Top

Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Simple DIY tutorials and thrifty furniture and decor makeovers

Three Thrifty Lamp Makeovers

Hello lovelies! I’m so excited to be nearing the end of my largest haul yet! I started it back in July, and it included all of this goodness:

I’ve got just seven more pieces to go, and I’m sharing a trio of lamp makeovers today that will knock three more pieces off the list!

I always browse the lamp aisle at the thrift store for lamps that I can redo for my booth. I love the light that it adds to my space, and they are usually pretty good sellers.

Here are the three I’m sharing today:

I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.

Thrifty Lamp Makeover #1

Let’s start with the smallest of the three that I actually paid the most for at $5.75:

I painted all three the very same way.

Clean

But first, they all got a good cleaning with White Lightning:

Paint

Then, they were all painted in Cotton using the Belle Brush to easily get into all those details:

I gave them each two coats. You can also start with a quick spray of Rustoleum spray primer to move things along more quickly, but I skipped that this time. I also taped off the cord, so I wouldn’t get paint on it.

Sand

Once the paint was dry, I lightly sanded with 220 grit sandpaper to reveal some of the details.

Seal

I sealed them all with Best Dang Wax in Clear, applying it with the Best Dang Brush:

I already had this brush out from the flatware box makeover I shared on Tuesday and it worked just fine, but Dixie Belle also makes a smaller wax brush, the La Petite, that would work great applying the wax to these smaller details.

I removed any excess and buffed the rest with a clean soft cloth:

The After

Here is how this simple makeover turned out:

Thrifty Lamp Makeover

I found this shade at the thrift store attached to a brushed nickel lamp that it didn’t seem to match at all.

I bought the lamp just for the shade for $3.75. My sister took the lamp for her son’s room, and I got this pretty shade that fits this lamp perfectly!

 

Painted white lamp

Here you can see all the pretty details of this lamp that were hidden when it was dark…

Much better!

Shabby lamp makeover

Thrifty Lamp Makeover #2

This is lamp number two, the largest and cheapest of them all at half off of $4.75:

It was a solid lamp, but I really only picked it up because it was so cheap!

This was cleaned, painted and sealed the same as the first lamp.

 The After

And here is how this one turned out:

White chalk painted lamp

With shades being so crazy expensive these days, I was determined to use one I had in my stash and this one fit well.

I found it at Home Goods a while back for $14.99 when I was looking for a shade for a different lamp, but it was too large for that one. I kept it anyway.

With the lamp being so cheap, it still makes this lamp a great price now!

White chalk painted lamp

This one had nice details that were missed when it was dark also…

shabby chic lamp

It was missing a finial, but I found a broken one in my stash. Then I used E6000 Glue to attach a glass knob that had broken off of some drawer hardware:

It made a cute topper for this lamp…

And here’s what happens when you’re trying to take your photos when your kid is home on break from college:

Silly Jack!

Thrifty Lamp Makeover #3

And here is the third and final lamp of the day in its before state:

I am always drawn to the curvy pieces! This one had glass in it too which I love. However, it was quite dated, and that cord needed to be replaced.

It was half off of $8.25 though, so in the cart it went!

I started by taking it apart to remove the old cord:

And I figured, why not reconfigure it? It was so tall and skinny before and I really wanted to remove the marble base.

I found another rod in my stash of lamp parts my dad passed along to me:

He used to build and sell a ton of lamps. My Mom would paint designs on them. They did craft markets for many years before they retired from it.

In order to use the shorter rod, I had to leave out one of the pieces.

I painted, sanded, and sealed the parts while they were separate just as I did the other two, and then I began rewiring it…

Rewiring a lamp is SO simple to do! I share step-by-step how with the help of my dad in this post.

(That post has a really cute lamp makeover too!)

Luckily, I had a shade in my stash to fit this one as well, but it was just a plain white shade and I don’t even recall where I bought it. Target, maybe?

To add a little something to it, I chose one of the birds from the Rare Birds mini transfer:

You’ll need to put your hand on the underside while burnishing so you don’t crush the shade.

