How to Paint a Lampshade

How to paint a lampshade started because I purchased an awesome antique lamp for FIVE DOLLARS. I know, people say don’t buy a lamp without a lampshade, but I loved the lamp and it was cheap! What do you expect me to do? Unfortunately, it was sitting on my table for quite a while, all sad and top-less.

For more affordable DIY home decor ideas head to my other blog posts: DIY Fabric Wall Art, How to Hang a Poster or How to Clean Vintage Brass.

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Then I heard about painting fabric and that people paint lampshades. So, of course, I wanted to give it a go. To be honest I did look around for a lampshade to buy but nothing worked. So I bought an ugly lampshade at Goodwill for, a whopping dollar. One whole dollar! This is why you should thrift shop and go to antique stores. Don’t make me keep saying this people!

OK, I’ll stop. Let’s take a look at the supplies to paint this gem. A roller brush and gold paint. I threw in the cardboard so I didn’t paint the grass. The gold paint is my standard Ralph Lauren gold paint I’ve used for years. It’s seen me through my succulent vase and my refurbished sconces. So that means I have all the supplies, and this project costs me $6.

Let’s get started. As you can see below I used a paint brush for the first coat and then I remembered, use a roller brush Sara. Roller brushes always leave a clean finish. Here’s what one coat of paint looked like, with a standard bristled paint brush.

I let that dry for a few hours outside and then painted a second coat with a roller brush.

Let that dry and – voila! I now have a lampshade that fits, in a color I want, for super cheap and I’m super happy with the results. Here’s the lampshade without the light on.

But there is one hiccup. Once I turn the light on, I can see the pattern underneath the paint. So a few notes here. Paint the inside of the lampshade to lesser the appearance of the pattern, buy a lampshade without a pattern, use darker paint or just don’t turn the lamp on. I do the latter.

As my daughter would say, Easy Peezy Lizard Squeezy.

How to Paint a Lampshade

Supplies

• Cardboard
• Paint – I used Ralph Lauren parlor gold
• Roller brush

Instructions

1. Place cardboard on floor to protect surface.
2. Paint first coat on the lampshade. Let dry.
3. Once fully dry, paint the second coat onto the lampshade. Make sure to use a roller brush for this last coat for an even finish.
4. If you’re using a patterned lampshade, and will be turning your lamp on, I suggest painting the inside of the lampshade as well. I’d also recommend painting the inside first, then the outside.