DIY Desk Lamp Makeover

I love how this Desk Lamp Makeover turned out. I’ve been crushing on the combo of silver and copper and decided to incorporate that in this desk lamp makeover.   I found a great, classic desk lamp at our thrift store for only $2.  It was in great shape and my daughter has been using it in her room.

Desk Lamp Makeover

Here’s the thrift store find that I started with.

You can see that it needed some cleaning up.  I used a little bit of vinegar and white to get the sticky grime off the lamp base and wiped down the whole lamp so it was ready to be prettied up with paint.

Here’s the supplies I used for this Desk Lamp Makeover (affiliate links provided for your convenience):

• Worn Penny acrylic paint
• 1″ foam paint brush
• thick rubberband

Worn Penny is my new favorite acrylic paint color.  It’s a beautiful copper shade!  I decided to paint the outer base and stripe on the edge of the top of the lamp.

I was able to just free hand the outer edge of the base.  If you’re worried you can easily add some painter’s tape to the top surface of the lamp base.

Now here’s my favorite tip for painting a stripe on a curved surface – A THICK RUBBERBAND!!!!  Yep – it’s so much easier than trying to wrestle painter’s tape around a curved surface!  The rubberband will hold the surface snugly making your striped painting so much easier.

It took 2 coats to get this beautiful surface.  I let it dry about 30 minutes between coats and then let it dry about 1 hour before I removed the rubberband.

The results… a gorgeous, updated desk lamp that cost me nothing but time, since I had the paint supplies on hand.

Now make sure you check out these other amazing thrift store makeovers from the team this month!

Antique Key Magnets
Desk Lamp Makeover
Peony and Grapevine Wreath
Key Hook Cabinet Makeover
Luggage Rack Side Table
Repurposed Thrift Store Tray
World Map Makeover
Message Board