Updating a brass light fixture with spray paint
March 20, 2011
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Spray painting a second hand brass light fixture with oil rubbed bronze spray paint.
We have a light at the base of our stairs that I changed out a few years ago. It used to be the most builder basic brass light, and I replaced it with one that was a little more up to date:
It’s been so long, I have no idea where I got this one – it was most likely Home Depot or Lowe’s. It was waaay better than what we started with, but even with two 60 watt bulbs inside, it barely let off any light.
It drove me a little batty, because this is the one light on our main floor that I have turned on the most – it’s right in the middle of everything.
Well, on a trip to Habitat for Humanity ReStore a few months ago, I found a $5 fixture that had TONS of potential for that spot:
If you have a Habitat ReStore near you, you MUST go! I love that place – but I go (mostly) for the light fixtures. There’s such a great selection of brassiness just begging for a redo!
I got my craft room and master bedroom fixtures there:
Ours is downtown and a drive, so every time we go to the Indy Children’s Museum, we do a little side trip to the ReStore on the way home. ;)
So anyhoo, I was totally thinking of this when I saw my latest find:
That would be the Pottery Barn Gothic Lantern. Mine had more sides, obviously, and it was nine inches wide instead of 12, but it was the same height. And with a cleaning and some spray paint, I knew it had loads of potential.
So I started taking it apart to spray paint it:
It looks intimidating, I know. :) But it’s not – just remember how it started out so you can get it back together again. I take pictures of the details just in case I can’t remember at the end.
Most of the time, you don’t have to take a fixture apart to paint it, but this one had parts inside the glass that I needed to get to.
I wanted to keep the glass, so I started the seriously annoying necessary job of taping off it all off:
I didn’t get it exactly perfect, because I knew I could use my trusty razor blade to scrape off the excess spray paint if needed.
I took everything outside and started spraying light coats of Krylon oil-rubbed bronze (from Walmart, about $4 I think?) on everything. No primer here – since it won’t be handled I don’t worry about that for light fixtures.
It was when I started spraying the glass part above that I realized I needed to cover the glass on the inside of it as well. ARGH. Duh.
So I did an even less perfect job on the inside. ;) Whatev. It worked.
And I continued my coats, taking breaks inside to cuddle with my three guys -- hubby, the Bub and this little bitty one:
:) He’s so stinkin’ sweet. And he’s a cuddle bug for sure.
Anyway, can I say a quick hollaaaaa to the spray paint peeps for making this stuff dry so fast? LOVE it. You need to let it cure for a little while, but especially right over metal, it dries SO fast.
I got it up in no time and I absolutely love it!:
I love how it throws the light on the ceiling too! (See more about my love of painted ceilings here.) And the glass acts almost like mirrors, so I swear it makes those three bulbs even brighter.
It is seriously about ten meeeellion times brighter than the old one. Really, it lights up the whole main floor.
So the next project is to install a dimmer switch. You know I’d love me some dimmers! I’d rather have a bright light I can dim than to have one that’s always dim. ;)
I love our new Pottery Barn-ish light, and I especially love that their version is $270 and mine was $5.
Uh…YESSSSS:
I LOVE it!!
(Ignore the half done photo wall back there. It’s been half done for about a year now. There’s no finish in sight.) :)
Have you found any great ReStore finds? Spray painted a light lately? Any oil-rubbed bronze goodness in your house? For some reason it’s gotten harder to find this spray paint – I’ve found it at True Value stores and Walmart. Have you found it anywhere else?
My friend Melissa found an almost identical $5 light! She took the glass out of hers and I love it!
Looks GREAT! What an impact good lighting makes...
ReplyDeleteWe have a ReStore not too far from my house, but it tends to have a lot of toilets/bathtubs/hardcore home improvement stuff. I probably just need to stop in more to check out the selection...
