Brass Lamp Transformation

My home is a newer home and all the fixtures around my home are dark brown. I didn't have the heart to get rid of my brass lamp. It cost us a fortune in the 90's and it was one of my most exciting purchases;

however, it was quite the eye sore with all the new style in my house and its days seemed to be numbered. Then as I was checking out some linky parties, I discovered that a fellow blogger had been spray painting the fixtures in her home the same color as my new fixtures. Please go check out her blog. It is called Life in the Thrifty Lane. She has spray painted many items from her dining room chandelier to her outdoor lights to furniture.

I am so excited how my lamp turned out. Unfortunately, my photography does not do this transformation justice. My hubby is super impressed with the lamp. He was not too excited when I told him what I was going to do - BUT the end result made him think differently. I told him I was going to recover the futon in this room too (yeah - the southwestern look has got to go). Let's just say I need to go a little slow to appease my hubby and let him get used to the changes a little at a time. He seems to always be impressed with the outcome though- especially because it saves us money in the long run.

So this is what I did...

1. I took the lamp apart as much as I could. I sanded it with steel wool, washed it with soapy water, and dried it.
2. I primed it with Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer.

I couldn't believe how good the lamp look just after I primed it. It was tempting to leave it at this stage - but I continued.

3. After the drying time indicated on the spray paint can (twenty minutes) I started with the Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray painting.

This paint is so awesome. I am totally a novice at spray painting and this paint is almost fool proof. I did do some goof ups - but they were really minor and for what I consider a huge project - and being a beginner - this paint is so good! If I kept doing the proper technique - which is to start the spray off the project and work on to it - then I would not have had any problems. Check out the Rustoleum website for tricks, tips and how to's as well as other spray paint project ideas - but be prepared for a spray painting obsession. 

Info that may be helpful: 

I spray painted in my garage with the door open and with a tarp and cardboard to catch the overspray.

I basically held a large piece of cardboard in my left hand as I spray painted with the right, although I did hit the lamp a few times with the cardboard and had to paint over those parts. This lamp is very large and awkward and I didn't think it would work well if I laid it on a table or floor. I am a novice- so I am not sure what the best thing would have been to do. It would have been good to start with a small project for practice - but I don't seem to do things gradually, I just go for it, and I am glad I did.

I wore gloves and covered my nose and mouth with a dust mask - although I did still get paint up my nose. I wish I wore goggles and a plastic hair net. On a smaller project that I am spray down onto, I wouldn't do that. 

And there you have it - my first spray painting re-do.

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