This transfer has six bird scenes that can each stand alone on their own.

Rare Birds Transfer

The after

Here is how this little lady looks now!

Rare Birds transfer on lamp shade

This one is my favorite!

Rare Birds transfer on lamp shade

I wasn’t sure where it would end up when I started, but had I known I was going to use this transfer on the shade, I may have kept it the original color since it cleaned up so nicely.

White always works too though!

That small transfer adds such a unique touch to the shade…

Rare Birds transfer on lamp shade

And I did not seal it with anything as I don’t expect the shade to be handled much.

And that is three lamp makeovers complete and ready for my booth, and I get to cross three more pieces off the list!!

Only four more left!

See any of these you may have missed at the links below:

Flatware Box Upcycle with Vintage Post Transfer
Updated Thrift Store Wall Art
Painting the Smalls #19
Picture Turned Chalkboard with Transfer
Serpentine Dresser Makeover
Mirror Makeover with Transfer
Flatware Box Upcycled for Christmas
Upcycled Picnic Basket with a No Sew Liner
Painted Empire Dresser
Neutral Rocker Makeover
Pink Painted Night Table
Mass-Produced Shelf Makeover
Repurposed Cabinet Door
Oak Drop-Leaf Table Makeover
Child’s Rocker Makeover
Vintage Banker’s Chair Makeover
Terra Clay Paint Case Makeover
Tea Kettle Makeover
Tray Update with Stencils
Painting the Smalls #18
How to Turn a Spindle Bed into a Bench
Dated Shelf Makeover
80’s Clock Repurposed
Stenciled Demilune Table
DIY Fabric Lamp Shades & $5 Thrift Store Lamps
Thrift Store Dresser Makeover

 

I’ll be back with this mirror on Tuesday:

UPDATE: See the fancy new look I gave this mirror HERE now!

Have a lovely weekend!!

XOXO,

 

 

Don’t Miss a Thing!

If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!

EMAIL * INSTAGRAM * FACEBOOK * PINTEREST

DIY Project Gallery

 

Get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50. No code needed at checkout! Orders under $50 always enjoy $8 flat rate shipping! Most orders ship same or next business day!

Related Posts:

Pin969
Share
Tweet
Email
969 Shares

Imagine

All the Possibilities

Let's make something beautiful today!

Comments

  1. Oh so beautiful now! I have some old lamps that I am using that are tired looking, I think I can give this treatment to them and they can keep on doing their job while looking so much more beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration!

    • Thank you so much, my friend! Yes, paint works magic on lamps too for sure. Have a great weekend! XOXO

  2. Love the 3rd Lamp re-do the most.
    The new rod color picks up the Bird embellishment colors of the lampshade. beautifully done piece. Great job on the lampshade !

    • Thank you, Karen! That’s my favorite too! And yes, I hadn’t planned for the gold rod to do that, so I was excited to see that too! XOXO

  3. Think the last one is my favorite. Glad you shortened the height and love the gold accents and the shade. Of course I like all of them. Tell Jack he’s looking cute. He is a happy child you can tell. Know you are proud of him. Have a great week-end.

    • Thank you so much, Janice! I’m glad I shortened that one too. And Jack is my heart for sure! Enjoy your weekend too! XOXO

  4. I love how the paint with distressing shows up the details in the lamps. The third one is my favorite too. Love the bird transfer and reconfiguring it was just genius! Love it 💕

  5. I LOVE it when you do lamps! I like the second lamp base because of the details, but I’m smitten with the third!! It’s my favorite! I’m a bit of a bird watcher , so I fell in love with that transfer!! I’ll have to buy it and find SOMETHING to put it on…🤔

    • Aww yay! I’m glad you enjoyed these, Denise! I love that transfer so much too. I think it is the first one I used when I first started selling Redesign transfers! Have a fantastic weekend! XOXO

  6. Hi Christy, I never knew that you could use those transfers on fabric. What a great idea!!

    • Thanks, Kathy! Yes…more so on something like a shade that won’t be handled much. The transfers really dress them up! XOXO

  7. Your makeovers are always a pleasure to see, but I must admit that third lamp with the pretty bird transfer really knocks it out of the park.

