So many people don’t notice the lighting in a room and settle for the run of the mill brass or silver light, but in this post we’ll show you a cheap way to add new life to your room by simply changing out the lighting fixture.
One of the hidden treasure in our area (and most likely in your area) is the Habitat for Humanity Restore. There are two within 45 minutes from our house. When houses are gutted or when people bring in donations for Habitat for Humanity, they are bought to the Restore to sell, helping to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. You can find anything from furniture pieces to paint.We went there to find new lighting for Sweetie’s (aka, our 2 year old daughter’s) room and our bedroom. Both rooms had simple dome lights and needed something. You CAN’T beat the prices. We bought a new light for our bedroom for $15 and Sweetie’s for $25. Here’s what it looked like to start with.
It’s a pretty typical brass chandelier? This was one of the next steps to Sweetie’s room transformation. I wanted it to match the pink in the Argyle Dresser that we just repainted for her. So, I bought Krylon pink spray paint for metal or wood. First, you want to pull the white candle stick parts off (they should slide right off). Then, I grabbed a scrap piece of wood and screwed 6 of the longest sheet-rocking screws that I could find and into the wood. If you put each candle stick part on a screw it will be much faster and easier to paint. Then I spray painted each one with cream.
Next, I cleaned every part of it really well with just a simple cleaner 1 part white vinegar to 10 parts water. Let the chandelier completely dry. Some people say to tape off the lights and that may be a good idea. I have never done that and it doesn’t seem to cause any problems, but I guess it couldn’t hurt, right? Ok, off to the barn to paint the chandelier. Try to get spray paint that is a paint and primer in one so you don’t have to prime the chandelier first. You want to remember to spray paint lots of light layers. Don’t over do or it will drip. I tried to keep them light and it still dripped. I think we did a total of 6 coats of spray paint. It only takes a couple minutes to dry so it was all still done in one night. Here’s near the end of the coats.
Here it is… making the room fit for a princess.
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Happy Redesigns!
Sarah