I love Restore! This light fixture looks great! I've have a brand new can of that spray paint just waiting for the perfect fixture to spray but haven't found one yet :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks SO good! We have a restore around here, but it is not open on Sundays which is the only day I ever remember to check it out. It is just like CFA. You want it SO bad when you can't have it! I did a PB knock off from a fixture I got at a thrift store nearby: http://twentysomethingtransue.blogspot.com/2011/01/pottery-barn-hundi-lantern-knock-off.html. Also, last weekend we put dimmers in around our house. I love being able to tone down the wattage for some mood lighting! Again, great post!
ReplyDeleteI love how it throws the lighting up on the ceiling too! So nice! Great find!
ReplyDeleteWe have a ReStore here (northern AZ), but can' you say over-priced...
No joke...totally expensive and not worth it, I was super bummed.
But at least my Goodwill is fab-o!
Awesome! We just made our first visit to a ReStore on Saturday! No purchases made, but we'll definitely be back! There were tons of lights like the one you bought :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find! Your light looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love it Sarah!! My ReStore light redo is here: http://tinyurl.com/4dw5zb5 You can't beat the price of ReStore light fixtures...LOVE them! :)
ReplyDeleteI buy ORB spray paint at Kmart.(:
ReplyDeleteGreat light and better price:)
ReplyDeleteIt looks so much better. Ah the awesomeness of spray paint never ceases to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find! It turned out amazing!!!
ReplyDelete-emily
nestnestingnested.blogspot
Just an FYI---- amazingly, Mr Clean magic erasers do the trick for cleaning off spray paint from glass... Found that out last week when I was spray painting my ugly hall lights :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great deal! :) Love seeing your deals! Erin
ReplyDeleteI've found ORB spray paint at Lowe's in the last week. I love the fixture - it looks great! I wish I were a better spray painter... I'm trying to do a chandelier for my daughter's room and while I'm pretty crafty in most respects, spray paint is NOT my strength. Every project you do turns out great - then there's me, running out for fine grit sandpaper. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI actually love it with the glass. Pure $5 fabulousness~it looks so good up there!
ReplyDeleteI just went to ReStore a week ago on the hunt for light fixtures as I want to do exactly what you did here. They had all sorts of great stuff!! I just need to firm up my measurements because I wasn't sure if the fixtures would be too large/small for my space. Yours looks GREAT! Love it!
ReplyDeleteDid you sand it first? I have an ugly light that I want to do something with.
ReplyDeleteI really like that light!!!
ReplyDeleteI shop at an 'architectural salvage' store. It's my favorite place. I buy 80% of my 'stuff' there. They are really for the environment as well. So it's a win-win!
I love ReStore! Actually the one in the next town over is even better. They have kitchen cabinets for $30 each. We bought 3 to organize our basement.
ReplyDeleteBTW: I have bought oil rubbed bronze spray paint at Lowes. It might be a different brand, but if I remember correctly they had a few different brands to choose from.
Love it!!! That last photo is like a magazine shot. :) It looks perfectly made for your space. :)
ReplyDeleteI am definitely hitting ReStore now!! You are so bold and brassy if I dare say it! :) I am spray painting things now that I never would have thought to spray. I sprayed my old boring browning floor register covers with ORB and also some old bamboo trays with the map of the Philippines on them (hubby's from the air force days) with ORB and they look great! Thanks for all the inspiration TDC!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great. I love the $5.00 price tag. I redid my office light for a total of $7.00, $2.00 for the actual lamp and $5.00 for the drum shade. I love those great finds. Here's the one I did (the picture really doesn't do it justice) http://jandjhome.blogspot.com/2010/10/office-chandelier.html
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love it! I will be off to our Restore first chance I get and if I find something similar, I'm so going to copy you, lol!
ReplyDeleteI'm redoing an old brass chandelier in glossy black for my daughter's bedroom, but alas, I didn't take before pics!
It looks so fantastic! What an amazing find. I'm heading out today to check out my local vintage stores in search of some goodies:)
ReplyDeleteLove the new light fixture and $5 is an awesome price! My last post was about an ugly chandelier makeover. I didn't score it for $5:)
ReplyDeleteSuch instant gradification! Love it!! $5 is a steal!!!
