Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Ugly Light Makeover

Original light fixture before

I'm pretty sure this was one of the ugliest light fixtures I've ever set eyes on. When we looked at the house for the first times I knew it was the first thing that would have to go. With no budget for new lighting I figured I could at least make it look a little better until we could get what I really wanted.

Light Fixture removed


Dean had to take the fixture down when removing all the popcorn off the ceiling. I thought it would be a perfect time to update this monstrosity.

Disassembled

First I unscrewed the outside part & threw it away. I tried to think of other things I could make with it but I honestly couldn't think of anything. Then I gave it a good cleaning & carefully removed all the bulbs.

Prepped

Once I cleaned it off, I taped off the light sockets & the exposed wire at the top. You don't want to get any paint on either of these things.

Ready to paint

If you have an outdoor workspace I highly recommend this approach. Hanging the light & spraying it went far smoother than if I had to spray it on the ground. I feel the coats were more even & I didn't have to worry about flipping the fixture around.

Light fixture after Ta Da!

Here she is in all her glory. Poor thing, she's a bit small for this space & even hung a little high (we didn't want to go & buy new wire) but she's looking a heckuva lot better than before. What do you think?