Garage Sale Lamp Makeover!
If you have been here for any amount of time you know I am a little bit into garage sales. Garage sales, thrift stores, estate sales, and Craigslist are almost always my first shop of choice when we need something. A week or so ago my mom (who is also a wee bit into buying other people’s junk treasures) texted me a picture of an blah, dated lamp. She has had my ‘Garage Sale Wish List‘ since before I even published it. We moved from a house with a whole lotta built in lighting to one with very little so I am always on the lookout for lamps. My mom and I look for stuff both of us need when we are out too – we are one another’s personal shoppers I guess you could say.
“Want it? It works. $5.”
It was not exactly a lamp I would have bought in a store but not many of my lamps really are. I knew with a new lampshade and a little paint it could work into our decor so I texted back.
“Yes Please!”
This was an EASY project that just about anyone can do. I think there are two really important things you need to consider for a make over lamp.
First, make sure it works. My husband has rewired some lights for me – I’m sure it isn’t hard – but it takes time and it is an added expense for product. When you add in that extra time and money it just isn’t a deal anymore in my opinion.
Second – make sure you like the shape of the body of the lamp. Ignore the shade. Ignore the color of the body. Ignore the texture or material it is made of – do you like the shape?
If you can answer ‘Yes’ to both of those things – grab it! Check out how easy peasy it was to upcycle this lamp!
I donated the original lamp shade and started searching for a replacement. Because you know me, you know I tried to find a lamp shade that was already preloved – simply to save money. Sadly, every lamp shade I came in contact with during the two weeks that I owned that new ugly lamp were nearly as blah as the one on it. So on a trip to Target I picked up a cool looking lamp shade. It was on sale for just over $20. So now my $5 lamp is a $25 lamp and I’m not really happy about that, but I didn’t want to buy a lamp shade I didn’t like…. and it is still less expensive than just about ever brand new lampshade free lamp out there so I am still ahead of the game!
The next step was to spruce up the body of the lamp. If I had decided to go with a more colorful lampshade I might have kept the body the natural dark brown color, but it looked boring as it was. Many of you know I have a little thing for Behr Marquee paint. No, this is not even a teensie bit sponsored, I just have worked with them before and I love the product! I buy small sample sizes from time to time for things like frames, lamps, mirrors, knick nacks, etc. I can paint quite a few items with a little $4 sample. For this lamp I chose “Everglade” by Behr Marquee.
If you are wondering how to paint a lamp, the process is so easy! Because the lamp base was metal I knew the paint would eventually peel off without primer. I taped off the plug and top to keep them from getting paint and simply spray primed the entire body.
After the primer was completely dry I brushed on the Everglade Behr Marquee paint – you can do this with any color or brand. I like Marquee because it’s coverage and vibrancy is hard to match. It truly covers better than anything I have ever used, and while there are many brands out there that claim one coat coverage, the color snob in me finds the others I have seen to be really drab. The colors in the Marquee palette just really speak to me. I used about 1/20 of the little container – this container will be used on dozen’s more small projects for our house and maybe even gifts! Hot Tip : Buy quality paint at a home improvement store instead of the craft store! A lesser quality paint would have been MUCH more expensive at our local craft store!
So I painted the entire lamp carefully, I made sure to keep any ‘drippys’ from forming. I did not want any dry drip bubbles anywhere, that would look lame. When it was completely dry I roughed it up a bit, if you are going to do the same I suggest letting it dry completely overnight first.
I used a fine grate sand paper and just went to town on the edges. I wanted both the white primer as well as the brown base to show through. I personally like the depth of a shabbied corner, but if this isn’t your thing of course just skip it.
For about $25 we have a pretty nice lamp that compliments the rest of our decor! Do you have a Garage Sale Lamp Makeover post? Leave it in the comment section!
Love this and so simple!
Cute!!! I need a lot more practice on getting the right “eye” for transforming things. I see all of these great ideas, but can never find just the right pieces to create cool things…or do i and I just pass them up unknowingly?!
That lamp looks amazing! So easy and it’s brand new looking!
Love the color of the lamp base. I also love going to garage sales as well as checking on Craigslist for items I want or may need.