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:
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:
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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!
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
Ooh I love yours too! Thanks for sharing!
-Erin
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
Thanks Kathleen!
I’m loving that lamp shade – and the shiny silver makes a great combination. Beautiful transformation!
Thank you!
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?
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!
I love what you have done with that lamp. It has truly inspired me to find an old lamp and refinish it. Love it!
Thanks Maggie!
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!
I am going to end up with quite a lamp collection! At least we didn’t have many to start with.
Don’t you just love taking something from a thrift shop and making it look fabulous. Great job!
Thanks, Shauna! Yes I do love it!
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.
Thank you so much, Michele!
Cute! Cute! Cute! LOVE the fabric!
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.
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
Love the damask! Great idea! I’d love for you to add it on my link party at: http://printabelle.com/?p=3188 Thanks!
Honestly look like it’s straight off the shelves of HomeGoods now! It’s so so cute!
Pamela
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
I have a question – what primer do you use for metal lamps? This lamp lokks wonderful!!!
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.
Fabulous job, that lamp is gorgeous. I’ve just come across your site and catching up with your 2012 articles. Really informative stuff.
Thank you Paige! Glad you like it!
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.
Sooooo cute! I’ll have a new eye when at yard sales.
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
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!
Ooooooh lol I definitely will!
I love this idea. I have several lamps that need a makeover. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Shelley!
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/
Thank you! I appreciate that! Transformations are so much fun.
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!
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!
What kind of primer should be used?
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.
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
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!
Thank you for posting your project, I’ve been wanting to do the same thing, but now i know how to do it.
Thanks Vangie! Glad you found it helpful!
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?
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!