  9. Christy, I look forward to seeing your beautiful painted transformations each week and I’m always impressed with your skills- from power tools to sewing to lamp repair! And we love the photos of your kids and your kitty :). Blessings to you in 2023.

    • Aww I appreciate that so much, Peggi, thank you! I love popping fun photos of the James cast into my posts here and there, so I’m glad you enjoy them too! Happy 2023 to you as well! XOXO

  10. Lamp makeovers are some of my favorites! Such a major transformation, from drab to fab!! These turned out lovely!

    • Thank you so much, Amanda! The thrift store almost always has lamps I want to bring home, so I have to contain myself sometimes and work through the ones I have first lol! XOXO

  11. I love lamps! I have quite a few and need to change them up and sell them—NOW! You’ve lit a fire under me with all your ideas…Thanks! Your Dad was quite the lamp man and fortunately passed his passion for lamps to you. I know he is proud of your skills and makeovers.

    • Oh yay! Go go go ha ha! Yes, he used to be super handy when he was younger, and I’m so glad he passed a few things onto me for sure! XOXO

  13. Ooooo. I really like the last one!! Maybe it’s the delicate bird transfer, but it is striking for sure. I like that you took all of them white. Again dark colors are ok sometimes but most of the time they come off harsh and uninviting. I have certain Debbie Boone song in my head now. 😂😂

    • Thank you, Niki! The transfer really makes it, I think. And ha ha…perfect theme song for this post! XOXO

  14. Ok, so now we know where your creative side comes from! I love that! These are all beautiful, but I love the details of the 2nd one. I still amazes me how a couple of coats of white paint can make something look so different and so good!

    • Thank you, Cyndi! I didn’t know how lucky I was to have two DIYers for parents growing up, but I am so grateful now lol! And yes, paint really shows off all those pretty details that lamps often have! Have a great weekend! XOXO

  16. Even though you’ve done many lamps, I just realized this is such a great idea because you can take different lamps and make them look like they belong together! It really gives you options, especially if you have eclectic taste or just like to thrift.

    • Yes, for sure!! You could really have fun with all those lamp parts making them really unique! XOXO

  17. WOW! What a difference. But yep- I absolutely love that bird decal on your shade. Question- if the lamp is on for a while, will it destroy the decal b/c the shades can get pretty warm. Just wondering. That’d be a shame cuz wow is it truly beautiful.

  18. Wow, these are great makeovers, but that last lamp is my favorite and so so beautiful. Love the reconfiguration, and I never would have thought to put a transfer on a lamp shade. How cool is that? The piece is truly unique now. Also had to stop and smile at the pics of Jack : ) Have a great day!

    • Thank you, Debbie! I love that last one too and I have been all over the house trying to find a home for it lol! Those pics of Jack showed up as I was editing my photos and they gave me such a chuckle that I had to share. Enjoy your weekend, my friend! XOXO

  19. You Go Girl!! I’ve seen those ugly old lamps at the Goodwill…you made them useful and pretty again. So happy to know they will not be going to the landfill. GOOD job!!! Keep it up!!!

  22. I love all those lamps but especially the bird shade one. Just adorable. I expect that will get whipped up pretty fast 😀

  23. Can you seal chipped/chippy painted wood with dixie satin finish? Will it keep the paint from coming off or do you recommend a different sealer for flaking paint pieces you want to preserve?
    Thanks,
    Beth

    • Hi Beth! You can try a sealer like Satin Clear Coat and if it seeps under some of the flaky pieces, which may help to hold them in place longer, but if you have flaking paint, there is an issue with it no longer adhering to the surface for whatever reason. I don’t believe sealing over it will prevent all further flaking from happening.

Subscribe

Get two new makeovers delivered each week!

Get 30 

Thrifty Makeovers

in 30 Days!

Each day for 30 days, I'll pop into your inbox with a thrifty before and after!

You're sure to be inspired!

969 Shares
Pin969
Share
Tweet
Email