Thursday, May 6, 2010

let there be light! finally!

i feel like i have been working on fixing up these lamps for-EV-er. i wanted two bedside tables, which meant two lamps. i found the lamps at my favorite local thrift store's half off thursdays (everything in the store, EVERYTHING, is half off on thursdays. it's awesome.).

this is the first lamp i got. isn't she gawd awful? (click any photo to view a larger version)

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WAY too much texture for me, and the paint treatment highlights that texture and the fruit just a bit too much for me. but, i got a great price on the lamp, and it was the size i wanted, and i'd always planned for it to be a transition lamp until i found the one i really wanted.

click "read more" to see the second lamp and the rest of the transformation.
here's the 2nd lamp. much less vision required to see the beauty in this one.

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i really like the simplicity of this one, and the detailing on the top and the shape of the bottom of the lamp.

so, first i HAD to tone down that texture on the fruity lamp. so i wet sanded it to death with a pretty low grit sandpaper block. the results were very nice.

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i also lightly roughed up the metal lamp with a scotchbrite pad to make sure the primer and paint would stick nicely.

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and then we were ready to go! first primed with kilz spray, and then painted with rustoleum's night tide gloss (finally, a dark teal/turquoise blue! krylon doesn't seem to have one that was dark enough for me).

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as a part of revamping the lamps, i also decided to rewire them, and to paint all of the hardware with a silver/chrome paint, because i loathe and detest brass and i wanted everything to match. here's how things started. YUCK!

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again, i scuffed all the pieces with scotchbrite (especially the pieces with any rust or corrosion), and primed with kilz spray. (like my creative way to make sure i could prime and paint everything all at once? contrary to joan crawford's opinion, wire hangers are great!)

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for some reason unknown to me, i am having some issues with the kilz. it's giving me some kind of spotty texture that feels and looks bad. until i figure out what the problem is, i've been sanding it down after all the priming coats dry thoroughly with scotchbrite and/or 220 grit sandpaper if the texture is really stubborn. i'm not the most experienced painter, so i'm glad that i'm starting with smaller items to learn and work the kinks out before moving on to my bigger pieces.

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after smoothing everything out, i painted it all with rustoleum's chrome spray.

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after everything dried (ok, a little early maybe...), i rewired the lamps (new 3 way sockets rated up to 250 watts, and new cords). it was surprisingly easy, between the info i found on the internet and the directions on the packaging of the sockets and cords. and i only shocked myself once! ;) at the same time, i installed the lamp harps (those things that support the shades) and the hardware that holds the shade in place.

i also had to replace the felt on the bottoms of both lamps. that's as easy as tracing the bottoms of the lamps, cutting out the felt (and thin cardboard if you need/want reinforcement) and hot gluing everything in place.

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i hope i've inspired you that rewiring and totally revamping some lamps is an easy, totally doable project even for a total novice. just pay attention and you'll do great!

next post, the shades. it sounds so simple, but finding the right ones drove me nuts!

so, if you are reading, am i posting too many pictures or do you like to see all the steps?

i added this project to the shabby chic cottage's transformation thursday! go there and check it out!

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