Inside: Want a new lamp for your nightstand, end table or hallway without the high price tag? Give an outdated lamp new life with this easy DIY lamp makeover.
If you have an eye for DIY, every garage sale, thrift store, and Craigslist curb alert calls to you. The thrill of the hunt ends in you proudly hauling home your curbside dresser with the broken drawer, an old chandelier stripped of its wiring or a pile of barn wood.
Time to flip your finds into the stuff DIY dreams are made of.
But we all know that doesn’t always happen right away. Your well-intentioned projects pile up before you can complete them, filling up your house and garage.
Just me?
So, when I received an email asking me to participate in an ugly lamp makeover for the 2019 KC Remodel + Garden Show benefiting the Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City, I couldn’t believe my luck. Redo an outdated lamp, show off my DIY chops and give it away for charity? Heck yeah!
My pile of other DIY projects could wait.
The Inexpensive Way ($7!) to Upcycle an Old Lamp
With help from the Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City ReStore and Rust-Oleum, I revamped a sad floral lamp into sophisticated upcycled lighting (for $7!). The Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City ReStore provided the outdated lamp for this project and Rust-Oleum donated the spray paint.
What you’ll need:
- Old lamp (look at garage sales, thrift stores and your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore)
- Spray paint (I used Rust-Oleum in matte black)
- Painter’s tape
- Lampshade
- Fabric
- Hot glue gun
Step 1: Tape and paint
I wanted to preserve something original from the lamp, so I taped off the brass base using painter’s tape. Always be sure to tape off the light bulb socket too so you don’t get paint in it.
Rust-Oleum’s matte black spray paint worked great. It sprayed evenly and turned out matte, as promised. I like the contrast of the matte black beside the shiny brass.
Pro tip: Always shake a spray paint can like crazy before painting. This will mix up the paint and ensure an even coat.
Step 2: Find a shade
My lamp was missing an essential piece: the shade.
After all, what’s a lamp without a shade? It’s like peanut butter without jelly. Salt without pepper. A DIYer without a hot glue gun.
I didn’t want to buy a new lampshade because they can cost $15-$20 or more. And buying new felt like cheating. The idea here is to upcycle. I worried I wouldn’t find the right shade but three thrift stores later, I scored a perfect lampshade to redo.
It fit the size and style I wanted. The ripple-covered, slightly dirty fabric I could conceal. And the price tag topped it off at $4.
At each thrift store I stopped at, I picked through fabric swatches and even looked at secondhand sheets and curtains searching for a fabric I liked to re-cover the lampshade I hoped to soon find. But nothing looked right.
Then, I found the bargain of all bargains at JOANN® Fabric and Craft Stores. When looking through the liquidation section, I pulled out the last of a roll of tribal fabric with hints of yellow I knew would complement the brass base of my lamp. I paid just under $3 for nearly two yards.
Step 3: Cover the shade
Covering a lampshade turned out to be one of the most difficult DIYs I’ve ever attempted.
Almost all lampshades taper slightly, so you can’t just roll the fabric onto them. The pattern won’t stay straight that way. I also tried using a fabric spray, but it didn’t keep the fabric in place. So, I grabbed my trusty hot glue gun.
Working slowly, I rolled and glued making sure to only put glue along the top and bottom rims. I didn’t want any glue to show through on the middle of the lampshade. I attempted to keep the pattern straight by working slowly and pulling it taut.
The final trick to make covering a lampshade look more professional is to trim the fabric super close to the edge of the top and bottom rims. Then, use a screwdriver or your fingers to tuck the fabric under the lip of the lampshade. This will leave a clean edge.
Don’t leave a bunch of fabric hanging off the top or bottom of the shade and think you can just glue it on the inside. It may look okay when the lamp isn’t on, but once light shines through it, the extra fabric will show through.
My lamp—along with other lamp makeover masterpieces—will get featured during a silent auction at the 2019 KC Remodel + Garden Show, February 8-10, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo.
That’s one project down. Now to tackle the rest of that pile…
What do you think of this outdated lamp makeover? Have any expert tips for covering a lampshade? Leave me a comment!
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