Hey, my sister just asked me this question! Let me start by saying--the lampshades I painted were small, (6 little ones on the chandelier), cheap (Goodwill) and one medium size one. I just used my acrylic paints, and planned to "sponge" paint them. As I started, I didn't care for that technique---so I just rubbed the paint on with the sponge. They came out great---but I was praying the whole time!
Posts: 54 | Location: Omaha, NE | Registered: Feb 14, 2008
lol....I know what you mean, I'm kinda scared to attempt it.
I have a large lamp that I want to Americanaize...I saw a really cute lamp in a magazine, but do not want to dish out 78 bucks for it, when I have a lamp just begging to be painted.
So the idea is navy blue shade with large gold stars, maybe with an oak stain rubbed on top? Hmmm,or how else would I age it?
That sounds really pretty (and like what my sis is wanting to do, plus she wants to extend the length of the shade!). I hope someone else jumps in here and gives us some pointers---I think the stain might work---but I think you'd have to have a light and fast touch, since the shade is probably fabric and would hold on to it. Plus you have to be careful not to get it too wet, or it may start to get "wavy/bulgy" on you. In the old days (LOL) we used to age the masking tape we had covered beautiful boxes with (don't ask---) with shoe polish!!! Wonder how that would work?
Posts: 54 | Location: Omaha, NE | Registered: Feb 14, 2008
Wow! I can't believe this thread. I was just planning to ask the same question. I bought a cheap white barrel shade the other day and I want to give it a custom look. I was thinking of spraying it lightly with fabric spray paint (is there such a thing?).
Posts: 123 | Location: Ferndale, WA | Registered: Nov 09, 2007
Fabric spray paints sure exists in the US! A friend of mine brought me a can once from there. It's funny this comes up, because I have a heap of curb found shades I want to paint. I thought about standard acrylic too, since most of them have a plastic coating on the afbric.
I've painted several shades, some with more success than others. The ones currently in my LR and MBR are matching linen shades I painted and trimmed the same, in case I ever choose to use them again on the matching lamps. I'll attach a pic below of the one in the BR.
On these, I used acrylic paint. For the first, not knowing what I was doing, I put on straight acrylic in the beginning. It saturated and wouldn't spread. So I added either extender or glaze, can't remember which, for the remainder of the shade and for the second one. That worked great. Problem is, like an idjit, I started right on the front and when the light is turned on with that shade you can see a big blob of saturated color. (That's the one in the MBR. No one sleeps in there but me and DH!)
This one I simply took a pouncer--yunno, the round foam "brush" used for stencils--and added dots to a paper-bag colored shade. Of course on this and the previous, I added trim around the top and bottom. On the previous, it was braid; on this--not sure if you can see in this pic; it's an old one I took with regular camera and scanned in--I used welting.
Recently when DH (official painter around here!) was spray painting something else I gave him one of the old lampshades that was looking tired. He sprayed it with regular spray paint and it freshened it up.
I think it depends a lot on what type of material is on the shade whether this works but I think a quick spray as a base coat might be advisable before craft painting. The "pounced" dots are a cute idea, TexNan!
I once tried to dye a silk lampshade but it didn't take the dye. Fortunately it was a really good quality shade so suffered no ill effects from my attempt.
I've painted lots and lots of lampshades... I've spray painted some... but for the most part, I use craft paints and a brush. We recently changed out the light fixture in our bedroom for a brushed nickel chandy. First I dolled it up with some crystals. It had no shades. I wanted something kind of fun and floofy, as I'm doing a kind of Romantic Country Cottage look in there. I had a friend that found me a good deal on some silk shades, but the wrong color, so I painted them out... Two tones of a lavender color... and then crocheted some trim out of some eyelash thread.
I'm getting ready to work on one for my vanity lamp... Gonna' be pink with purple fringy, dangly trim... Lampshades are FUN!
If you are working with the silk shades with a liner, and you don't want to paint the inside, you need to be real careful with painting the outside or it'll leak through. I found that out the hard way. (*"*)
This message has been edited. Last edited by: countrybug,
Posts: 3360 | Location: pinopolis,sc | Registered: Nov 17, 2003
This may be a silly question but has anyone ever had the paint crack from the heat of the bulb? I have several shades I want to paint but was always afraid the paint would crack and look worse than they do now.
Nope, never for me, but all I've done is the craft paint. Spray paint always looks easy on craft shows, and I doubt that would crack if the craft stuff doesn't. JMO.
I'm probably better off with the acrylic paint since I have loads of it and my spray painting ability leave lots to be desired. That means I can finally get a couple things outta my craft room. Unfortunally this is not even gonna make a dent(sigh). Thanks.
If anyone's interested, this month's craft challenge over on craftster.org is lamps. Check it out here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=237329.0 All you have to do is post your pis between May 1-5 and wait and see.
This may be a silly question but has anyone ever had the paint crack from the heat of the bulb? I have several shades I want to paint but was always afraid the paint would crack and look worse than they do now.
I only use energy saving bulbs... they don't get hot
.JPG "Image")
P7090016_(4).JPG.jpg "Image")
P7090013_(4).jpg
Lamp.JPG
th_juststuff023.jpg
th_juststuff008.jpg
th_juststuff011.jpg
th_juststuff025.jpg