ReplyDeleteLove those lights! Question- have you ever installed an overhead light on a deck? Do you think that's even possible? We're sprucing ours up to make it more of an outdoor living space (thanks to great chair cushions at IKEA and a rug and tables from Target- yeah!) and I'm thinking that a light like the one in your blog might be just the ticket... :)
ReplyDeleteOur local ReStore is awesome. Ours is great for furniture! I bought my boys a This End Up bunk bed set for $30 and my oldest son a loft bunk bed with a full underneath for $65. I am a regular and they all know me. But the best deal was this weekend when someone was dropping off a like new Little Tikes kitchen set and they don't take them, the lady working said if you want it it's free. Can't beat that. They also throw away random cabinet doors and such, if it's in the toss pile, it's free for the taking.
ReplyDeleteI look at their lights all the time but really have no where to put another light. I'm so tempted to find a place after seeing everyone's makeovers. :)
That looks great! I wish I had your Restore in our area. The prices in the store near me are a little high for my taste. I see in blogs all the time where people get great bargains at the Restore, but that was not the case when I went to one.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get my hands on that oil-rubbed bronze spray paint! I have two things in my bathroom that need spray painted! I haven't found it yet, but I didn' t even think to look at Walmart, I just assumed they wouldn't have it (our Walmart doesn't have much.) Anyway....I Lurve your new light fixture! Its gorgeous & I can tell it really puts off a lot more light!! Well done!
ReplyDeleteSarah! I love it!! It looks amazing. :) I see lights like that one all the time at Habitat. I got my light for my laundry room from Habitat for $3.00. It was all brassy and I spray painted it black. Why would anyone spend hundreds of dollars on a chandy when they can do this?
ReplyDeleteluv u!
Fabulous! Love it! Isn't it cool to be able to do something that amazing and spend only around $5.00!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job,
Cindy
Love the makeover! I just redid a thrift store chandelier that I bought for $4 with ORB. My first spray painting project EVER! And I felt brave enough to tackle it because of reading your earlier posts about the wonders of spray paint and how easy it is to use. I am addicted. I have already spray painted vent covers, hinges, a ceiling fan, the dog (just kidding). I would love for you to stop by and check out my new light.
ReplyDeletehttp://designithome.blogspot.com/2011/03/light-up-my-life.html
Lovely!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks fabulous! I love it! I have actually never been to the Restore here. Isn't that terrible? And it's only about 5 minutes away.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky enough to live within driving distance of two Re-Stores. Love. Them. But try as I might, I haven't found a light fixture with potential. Lots of other goodies, (frog pulls!!) though.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so great and bright! I love your cuddle friend.
ReplyDeletePenny
I live in Houston and just found that there are 3 Resale stores and even an outlet at an outside flea market.... I know where I will be going soon!!! Very nice Job Sarah... I love your ideas and I read them all!
ReplyDeleteI'm jumping in my car now and heading to ReStore!! Hope to find a great deal too. I recently sprayed two barley twist buffet lamps from shiny brass to oil rubbed bronze and LOVE them. What a difference and so inexpensive. Found my spray paint at Lowes.
ReplyDeletePs- to the Houston Resale stores. Our Goodwill stores over price, I mean WAAAY over price items in Houston. It is much more affordable to go to the clearance department of your favorite store than to go to the Goodwill. I hope the resale store for HFH isn't the same way!!!!
ReplyDeleteBecause Sarah has such GREAT ideas!!!!
Love the light! I just bought some ORB Krylon paint at Joanna Fabrics. It was $8 here in the Denver area.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of Restore goodness in my house. I bought paint for my utility room, and lately my garage there. I scored a pair of NEW bathroom fixtures and cabinet knobs there too. I'm sitting next to a wood filing cabinet with oil rubbed bronze pulls that was rescued from the Restore and given a little paint love.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I have a $5 light fixture I got at a garage sale last year. It's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment every time you pass :) Lisa
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic! I wish we had a Re-Store. We have a building material thrift store, but they have more wood, tiles, and flooring than things like light fixtures. Which is good too, of course, but I have light fixture envy.
