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From Brassy To Classy

OUR 1st HOUSE

For all those people who don’t believe that God loves you, I attest that there is proof.  It’s called spraypaint.  Spraypaint had to be sent down from heaven above.  It’s too amazing to be of mere men.  And it’s message to us mortals is that easy makeovers are possible (with the right conditions and a well-ventilated area). 

Now let me step out from behind the pulpit my dearest Tinklers and Throttlers and tell you all about how a little can of Krylon white glossy spraypaint took my recent Goodwill lamps from brassy to classy.   

I found these two beauties for $7 a piece at my local Goodwill and sat long and hard on a disgustingly dirty videogamers chair thinking about how I could use them.  Most people would walk right by.  Afterall, they have ill-fitting floral shades.  Floral shades that had an unidentifiable brown substance on them.  Yum.  And the brass colored sides were oh-so-brilliant…bright enough to reflect the bad florescent lighting and burn holes in your retinas.  But I knew that the cheap imitation brass lamps were a great shape…like trophys from winning the Kentucky Derby…which weirdly has always been a dream of mine.  And a coat of spraypaint could turn them into something beautiful.  Plus, you gotta love a lamp with a little beef to it. 

But Katie, where would you put them?

In our living room of course!  Our previous lighting situation was a-ok.  The silver cylindrical lamps that we had in there were sturdy, they worked and matched our silver toned surround sound towers that hide behind them.  BUT they were a little tall.  And they were a little modern and masculine for my taste.  But pickers can’t be picky. 

Oh right..that doesn’t make sense unless you know that I PICKED THEM FROM THE TRASH.  That’s correct.  I am that slam-on-the-brakes-type that swerves for trash piles and has no shame going ankles over elbows into a ginormous dumpster to find treasures.   Raise your hand if you are one too…don’t be ashamed.  We are all friends here.  These freebies we picked, cleaned and added Target modified drum shades to for our living room.

Here’s an oldie photo from over the summer (when our hydrangeas were in bloom) showing the lamps up close.  I think that they will work just fine in our basement.  Afterall, aren’t basements supposed to be a little more manly than living rooms?  Or is that just me making something up just now to justify my new lamps?

Ok…now for the new ones:

I used one can of Krylon Glossy white spraypaint to cover them from head to toe and then used the same shades as before.  I love em.  I really really love them.  The only thing now is…I would really like them to look a little more glossy.  Does anyone have any experience with using lacquer spraypaint over regular glossy spraypaint?  Does it make it look extra glossy?  Cause that is the look I am going for.  Extra extra glossy.  And I would prefer to spray them…I don’t want to mess with any brushes. 

Also, you may notice in the picture above that my laptop is out on the couch.  Yup…that’s a little nugget for you guys about how Bower Power is created.  I sit right there on that side of the couch, prop my feet up and blog my little brains out.  Granted, I switched out the chocolate covered bacon bits for a glass of water and cleared off the endless pile of junk from the side table…but the fact remains…that is the birthplace of ABP.  the left side of the couch 🙂

So that’s it for today folks.  Link if you like to your favorite spraypaint projects…I’d love to see em!  Or you could just tell me where you blog…or if you are a trashpicker…or if you like my Kentucky Derby lamps.  Seriously…don’t they make the term ‘trophy wives’ make so much more sense now?!?

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  1. I’ve used the glossy spray paint and it works WONDERFULLY!!! Highly recommend it. The lamps look great. Gotta love Goodwill.

  3. I really love your decor! The lamps look great. I haven’t had the opportunity to go dumpster diving but I do love to haggle over prices even at Goodwill! Drives my daughter crazy!

  4. They make clear spray lacquer that works pretty well, instead of buying glossy white (is that what you meant?), just might have to do a couple coats. Works better on lighter colors I think!

