Street Light: Before and After

BEFORE:

 One neighbor's trash is another's treasure.  Literally.  I found this lamp on the curb after one of my neighbors moved out of her apartment.  The wiring was shot and it needed a little cleaning up but I could see the potential, or at least the fact that it was free.

AFTER:

Isn't it so cute!!  

All it took was a little cleaning up, spray paint, a new shade and new wiring.  Okay, so that sounds like a lot but it was really easy.  

1. Clean up- soap, water, an old tooth brush and a little elbow grease. 

2. Tape off the areas that don't need  to be painted and spray the rest with two- three light coats of your choice of spray paint.  I recommend Krylon spray paint that is available at Walmart and Ace Hardware.  I would also invest in a spray gun adapter to use on all your future spray paint projects.  It will make your projects way easier and helps keep paint off your fingers.    

3. Wiring-  This may seem like the most daunting part of the project but it is SUPER EASY.  All you need is a simple make a lamp kit from your local hardware store.  The step by step directions are easy to follow but to put your mind at ease I will be uploading my step by step instructions very soon.

4. Top it all off by picking a great looking lamp shade.  Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Home Goods are all great places to find basic lamp shades or you can visit a local lighting store for something more custom.  I found my shade at Target.

This is another lamp re-do that I did recently.  This was a $15 thrift store brass lamp before.  This one didn't need any new wiring so all it took was a high gloss white spray paint and an ivory shade from Lowe's.