Lamp Revamp

The lamps in our living room are not completely unfortunate, but they are a bit outdated. I decided that I would look for some new lamps at the thrift store. I didn't care what color they were because I planned to paint them anyways. I hardly ever find exactly what I plan to search for at the thrift store, but I guess it was my lucky day. I found 2 gold lamps that I loved the shape of. I even liked the shade on one of them. One was $6.99 and the other was $9.99. I was so excited to give begin their transformation that I headed straight to the back yard with my spray paint in hand. I sprayed the first lamp until I was satisfied with the coverage of the ivory paint. When I started to spray the second lamp, the can was empty. Lovely. I decided to move forward with the painted lamp and save the other one for another day.

Before

After the paint had dried, I made a glaze to add an antique look. There are all sorts of glazes that you can buy in the store but I didn't really prepare for this project, so I made my own. I mixed acrylic paint in Burnt Umber with water and it worked just fine. I dipped a rag in the mixture and smeared it all over the lamp, working it into each crack and crevice. After letting it sit for about 30 seconds, I wiped the glaze off. It left a slight brown tint and accentuated the carvings of the lamp. Finally, I took a rough sanding block all around the edges to remove the ivory paint and show the original gold color. I also used a box opened to scratch and scuff the finish and to dig the paint out of the grooves. The shade that  was on this lamp was a sort of recycled linen material. For now, it is staying. The lamp turned out exactly as I had imagined and it goes perfectly in the living room. Back to the store tomorrow for another can of spray paint...or maybe a few.

After

My inspiration for how I envisioned the finished product came from Pottery Barn (Shocker, I know!). The PB lamp is $100 for the base, without the shade. Mine was $9.99 plus a little elbow grease. 

Pottery Barn Brentwood Table Lamp Base $100