  5. I was having a similar gloss issue with the last thing I spraypainted. I wanted it to be mega glossy, but it was just sort of shiny-ish. I bought a laquer spray coat thinking that would work, but it didn’t seem to make it shinier than the original spraypaint. So I bought a poly spray and that seemed to go a little better. I still don’t know what you can use to give something that high high sheen, lacquered look, though…given that so many people try to keep things they paint from being too glossy, I thought it would be easier 🙂

  6. Good work, KB! They look great! I’m in the market for a new living room lamp or two, and wasn’t sure if spray paint on a thrift store find would work. Thanks to you, I see it’s a success!

  7. Wow, now that takes some vision! Really like the end product (although I liked the dumpster lamps as well). Pretty great for $14 and a bottle of spray paint!

  8. My mom is a total trashpicker! My dad had to finally put his foot down to stop her, so she hasn’t picked anything in a while, but she found some really cool things!
    As for the spraypaint, I’ve used glossy white spraypaint on some ceramic things: http://allthingsjenny.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/easter-loot/
    They didn’t come out extra super glossy, but that could also be because of my less-than-awesome spraypainting skills 😀

  9. I just found your blog through YHL and LOVE IT! My husband are SO inspired by your ability to remake awful looking things into something out of a Pottery Barn catalog! I love the lamps…I’m in desperate need of replacing my bedroom lamps, and you just gave me a ton of motivation! Thx!!! 🙂

  10. Gosh, I loved your old lamps, but the new lamps are awesome! Especially when it is a goodwill find all prettied up. Aside from being a beginner blogger, I’m also a beginner spray painter (Thank you Jesus giving us spray paint, a true gift for every self proclaimed interior decorator). Anyways I blog at http://flemingavenue.wordpress.com/ where you may find lots of goodwill/clearance decor…. did I mention how AWESOME the target dollar spot is? 🙂

  12. I like the makeover, I really do! But at the same I’m totally disappointed you didn’t make them green… I need to see some cheerful color over here from this fluorescently lit cubicle that is my work office. Pleeeeeeease. 🙂

  13. So jealous!!! I’ve been looking for some lamps to spray paint for ages and I’m getting nothing!!!! You’re a lucky girl, don’t forget it!

  14. I’m pretty sure I found these exact same lamps at my Goodwill!! I also bought two, and just last night, I also spraypainted them both glossy white! I used Valspar brand gloss and I think they’re pretty glossy.

  17. I just did a similar project this weekend with a lamp I already had. It was brown, but I really wanted to lighten it up so I did a glossy white. Like you, I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t super glossy. I’m finishing it up and plan on posting when I get a shade for mine. Looking forward to hearing if you have any luck to make yours a little more shiny!

    Oh, and I blog here: http://www.shutterlylovely.com

  19. I love the beefy shape of your new lamps! There’s not much that doesn’t look better after a fresh coat of paint. I spray paint anything that sits still long enough.

    This is my faaaaavorite lamp redo so far:

    http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/09/lamp-revamp.html

    And here are some more paint jobs:

    http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/09/ya-gotta-have.html

    http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/08/clam-digger.html

    http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/07/bye-bye-cherry-pie.html

    http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/07/pear-repair.html

  25. My fave spraypaint project so far were these chairs I got off craigslist. It took 11 cans of spraypaint but totally worth it; its too hard to to get an even finish on a round surface using a paintbrush. Takes a lot longer too. (And I’ve since recovered the chair seats from red to brown.) I really want a air compressor and spray gun….

    http://trappedinnorthjersey.blogspot.com/2010/09/craigslist-bamboo-dining-chairs-second.html

    Btw, Krylon (and others) makes a clear gloss spraypaint that you can spray on over another paint…it would make them super-glossy. See an example here, also with lamps:
    http://isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-get-high-end-look-for-less-table.html

  28. I recently stumbled upon your blog (okay I’m one of the crashers from YHL) but I absolutely love your living room! I love how in the house tour pictures you have the navy and green thing going on… so very JCrew. And I love me some JCrew 😉

  30. ::raises hand:: I’ve done that before too. & I didn’t care. Not even when the person who put the thing by the trash came walking out to put more into the trash. I just turned beet red, grabbed that free stuff & high tailed it back to my truck.

