park House Love says

    May 8, 2012 at 5:43 am

    Looks great! I just picked up a lamp base at a thrift store myself that I need to makeover. That chrome finish paint looks awesome.

    Reply
  12. Tausha says

    May 8, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    This turned out fantastic! What a find! Love the shape of the lamp. I also am crushing on your shade. The whole thing turned out beautiful!
    Great job!
    Have a happy Tuesday

    ♥Tausha
    sassystyleredesign.com

    Reply
  13. Printabelle says

    May 9, 2012 at 6:51 am

    Love the damask! Great idea! I’d love for you to add it on my link party at: http://printabelle.com/?p=3188 Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Pamela Stephens says

    May 9, 2012 at 2:44 pm

    Honestly look like it’s straight off the shelves of HomeGoods now! It’s so so cute!

    Pamela

    Reply
  15. Kim @ The Sasse Life says

    May 10, 2012 at 1:16 am

    This looks GREAT! Got to love thrift shop finds. I would love for you to share this at my link party!

    http://www.thesasselife.com/2012/05/crafty-sasse-wednesday-link-party-36.html

    Reply
  16. easycreative says

    October 22, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    I have a question – what primer do you use for metal lamps? This lamp lokks wonderful!!!

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      October 22, 2012 at 2:33 pm

      I usually use Krylon spray primer, but I’m sure other brands like Rust-Oleum make a similar product. Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  17. paige @ trendy home design says

    January 18, 2013 at 9:37 am

    Fabulous job, that lamp is gorgeous. I’ve just come across your site and catching up with your 2012 articles. Really informative stuff.

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      January 22, 2013 at 6:58 pm

      Thank you Paige! Glad you like it!

      Reply
  18. Angela Swanson says

    February 5, 2013 at 5:19 am

    This comment is a little late, but I love lamp restyles. I love the what you did with the base and the lampshade fabric is just divine.

    Reply
  19. Mitchypoo says

    April 23, 2013 at 6:10 pm

    Sooooo cute! I’ll have a new eye when at yard sales.

    Reply
  20. LaMishia says

    May 31, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    Hi Erin, I loved this the minute I saw it. So, since I am a woman on a mission, I went on a search for this exact brass lamp so I could recreate it. It took me 3 weeks but last weekend I found them! Yay! Now what I need to know is, how do i remove that little cup thingy at the top of the lamp before the bulb. I see in your final product it’s removed but I don’t know how to remove it. Could you please fill me in on that? I plan to do these lamps this weekend! Thanks, LaMishia

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      June 1, 2013 at 12:19 am

      Hi LaMishia! I’m so glad you found the lamp! I actually left that part on, but you can’t see it now that I added a new shade. Not sure how you would remove it, but a shade should cover it up. I’d love to see what you do with the lamp! Please share pics!

      Reply
    • LaMishia says

      June 1, 2013 at 1:20 am

      Ooooooh lol I definitely will!

      Reply
  21. Shelley Sellars says

    October 24, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    I love this idea. I have several lamps that need a makeover. Thanks for posting.

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      October 24, 2013 at 11:32 pm

      Thanks Shelley!

      Reply
  22. Deliciousndiy says

    December 28, 2013 at 3:32 am

    Wow this looks soooo cuteeee..I love giving transformations to blah furniture pieces too such a fun thing to do. I just did a lamp makeover as well it’s on my blog . Here’s the link http://deliciousanddiy.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/mirror-makeover-drab-to-fab/

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      December 28, 2013 at 11:53 pm

      Thank you! I appreciate that! Transformations are so much fun.

      Reply
  23. Tori Wood says

    July 14, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    I’ve really been debating on a solid color or a metallic finish. This makeover completely confirmed my thoughts on metallic, thanks! 🙂 I have 2 lamps at home that I can’t wait to get started on!

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      July 14, 2014 at 3:15 pm

      Thank you! I’ve done metallics and solid colors and I love both, but it’s hard to resist a metallic! Good luck and have fun!

      Reply
  24. Lorraine Mclaughlin says

    March 16, 2015 at 10:22 am

    What kind of primer should be used?

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      March 21, 2015 at 9:40 pm

      Hi Lorraine! I would use spray primer that specifies what material it can be used on (i.e. metal, plastic, wood, etc.). For this lamp, I used one that specifically says it can be used on metal. I really like Rust-Oleum’s Ultra Cover 2x Spray Primer.

      Reply
  25. jeanine says

    January 27, 2016 at 11:58 am

    I so love what you did to that lamp. It’s perfect. I have two different lamps that need to be overhauled as well. I realize that spray painting the lamp base would be easier but I have so many tubes of paint since my hobby is painting. How do you think painting a lamp would work? Have you ever done that? I want each one to to be a solid color. One is brass and the other is peeling and is clear glass underneath. Just wondering what you think?

    Thanks, Jeanine Hinckel

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      January 28, 2016 at 8:15 pm

      Hi Jeanine! What type of paint is it, acrylic? I don’t know how well it would adhere to metal or glass. Maybe a multi-surface craft paint would work or something like the Martha Stewart glass paint. If you try it out, I would love to hear how it works! Good luck!

      Reply
  26. Vangie says

    January 30, 2016 at 9:58 am

    Thank you for posting your project, I’ve been wanting to do the same thing, but now i know how to do it.

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      January 30, 2016 at 8:24 pm

      Thanks Vangie! Glad you found it helpful!

      Reply
  27. Mikayla says

    June 13, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    Thanks for the tutorial! I’m thinking of painting my tarnished gold lamp a cream/white color. After painting it white I’d like to do some light sanding to get a few hints of gold to come through. Have you ever tried this? Would the primer prevent the gold from coming through?

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      June 19, 2016 at 8:11 pm

      Hi Mikayla! I haven’t tried this on a lamp. You could probably still do it with primer, you might just have to sand a little more to get through it. Another option is to try using chalk finish paint. (Not chalkboard paint, but chalk paint.) It adheres to virtually any surface and is great for getting that distressed effect. You don’t have to prime first with that either. Just another option to consider!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 7 Thrift Store Lamp Makeovers under $20 | Living Frugally says:
    January 27, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    […] 2.   Source:  diyonthecheap.com […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SHOP ERIN’S FAVORITES

SPONSORS & AFFILIATES

CATEGORIES

ARCHIVES

Copyright © 2023 Erin Spain. Log in | Privacy Policy