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Monday, February 6, 2012

Another Home Project - Chandelier Makeover

I am constantly trying to decide which home project to start on next.  My home which was built in the mid-80s, needs a little LOT of updating.  So I have an erasable marker board of projects - honest I really do, and when we finish one we erase it and I add three more.  So the list reallly doesn't get shorter, but we honestly do make some progress.

I wish I could do these projects by myself, but they almost always include calling in my Hero, also known as my husband, SuperDave.  I can do a lot but I don't get along with power tools. It's better to leave that to an expert.  I don't know what I would do if I had married a man that wasn't good at almost everything plus willing to try new stuff even if his body aches for 3 days after.  I know he hates to hear me say, "I have an idea." 

So I'll share one project with you today.  This is a Early American style polished brass chandelier from the 80s that was in my dining room (notice the toile wallpaper) when I bought my current home.  Isn't it lovely?



This is the same chandelier in my breakfast room after a can of spray paint, new shades, some glued on trim and a cord cover.  Oh and of course a little electrical work from SuperDave.



So step one, of course, was that my Hero removed the chandelier and put it in the garage for me to paint.

Then he installed a brand new chandy in the dining room, took the ceiling fan out of the breakfast room and put it up in the living room (after removing the lower quality fan originally in the living room.)  Poor baby, he took down 3 light fixtures and installed 3 just for this one "simple" project.  I won't give details on the modifications he had to perform to hang the relocated fan on the existing down rod suspended from an 18' high ceiling.  But I will say, "Bless him, he TRULY is my hero."

Step two, Painting - I carefully washed the chandelier and let it dry.  Then I taped off the parts of the chandelier that I didn't want painted.  Then I painted over all the shiny brass with Rust-Oleum Hammered Metal Black Finish Spray Paint (Home Depot, yes, that is where my money goes.)  I let it dry between coats and painted it 3 times until I had it all covered. 

Step three, Shades - The new shades are the kind that clip onto the bulbs, they came from Hobby Lobby. I found the beaded trim at a fabric store and hot glued it to the inside of the shades.  I think the hardest part of this project was finding trim the right color. Maybe it just seems that way because I was able to do the rest of the project at home and I always prefer being home. 

The cord cover also came from Hobby Lobby. Since it covered the chain and wiring I didn't need to paint the chain plus it dresses it up quite a bit.  I considered making the cover but it's really LONG and has a lot of snaps.  I suggest you grab a coupon and save yourself a lot of time by purchasing the cover. 

The box for hanging the light fixture isn't in the right spot for the light to be CENTERED over the table (don't you love it when the lights aren't in the right location?) So we added a hook in the ceiling and swagged the chandelier over to the correct spot. I like the swagged effect even though isn't wasn't done for that reason.


Here's a close up so you can see the shades a little better, I think you can even see the hammered paint effect, maybe? 

Of course the final step, was my hero of a husband installing this light over the breakfast table. Sweet!

Live, Love, Laugh,

Laura

1 comment:

Janel from NellieBellie said...

Nice job!! What a difference that made!