ReplyDeleteI spent my weekend spraypainting frames, except it's a *bit* too cold out to be spraypainting, so they are having a hard time curing. Damn.
Our Re-Store is always pricier than yours, but so is our Goodwill. :( I've seen fixtures in thrift stores, but having no experience in installing one or taking it apart and putting it back together again, I pass them by, knowing I'm missing a bargain. ACK! I'm most intimidated by the wires and knowing if they're all there or not. What if I get it home and something major is missing and I spent the money and have to get rid of it, or clutter up the garage with useless junk until I have the heart to toss it? C'you help? Maybe take some close-up shots of what should be there?
ReplyDeleteI've definitely done this with a few lights in my house. I've found ORB in Home Depot mostly. Love how your light turned out!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI dont have a blog, but I emailed you pics of my dining room light before & after. You inspired it and everyone is calling me now asking me to help them paint their lights. Spray Paint! WOO HOO!!
ReplyDeleteMeg
Great decor pieces.
ReplyDeleteUm, yeah! I love our ReStore. Our prices are a little higher, so I think I'm going to start haggling. I paid a cool $20 for the little brass number in this blog post:
ReplyDeletehttp://vernandannalea.blogspot.com/2011/03/resolution-and-resuscitation.html
I've been waiting for a non-cold, non-rainy day to paint it . . . oh, and to come across a blog post or two about painting light fixtures. ;o) I have the ORB paint (even bought primer--glad I don't have to use it!), and am really looking forward to painting and rewiring that little beauty.
Thanks for the great info, and happy day for you and that sweet light!
I have a shiny brass light fixture in the living room above my desk i've been eyeing to paint oil rubbed bronze for a while. We swagged it over this weekend (it could be seen reflected in the big screen TV in the other room, we dealt with it for like 2 years but now that i'm laying on the couch all the time waiting for the little one to arrive it was too annoying).
ReplyDeleteNow it's just a few inches off the ceiling (instead of dining height) and it casts such a pretty star light on the ceiling! I had been thinking about taking off the glass part and putting on
Lovely!!
ReplyDeleteLove it, it's so funny... I just found an almost identical one last month too: http://takethesidestreet.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-10-light-fixture.html
ReplyDeleteCraaaaazy. Also found mine at the Restore. Cue spooky twilight zone music? ;)
It looks amazing! What a score! I love our Restore and did do up a chandelier for my screened in porch for about $12 or so. By far my fave place to hang out!
ReplyDeleteWow it turned out really nicely. Who says you have to spend a lot to score a beauty like that :) My mom has a knack for turning budget items into stand-out pieces too. She'll love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our reStore. We just moved from a 350 Sq ft apt back to our 3000Sq ft home (long Story) and had a lot of space to fill. We bought 2 couches, a rug, a ton of art, 2 desks a laser printer and two silk upholstered, feather filled chairs in the perfect colors for about $250 bucks this week... I've looked and just one of the silk chairs would have cost us at least $500...
ReplyDeleteI have actually checked out brass light fixtures at our local Habitat store (I'm in New Brunswick, Canada) and I found them overprices, or at least I think they were overpriced, at around $20-$30 ea. I don't know, maybe that's reasonable?
ReplyDeleteFinally YOU copied off me for once ;)(I'm the one on FB that "copied" your bedding AND we both copied someones suggestion for the window panels!) Since I know this can't be ( I don't have a blog that you follow), I was still stoked to see we bought similar lights at the ReStore (LOVE that place!) Of course your light was $15 cheaper, but mine was already ORB! I needed it black (go figure since I have ORB everywhere else :/) and it is hung in my laundry room. I also added a medallion to my light to bulk it up even more.
