This chandelier was not always as stunning as it is today. In fact, it could only be described as something that could have been found in an old tavern or possibly hanging about in Dracula’s castle. It’s what greeted me in the entry way of our newly purchased home, and the dining room held an old, exhausted, broken ceiling fan with no lights. There I was – a foodie who loves to throw dinner parties and I didn’t even have a stinking light in my dining room! This was a project that couldn’t wait. Shopping on my limited budget convinced me that I needed to get resourceful and refurbish that creepy old chandelier into something that could at least be usable.
My first step was to choose a paint color. I chose a high gloss white lacquer spray paint because I prefer the shiny finish of a lacquer vs. an enamel paint. Either paint will do the job, so it just came down to personal preference. I had my husband hang it from his engine hoist in the garage so I could paint the entire chandelier without having to pause to flip sides. If you don’t have anywhere you can hang it while you paint, make sure to allow the paint to dry completely before flipping.
When painting fixtures, use painters tape to completely cover those areas you don’t want painted. Hold the spray can at least 6 inches from the chandelier and spray a thin layer of paint over entire surface. It will take 4-6 coats to get it covered completely. Make sure the paint dries fully in between coats to prevent dripping paint. If you find a drip, wait for it to dry, lightly sand it, and re-apply paint right over it.
I was really encouraged once I got the paint on the fixture. It brightened right up and began to look somewhat respectable! Next step: paint or replace the electrical covers/candlestick bases of the fixture. I could not find any long enough at my local hardware store so I opted to paint them. They were an icky mustard yellow. I spray painted them using a hammered silver spray paint. Then I replaced all the light bulbs and hung my new/old chandelier in it’s new home.
Here is a great link that gives a break down of how to hang the fixture, if you don’t have a handy man in the house to assist you. Hanging a chandelier.
When I started this project, I was just shooting for respectable, and happily, I ended up with fabulous!
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