I’ve been working on my new lamps for the last few days, and although I don’t have both quite finished yet, I have at least one finished. I may make some changes which I will explain when I show you what the lamp looks like so far. But even without these optimizations, I’m so excited about the result.
After a pretty exhaustive search for a lamp that I could design to look similar using some DIY wizardry, I finally found two of these lamps on Facebook Marketplace for the amazing price of $40 for both.
I actually liked the shape better than the original lamp, so I was excited to find it. But because I was amazed by the shape and size, I overlooked how heavily structured they were.
So they required a lot more prep work than I expected. But after much sanding, I finally managed to smooth out the entire heavy structure so I could paint it. I did most of the sanding by hand using 80 grit sandpaper followed by 220 grit sandpaper. But for the larger flat areas I used my orbital sander. I tried using my Dremel with a detail sanding attachment for the smaller areas, but it was too powerful and made it way too easy to get into the actual resin. Once it was sanded smooth it looked like an even bigger mess, but at least I had a smooth base to work with.
Then I applied two coats of primer. I used Zinsser oil-based primer in a spray can. Here you can see the original next to the sanded and primed lamp base.
It’s not perfect, but I was able to get a pretty nice, smooth finish.
I wasn’t sure if I would find the perfect orange, but I found it! I have never used this brand of spray paint. It’s called Ironlak and I found it at Michael’s.
I couldn’t believe how close it was to the orange/coral color of the bird fabric and the coffee dyed trim for the curtains. The color I used is called Halloween.
I applied about two coats, let it dry for an hour, and then brought it inside to paint the details.
For the gold accents I used this liquid gold gilding. This is the Martha Stewart brand, which I’ve had for probably two years now. I don’t even think it’s available anymore.
I used a small, flat craft brush to paint the gold gilding onto select areas of the lamp base, and then I used regular latex paint in my favorite white (Behr Polar Bear) for the white areas.
After those accent areas were painted and dried, I added a new lampshade I found at Lowe’s and it was done. Here’s a look at the new look lamp.
I ended up not using the original end pieces. I thought they looked too big and clunky, so I opted for new, smaller gold finials that wouldn’t draw as much attention. Those original end pieces were just a bit too much for me.
Overall, I am very happy with the result of this lamp. However, I could make a few changes to it. Firstly, I’m not sure if the liquid gold gilding is shiny enough for my taste, so I might go back and add gold leaf in those areas. I also think that my favorite color, white, is a bit too white. I may need to find a different white for these areas that isn’t quite as bright. But I think once I make these changes it will be perfect!
And the total cost for each lamp, including the new lampshade, was about $50. This is a real bargain!
I think the color is perfect. I still can’t believe I found the right orange in a spray paint.
So here is the lamp again with its original paint and lampshade…
And here it is in a new look…