ReplyDeleteMichelle S.
I've always wanted to go to the ReStore in downtown Indy. I may just have to go now!
ReplyDeleteas for the oil rubbed bronze, I found it at Meijers. I don't know which states Meijers is in, we're in Michigan.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! We have one of those stores here, but I've never been to it! Now I'll have to go! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a Restore in Santa Rosa and I adore it - we got all our vintage five-panel doors there (call me old fashioned but I just think bedroom and bathroom doors should be solid) AND we donated a bunch of extra windows and appliances - they pick up if you have enough which is FABULOUS.
ReplyDeleteThe light looks fab! I really need to check out our local Habitat Restore but can I just mention how jealous I am of your high ceilings. I could never pull off a light fixture like that because our ceilings are too low. Boo!
ReplyDeleteI love the light. I used to go shopping at the Restore when I lived in the city, but unfortunately there isn't one around me now.
ReplyDeleteAnyway thanks for posting this. I've was out shopping for a dining room fixture last week but couldn't find anything nice AND affordable. I'm off to hunt all the thrift stores now as this is just what I want!
It looks perfect for that space!!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! We have a ReStore here too, and I have gotten a $5 chandelier. I haven't put it up yet, though...hehe. This is inspiring me to get to work on it!
ReplyDeleteLove your new light!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks so much for mentioning Habitat ReStore! It turns out that I have one near me. I would have never known. I'm going to have to go check it out soon.
sooooo pretty!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE habitat ReStore! I got a very cool headboard and a chair I'm reupholstering. I will have to check out their lamps next time since I have a new obsession with fixing up vintage lamps now.
ReplyDeleteGreat chandelier, Sarah...and what a fabulous deal! Love the design on your ceiling. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is a formula (probably can google it) to know the proper light size to fit a room's dimensions. it assures that you can't buy a light too big or too small. Love that.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your light post. I have been staring at light fixture for very long (similar to Melissa's brass fixture that she just replaced) and am trying to find something to replace there. I am looking at something like this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.overstock.com/Worldstock-Fair-Trade/Hanging-Blooming-White-Lotus-Lamp-Vietnam/5186588/product.html?rcmndsrc=2
Any suggestions on how to make a lamp shade like that?
I love your blog!
That looks awesome! And I have never heard of ReStore before and there is one like 6 miles from my house! Can't wait to go peruse the goods there. Thanks for the great tip!
ReplyDeletewe recently discovered RustOLeum Hammered Copper spray paint. The hood over our stove is an unusual 40" wide, so instead of trying to find a new one (not easy), we sprayed the whole thing. Did a backsplash detail & our cabinet hardware to match. All that for a couple $5 cans of paint! Probably saved ourselves well over $100 in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI scored 2 cabinets for my laundry room for $8.00 each! (started off at $32 then they were marked down and we were there when it was half off all cabinets) So excited! They are now hanging in my laundry room. I will be back to check out our Re-Store often
ReplyDeleteLooks FAB!!! Doesn't the restore has the best lighting that needs some lovin!!!
ReplyDeleteAfter we moved into our first house about a year ago, I became SERIOUSLY ADDICTED to ORB spray paint. I buy the Rustoleum Universal Spray Paint at The Home Depot for around $7. They have every finish you could imagine. Right now I am painting the tile surround for the fireplace Aged Copper. Can't get enough spray paint!!
ReplyDeleteA QUICK TIP for spray painting: Instead of taping off everything, you can use Vaseline on the area instead of taping it. This works well on glass, or places that are too small to tape accurately. Saves a TON of time!
ReplyDeleteHappy painting!
AAAHHH! Just found your site and I love it! And then I read about the HH ReStore and I thought , we don't have anything cool like that where I live, except, wait! Yes! You mentioned Indy, and I just moved to Indy! I am so begging my husband to take me there this weekend! Can't wait to read more on your site and go to the HH ReStore!
ReplyDelete