HOW TO PAINT A LAMP SHADE

I’m in the middle of giving my entry a little refresh and one of the items on my list of to-do’s has been to replace the drum shades on the marble lamps currently residing on the table. I’ve been on the hunt for black empire shades and have lost count of how many I’ve ordered that ended up getting sent back shortly after opening. WHY is it so hard to find the perfect shade? My answer is simple – I’m way too picky, I’ll just go ahead and admit it now. Every one I bought was either the wrong dimension or didn’t sit on the lamp the right way or it had a gold interior which wasn’t in the description when I purchased, grr. Then last week I stumbled upon this pair of paper empire shades for $2 a piece at a local consignment shop. I snapped them up and thought it would be a great time to try my hand at painting them. At less than five dollars, I wasn’t going to be upset if it didn’t work out. I couldn’t wait to get them home and try it out.

As it turns out, the shape and size couldn’t have been more perfect. I used a lint roller to clean off any debris or dust and set them out on a drop cloth outside. I already had a can of spray paint in Canyon Black in a satin finish, so I was ready to channel my inner Miles Redd and get to painting, but first, I stuck a small paper plate leftover from one of the kid’s school celebrations on the top so paint wouldn’t get inside the shade.

The trick here is to use a SUPER LIGHT HAND when spraying so there are no drips. It takes forever to get around the entire shade, but it’s so worth it to spray lightly. This is what it looked like after the first coat:

It ended up taking five light coats to get the finish I wanted. Every time I would spray a coat and let it cure, it would look perfect until I turned the lamp on and could still see spots showing through. Five coats (and a second can of paint) ended up doing the trick. I love how they turned out! The shape suits the antique marble bases so much better and the black pulls the veining so nicely. They’re the perfect place holders until I find a permanent pair:

A few tips that might help if you try this at home:

• These are textured paper shades, which is what made it so difficult to get an even finish. If you use fabric shades, I think it would be a lot quicker and require a few less coats.
• Make sure you clean the shade thoroughly before painting. Any lint or dust or dirt of any kind will stick out on the lamp and leave a splotchy finish.
• I would recommend a satin finish over a flat or matte spray paint for a much more even finish each coat!

Stay tuned for more changes in this space!