How to Paint a Lamp in 6 Easy Steps

I don’t know about you, but I just seem to have the most expensive taste! No matter what’s out there, I always seem to like the priciest things! Have you seen the gorgeous lamps at Pottery Barn or McGee and Co.? They are the most beautiful lamps, but not at all in my budget! But how hard could it be to make one? Off to the thrift store I went! Follow this How to Paint a Lamp in 6 Easy Steps to get this high end look for your own!

These two beautiful painted lamps were my inspiration. How hard could it be to make one, right??? The thrift store had many options, but I needed a particular shape and size for my end table. I found this lamp for $7.50, and it was just the right lamp to be painted!

The base was actually very pretty, but it was too peachy in color for my decor. Plus, I was determined to conquer this thrift store lamp makeover. The same process was used as I used for my concrete pot method. This post has been going crazy over on Pinterest, and you can find it here.

1) Spray paint a base color

Tape up the cord and any lamp parts that you don’t want painted. Then spray paint the lamp a flat black, white, or cream.

2) Cover with spackle

Only cover with spackle if the lamp doesn’t have an existing texture. The easiest way is to just scoop the spackle out with your hand and apply it onto the lamp base. Once you have covered the lamp with spackle (as little or as much as you want) let it completely dry before moving on to the next step.

3) Sand

Once the spackle is completely dry, lightly sand with a 220 grit sand paper to make a smoother finish. If you sand too much spackle off, you can add more.

4) Select paint colors

Look carefully at your inspiration piece, or if you don’t have an inspiration piece, decide which colors you would like on your lamp. The end result will be very muted tones, so don’t worry too much about a color being too dark. Use acrylic craft paint, or whatever paint you have around your house. You can get craft paint at any craft store for around $1. I prefer acrylic craft paint because it’s cheap, easy to find, easy to apply, and dries quickly.

If you can’t find the exact color, just mix colors together to get the shade you want. Be sure you have white!

5) Begin painting the lamp

Using a seafoam sponge, a foam brush, or a wadded up paper towel or rag, dip it into the color that you want to be the background color. You can dab it on randomly, or cover the whole base, depending on how you want it to look.

Once the first color is dry, dab the next color that you want to use. Do it more in a random fashion as if sponge painting a wall. Fill in with the next color, and repeat until the whole base is covered in paint.

6) Lighten up with white, if needed

Once you have all of your colors on, if it’s too dark or stark, you can always go over it lightly with white. Dab some white paint onto a seafoam sponge or wadded up rag and dab any excess paint off onto a paper plate or towel, then lightly dab randomly all over the base to lighten it up and give it a cohesive look.

Do not panic if things are not going like you want them! It’s just paint and you can always paint over it and start again. In full disclosure, I was almost finished and didn’t like at all how it was turning out, so I painted over and started again! You just about can’t ruin this! Finish with a new shade. That’s all there is to paint a lamp in 6 easy steps! This $7.50 lamp now looks like a high end piece of home decor!

Decorating your home in a high end look doesn’t have to cost a fortune! Here’s another high end look project that I did for far less than the real thing!

Related posts:

How to Chalk Paint Furniture in 6 Easy Steps How to Make Concrete Looking Pots How to Paint a Mug with Colorshot Paint Markers How to Build a Wood Accent Wall for under $100!