Brass Light Fixture Makeover

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Last week when my husband and I spent our 5th wedding anniversary just hanging out, we stopped in at four thrift stores. Yes, he’s awesome like that and loves looking for treasures. {love you babe!}

We found this awesome brass lantern fixture at the ReStore for $10.

The shape, size and shape are just perfect for our hallway.  The color, however, isn’t. Ahem. 🙂

Do these sticker labels have any significance?

My little helper watched me from the front door.  Such a cutie!

I removed the glass, so I could spray paint, but I think I’m going to leave the glass out. It’s just really pretty without it.

With the glass removed, I wiped the fixture down to remove dust.  Then I got to work with my very favorite ORB {oil rubbed bronze} spray paint!

Rust-oleum’s Universal Metallic All-Surface Spray Paint.  This is magic in a can.  Seriously.

I gave the light fixture a light coat and then realized that I needed to hang it to spray the chain and cover plate. Duh!  So I hung it from a hook on the porch and gave it another coat of paint.  I let it dry overnight and then brought it inside this morning.  I’m so pleased with how it looks!

Beautiful!!  I can’t wait to get it installed!

If you have brass light fixtures and want to give them a little update, go to your local home improvement store and pick up some Rust-oleum spray paint and get busy! 🙂

It’s so easy, frugal and beautiful!!

I’m linking up to Jen’s Weekend Wrap Up Party, Tip Me Tuesday, Chic and Crafty, Show and Share DayLayla’s How-to Party, The Before And After Party and Melissa’s Paint Party!

52 Comments

  1. Fantastic! Personally I would put the glass back in, but it looks fab. Was thinking about your blog this morning and wondering: when you spray paint do you have a special technique, like going back and forth or do you just spray away? All your pieces look so good, it would be great to know how you do it. I have read the spray paint tutorial but just wondered. Thanks, Allison 🙂

  2. Nice! I have some spray paint projects waiting and I’ve got to get on them especially with these nice temperatures now. Thanks for the inspiration!

  3. Hello Myra,
    I have just started following your blog and I loved this project. It turned out so great. I have the ugliest brass chandelier in our dining room, it was there when we moved in, and I have been thinking about buying a new one, but this might actually work too. Thanks for sharing. Great idea.

    Trine

  4. This looks Gorgeous!! Love your taste in decorating. I always look forward to your posts. You’ve inspired me to try new things around my house. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

    Did you also spray paint the electrical cord on this light?

    1. Thank you so much!! 🙂 The cord was already brown and I just left it in the chain when I spray painted. It worked great!

  5. I am wanting to refinish (with the ORB spray paint) all of the brass light fixtures in my house but wasn’t sure about the coverage on the chain and cord. Also, I assume that my fixtures have a lacquered coating. Would that require a light sanding first? Now I just have to convince Hubby that we really should do this!

  6. I have a fixture very similar to this in my kitchen I call my “One if by Land, Two if by Sea” light….it needs some serious attention and I now I know what to do. Thanks.

  7. Wow, I love it! Recently I’ve been checking your blog and love all the different ideas! I’ve been wanting do something similar to brass light fixtures in our house but haven’t because I read that paint would not adhere to the brass. Do you ever sand first?

    1. Thank you Ashleigh! 🙂 I haven’t sanded brass before, but it seems like if the spray paint is for metals or “all-surface” that it should work fine. 🙂

  8. I didn’t know…that’s why I asked. 😉 I’ve never spray painted a light fixture before and I wasn’t sure how you keep the paint off the cord, but I guess if I just taped the part right next to the fixture???

    1. That sounds like it would work! I didn’t worry about the cord on mine because it’s going to be hung really close to the ceiling. The cord was already brown so a little bronze didn’t hurt. LOL! 🙂

  9. Wow! I have an old blah looking fixture in my dining room that I’ve wanted to replace, but who has the funds for that? This would make such a difference. Now I can’t wait for spring to get here so I can go outside and have some fun with spray paint! Thanks for the great idea.

    1. Ha! Well, they’re not “my” nails. (blush) I got them done for the blogging conference I went to at the end of January. I’ve had them filled once. Now I’m kinda debating whether or not to keep them. My practical, frugal side says no and my girly, pretty side says yes. LOL! Oh and right now they are covered in spray paint and latex paint! 🙂

      1. ha – well they look great!! maybe you could argue for the girly side since you are taking pics for the blog. you know – just make it part of the budget. 😉

  10. I’ve never heard of that spray product. The lantern looks great! Dropping by from How To’s Day. Hope you’ll drop by and see the informal picture wall How To I did for DD2.

    Allison
    Atticmag

  11. What an amazing makeover…I’m wondering if that paint would also work on cabinet knobs, etc? That oil-rubbed bronze finish is a favorite of mine.

  12. I guess I’m the only person that still likes brass, as long as it isn’t the really bright, fakey brass. I would have loved that fixture the way it is with its worn patina, oh well, to each his own.

    1. Aww, Pat, you are more than welcome to love brass!!! 🙂 I truly do like it in some settings. And you know what, it will be back “in” before we know it. 🙂

      1. Thanks, You know I didn’t even realize that brass was out of style until about a year ago, when I saw it mentioned somewhere. Probably cause I haven’t shopped for new fixtures for ages. I have a 1982 ceiling fan with brass (it never was the bright, brassy finish), but it has mellowed so much, it almost looks like the bronze finish! I love it so much, that’s the kind of brass I like!

  13. We used a high heat black spray paint to do our fireplaces when we moved in. It looks great and was cheap to do! 🙂

  14. thanks for this great idea, Myra! I picked up a brass headboard and footboard on Freecycle last weekend for my bedroom makeover (yay me, free!) and the finish is less than ideal. Many people told me there’s no way to paint brass successfully but now that you showed this ORB product I may give it a try. Nice job on the lamp!

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