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Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Simple DIY tutorials and thrifty furniture and decor makeovers

$5 Lamp Set Makeover

Hello, dear friends! I’m back with another makeover from my haul today, another set of yard sale lamps are getting their big update!

I found this set of lamps for only…wait for it…$5!! at a yard sale early in the summer:

Here’s the tag:

Crazy, right?

The shades made them look a bit dated, but the bases were great!

Clean

I gave both a good cleaning with White Lightning, mixing one TBSP into a half gallon of warm water:

Paint

Once they were good and clean, I was ready for paint!

I taped off any parts I didn’t want painted and then gave them a good coat of Rustoleum flat white primer, just to get a quick first coat on:

Then, I brushed on two coats of Cotton:

Although you could just spray paint them altogether, I much prefer the texture of chalk paint!

Sand

Once I got everything painted, I lightly sanded with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth and highlight some of the details.

Seal

And finally, to seal, I took the easy route again and sprayed them with Rustoleum clear satin spray, and this makeover was complete!

But what about those old shades?

When I was panicking to find new shades for this coastal lamp set I redid not too long ago, I purchased this set also:

I had hoped they would work for this set, and the fit was just right! I don’t mind spending $17 a piece for lamp shades when the lamps cost next to nothing!

Now let’s see how they look now!

$5 Lamp set

So much lighter, literally and figuratively! Before, they were so dark and heavy looking.

$5-Lamp-Set-

I love the shades!

$5-Lamp-Set-

And, y’all know I love that they came with the finials!

 

$5-Lamp-Set-

They would match our living room perfectly if we had two end tables. Thank goodness we don’t, so I’m not tempted!

$5-Lamp-Set-

 

Coastal lamps

 

Coastal lamps

Quick and easy!

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One project closer to the finish line!

Another reason I needed an easy one for today is because I’ve also been working on this beauty for Furniture Fixer Uppers on Thursday!!

I hope to see you then!

UPDATE: Wait until you see this makeover! See it HERE now!

XOXO,

 

 

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Comments

  1. Love, Love Love!!! Those are so beautiful now! They are so fresh and Lovely! Love the white and love the lamp shades! Wow!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Mary! The paint erased all that darkness right away! Hope your week is off to a great start, my friend! XOXO

      Reply

  2. Christy!!! The lamps!!! Incredibly beautiful!!! So much gorgeous detail that I couldn’t even see before. And, those shades…so pretty and a perfect fit. I’m so happy you’re getting tons of orders but it looks exhausting. And, whoa, Thursday’s project looks exhausting as well!!! I know it’s going to be AMAZING!! Can’t wait to see it!!!
    Kathy W
    oxox

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, Kathy! I’m always amazed at how the detail pops when things get lightened up. I am keeping busy, but that’s the way I like it lol! Thursday’s project is a good one! See you then! XOXO

      Reply

    • Thank you so much, Cynthia! You can’t always be sure how something will turn out, but white paint fixes so many things lol. Glad you enjoyed this set! XOXO

      Reply

  4. Christy, I love the lamp set makeover. Those shades are beautiful and look elegant with the new color. Finials also add to make it classy.
    Great job!

    Reply

  5. Wow, I was going to say the lamps looked dark and heavy before. Now, they definitely look lighter and modern. Those shades are perfect too! I’m off to look at the reference guide. I’m about to refresh my kitchen and need to paint a few pieces. Can’t wait to see what you’ve done to the dresser!
    😊Cecilia

    Reply

    • Right? It is amazing what lightening them up did for them! The shades worked out so nicely too! Hope you find what you’re looking for, my friend, thank you! XOXO

      Reply

  7. Beautiful!! They look so much better!! Can’t wait to get my order from your shop. Thanks for all you do.

    Reply

  8. Gorgeous pair of lamps!!! The shades… perfection! Christy, I love your technique of taking your “before” photos from a smaller angle and then showing your “after” photos and how much bigger your pieces really are. So clever and really adds to the WOW factor! Keep the lamps!!!!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Laura!! Isn’t it so funny how you can’t really tell the size in the before with no point of reference? These are actually quite large! I only have one small table in my living room since we have a sectional, but if we had two traditional end tables, these might just be keepers lol! XOXO

      Reply

  12. I love those lamps now! The shades are just perfect. WOW!
    I also like the look of chalk paint as opposesd to spray paint or latex. To me, chalk paint just has that certain “something”. Everyone has their own taste, but to me when I see pieces done in latex, it just feels blah. So I’m glad you didn’t spray these lamps. You’re terrific!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Caye! I was so excited the shades worked out so nicely! And I agree! I feel the same about furniture painted in latex…like it’s all wrong lol. XOXO

      Reply

  13. OH. MY. GOSH! Christy, they look incredible! And those shades are PERFECT for them. WOW. Love love love. And ty for the reminder about sale – have a ton of stuff in my cart. I have had contractors in and out and am just so overwhelmed lately I’d have completely missed the sale. GREAT job on the gorgeous lamp set.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, my friend! It sounds like you have a busy home at the moment, so I’m glad you caught the sale! And I truly appreciate the note you sent! XOXO

      Reply

  14. You are unbelievable, Christy! How do you always find the perfect lampshades?!? I predict these are going to sell quickly, so don’t count on them to light up a dark corner of the booth for long 😁

    Reply

  15. I have a thing for lamps and that transformation is superb! The great lines show up now and those shades are just lovely!! So well done.

    Reply

  17. Oh my. I just love those lamps. Very modern now.
    Bet those sell fast. Lamps are pretty pricey these days.
    I can’t believe you’re not More than tempted to keep these 🙂
    Those shades are great – perfect for these lamps.
    I would totally buy these for my bedroom reno – in progress.
    That dresser for Thurs. is a biggie. Good luck !
    Can’t wait to see what you do.
    I do have 2 dark metal – very ornate lamps.
    Just not sure painting would end up this impressive.

    Reply

    • Thank you, P! Lamps are crazy expensive these days for sure. It made me so happy to find a set for such a steal and then the shades fitting so nicely… it all just came together! I bet your lamps would be gorgeous painted! XOXO

      Reply

  20. All the wonderful detail was lost on these before. Now they really show up! So pretty! And I love the beachy shades. They are perfect on these lamps!

    Reply

  21. Absolutely love what you’ve done with these beauties. So creative. Thank you for your inspiration

    Reply

  22. 😱 OMG! Those shades made those lamps PERFECT for my living room! My living room is white with pale aqua as an accent color with a giant mermaid coffee table in the center! 🤤AND I HAVE END TABLES!!! 😂😳🤔
    I have no doubt those lamps will sell super fast.🥺😁

    Reply

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