Trash to Treasure: Upcycling Thrift Store Lamps

I found these lamps at my favorite thrift store, both for $5. Total bargain! Woot-woot! They were in good shape, they just needed a little love and new lampshades to make them beautiful again. This was a DIY that I knew I could easily tackle on my own.

The next time you stop in at your favorite thrift store there are a few things to keep in mind. The most important thing to keep in mind when poking around in a thrift store is that you want to make sure that the items you bring home are DIY projects that you can easily tackle. Otherwise those items will just become more junk taking up valuable space in your garage.

For me personally, I know I am willing to give an item a good deep cleaning and a coat of paint. I can handle glueing things back together but rewiring, or carpentry that goes beyond nailing or screwing something together, are beyond my skill set so I pass up those items. Know what you are capable and willing to do and stick to it!

First look past the griminess of an item and focus on its shape. If it has good lines you can easily transform it with a good cleaning and a coat of paint. Never underestimate the power of paint! If you are curious to see a few examples of the dramatic difference you can achieve with just paint, check out these posts:

• DIY How to Chalk Paint Wood Furniture
• How to Refinish Wood Furniture with Professional Results
• How to Paint Wood Furniture Like a Professional
• Refinishing Outdoor Wood Furniture
• The Power of Paint

Yes, I paint a lot of stuff! It’s one of the most affordable, easiest ways to dramatically change the look of an old dated item and give it a whole new lease on life.

TIP: Ask to see if an item works before purchasing it. Many thrift stores have an “as is” no return policy, so plugging in lamps or small appliances is a smart thing to do before purchasing something.

Now that you have brought home your treasure, the next order of business is to give it a good cleaning. Use disinfecting wipes to get off any surface grease or grime. Sometimes you will need to scrub a piece with a stiff bristle brush and some hot soapy water.

Once you have cleaned the piece it may be good to go, but if not, then it’s time to paint it. Cover any parts that you don’t want to paint.

TIP: Use aluminum foil to protect parts you don’t want to paint. Foil molds to awkward shapes and stays put. No tape required!

Spray paint using several light coats instead of one heavy coat. Be careful not to use a heavy hand when applying coats, you want to avoid any drips. Allow to dry in between coats. Allow final coat to dry overnight.

The change in color is very subtle, but I have used the color Anodized Bronze on several pieces in my home. It’s a nice deep grey with warm undertones that looks beautiful next to wood tones. It’s a very versatile deep, rich color, similar to wrought iron.

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If you live near me you probably can’t find it at your local hardware store because they are most likely sold out. I paint a lot of stuff, LOL. But you can always get it on Amazon here.

Once paint has dried completely, remove foil.

I attached new lampshades and screwed in LED light bulbs to finish my upcycled trash to treasure project.

Enjoy your upcycled lamps!

If you don’t have any luck finding lamps to upcycle at your local thrift store, and would like to add some candlestick lamps to your decor I found some beautiful ones similar to the ones I upcycled that you can purchase.

• Modern Bedside Lamps
• Cottage Lamps
• Table Lamp
• Bedside Table Lamps
• Contemporary Table Lamps

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I am so pleased with how my thrift store lamps turned out. Don’t let a dirty grimy piece at the thrift store scare you. With a little elbow grease and a can of paint you can transform almost anything into something beautiful for your home.