Filed under: Before / After
I love shopping, but due to these economic times I have resorted to closet-shopping for shoes and for finally-fit-me-again clothes. I have recently converted to a new kind of retail therapy…finding junk at thrift stores and then cleaning, sanding, painting, polishing, refurbishing and accessorizing until it fits into my current apartment decor. It is a slow-ish process, but I am having a ton of fun. I have several projects in the works, but I have finally finished one and I can’t wait to tell you all about it, with pictures. Admittedly, I did not take as many pictures as I probably should have, but I think you’ll get the general idea. Are you ready? Are you sure you’re ready? Ok. Here I go.
How to refinish a glazed, ceramic lamp:
Step 1: Find scary lamp in thrift store, check the electrical while you’re there to make sure it works. You want to look for good architectural lines, everything else will be covered up with paint. This one was a whopping $2.00.
Step 2: Carefully wash and dry the base. Sand the ceramic down with fine-grit sandpaper so it’s a bit rough. Use a damp cloth to wipe away any ceramic dust.
Step 3: Use painters tape (or a plastic bag and duct tape) to cover any electrical components.
Step 4: In a really well ventilated area, prime the ceramic base. After a bit of Internet trolling I found that Krylon brand paint can be used to refinish ceramic pieces. I believe in The Internets, so I used Krylon primer that I bought at a craft store ($4.27, on sale). Make sure you don’t spray too much paint or you’ll get drippy runs. This will take a couple of different coats to cover all the initial (scary) pattern. Don’t worry, you only need to wait a minute or two between each coat.
Step 5: Paint the lamp with whatever color spray paint you have chosen–I used Krylon again, but in a glossy red (again, $4.27). Use the same technique you used for the primer. Don’t spray too quickly, don’t spray too much. This took lots and lots of spraying to cover all the gray primer, but it was so worth it!
Step 6: Your final coat of paint should be with some kind of sealant. I used Krylon–my new best friend–in a No Scent Glossy finish (for $4.27). I only did two quick coats of the sealant, it’s not like I’m going to be licking this lamp or anything like that.
Step 7: Let everything dry overnight. Watching to make sure it dries will not make it dry faster.
Step 8: Pick out a respectable shade. I wanted to find a drum shade in white, but after four or five superstores (Target, Wal*Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s included) I decided to just settle for a regular white shade ($13.29 at Lowe’s).
Step 9: Accessorize! This lamp now sits on my desk and I can hardly explain how much I love it. What was once “meh” with granny flowers and a nasty lamp shade is now red and shiny and amazing. I absolutely love it!
Total cost for this project is as follows:
Lamp: $2.00
Paint: $3.50*
Shade: $13.29
Total Cost: $18.79
*It should be noted, I spent $15.00 on paint, but I see this as an investment that I will be using on various other projects. I think it’s fair to guestimate that $3.50 worth of paint was used in this project.
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Oh how I love the DIY in you. Not only is it a great way to save money, but one could argue you are lessening your footprint by recycling. Go you!
Comment by SoMi's Nilsa 2009 April 7 @ 5:44 amIt does look lovely! Even fab as red always does the trick! And *lol* I’m glad to hear that you’re not planning to lick on it or anything:)
Comment by Pia K 2009 April 7 @ 5:57 amWow, what a difference!
Comment by Jackie 2009 April 7 @ 7:05 amYou should have your own show on HGTV… i would watch it. Honey, I miss the avenues around this time of year because of the neighborhood trash pick-up. Last year, my friends and I found some great treasures that we were able to clean-up and put in our houses. My friend carrie even found an antique trumpet! You will have to take full advantage
Comment by Erin 2009 April 7 @ 8:44 amLooks great! Reminds of when Paula & Katie would take weekly trips to the DI and paint everything in sight matte black. I like your glossy finish for a lamp, though.
Comment by Sra 2009 April 7 @ 8:56 amLOVE IT!
Comment by Steph 2009 April 7 @ 9:23 amYou are my hero! You’re like a living home makeover channel. Please bless that we can be friends.
Comment by Megs 2009 April 7 @ 9:52 amThat looks SO AWESOME!!!
Comment by abbersnail 2009 April 7 @ 9:56 amFabulous. Have you considered auditioning for HGTV? (You probably think I’m kidding, but I’m not…) This could be a whole new career for Heidikins!
Comment by Trish Ryan 2009 April 7 @ 12:22 pmI LOVE it!
And it makes me sad that I have a two-year-old and that I’ve had to give up stuff like this for a while. Sob.
Comment by Britt 2009 April 7 @ 12:25 pmSO cool! I feel all inspired to go out and raid thrift stores now! It looks absolutely gorgeous.
Comment by Allie 2009 April 7 @ 1:02 pmIt looks great! Go you
Comment by Operation Pink Herring 2009 April 7 @ 1:32 pmI’m so glad you posted this. I’ll be furnishing a new apartment soon and will most definitely be using some of your ideas.
Comment by Melanie 2009 April 7 @ 2:02 pmokay that looks great, i love it. and love that color too, so vibrant.
Comment by katelin 2009 April 7 @ 4:17 pmI didn’t even it was possible to paint ceramics cool makeover!
Comment by Sarakastic 2009 April 7 @ 4:51 pmYou are wonder woman. I’m moving in next door to you.
Comment by Janssen 2009 April 7 @ 6:16 pmwow! this is totally inspiring me! I would have never thought spray paint would look so good!
Comment by janet 2009 April 7 @ 6:47 pmThat turned out so cute! I’m impressed. Thanks for sharing a great idea!
Comment by Lynze 2009 April 7 @ 8:00 pmThat is way awesome that you did it yourself! I was recently trying to find a solid colored onesie for my baby to wear, one without any logos or pictures on it, and I could find nothing. But I could find tons of plain white onesies, so I bought some dye and dyed it the plain solid color I wanted. YEA! Do it yourself rocks! Oh yeah, and a while back I needed a lampshade and was impressed with the variety and prices offered at IKEA. You might want to try there next time.
Comment by Heather 2009 April 7 @ 10:23 pmwhos the freaky looking bride next to the AWESOME looking lamp?
Comment by the wench 2009 April 8 @ 8:13 amSpeaking of IKEA, I was there today just wandering around, and I noticed that they did have a whole bunch of different styles and colors of lamp shades. It reminded me of this post. Here’s what I think you should do: Get some more lamps, refinish them, buy a bunch of lampshades at IKEA, and then sell them on e-bay for a profit! You could have a cool little business going in no time.
Comment by sov 2009 April 8 @ 5:15 pmAwesome make over! Good job.
Comment by Lex 2009 April 9 @ 10:45 amLooks AWESOME!!! And I was (and am still, actually) on a DIY kick myself, re-did two side tables and a coffee table last weekend
So much fun to look at the improvements and know it was all YOU! 
Comment by Z 2009 April 9 @ 4:42 pmI’m so impressed! It looks fantastic.
Comment by Lara 2009 April 10 @ 11:03 amYour lamp looks great! I have been bitten by the crafty bug lately, so I definitely want to try this!
Comment by Erin 2009 April 11 @ 7:17 am