    I get it done.

    Anywe’retrashdiggers&we’reproudway, Katie, I LOVE your new lamps. I tell no lies when I say that your trash diggin’, Goodwillin’ ways have helped me see the beauty in otherwise ugly things. Also, isn’t it truly a wonderment what white paint can do to something? Indeed. xo

  31. The lamps look awesome! They look a lot bigger in the living room than they do in the first picture. Gotta love that gift from God!! ; )

  33. And this is why I have to read your blog! I would never see the potential in these lamps!

    P.S. A secret; I’ve never used spray paint before!

  34. I have so many fantastical spray paint ideas thanks to you and Sherry….. but I am waaaay too pregnant to be allowed to play with those fumes right now. Counting down the days to meet our baby girl and “fix” the lamp in the living room!

  35. So first of all – YES!! Praying clear lacquer over regular spraypaint adds the extra gloss AND Protection (should they fall or get knicked, or whatever) and as long as the original layer has had PLENTY of time to dry and cure (like a full day’s worth), then you’re good to spray-and-go. Easy peasy cheddar-bacon-cheese squeezy.

    And I recently sprayed over some old brass goodwill lamps, myself! MIne were about the same price, and I get the shades at Lowes. I was gonna recover the old ones myself, but I wanted the project finished before McStudly got home from his trip, so I had to buy, instead. Check out the finished product here: http://thepuhlfamily.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-love-challenge.html

  37. Don’t be scared Cari…it is oh-so-easy. You should just do it sometime on something cheap…like something you can’t ruin….like a lamp 🙂
    xo – kb

  41. Great job Anne. I think you are right to make them match…it works so much better and makes them look so much cleaner!
    xo – kb

  43. Loveeeee the lamps. They look awesome. I too am a spray paint addict. I just discovered high gloss spray paint and love it. We just spray painted a old lamp of ours we have been carrying around for years-it wasn’t our style-until we spray painted. Now my hubby and I are in love with it.

  47. Let me just say–I’ve decided it isn’t just the houses in California that are expensive. I was inspired by your amazing history of good finds at Goodwill, so I’ve spent some serious time (over a course of months) dropping in randomly at our Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local thrift stores here in Orange County after I saw your finds. I swear, they price the stuff here like it’s new–$25 for a used lamp? 😉 Anyway, keep on inspiring me to try new things. P.S. I too stop for “treasures” on the curb. It’s how I scored my mahogany jewelry chest!

  49. I’ve got a couple cans of antique white spray paint waiting for me to get the courage to use them. Hopefully soon I’ll get some time to use them. The lamps look SWEET!

  50. Adrianne, I can’t believe you made that…it’s so cute! It totally inspired me to have a Mad Hatter party 🙂
    xo – kb

  52. Karen – I love your fearless spraypainting attitude! And don’t worry about that even look…just remember to do lots of thin layers and it will look great!
    xo – kb

  55. Hi Maggie,
    That tall skinny thing is one of our surround sound speakers. The boyfriend and I have a deal…he can have surround sound and I can buy anything I want at Goodwill. Sounds like a good deal, right?
    xo – kb

  60. I just love the transformation! At first I was skeptical because I thought your ‘before’ lamps looked quite nice and I wasn’t so sure about the goodwill ones, but then I saw the ‘after’ pic! So much lovelier! I love the easy, practical home ideas you post.

  62. My husband and I recently purchased our first home, and I’ve recently discovered that spray paint is the answer to all my decorating dilemmas. It’s my new love. Here are some recent projects that we’ve tackled using this new love of mine…

    vases & baskets: http://tacklingtodaystasks.blogspot.com/2010/08/splashes-of-color.html

    a FREE car bed that we snagged for my son: http://tacklingtodaystasks.blogspot.com/2010/06/wyoming-inspired-bedroom-part-7.html

    a lamp for my daughter’s room: http://tacklingtodaystasks.blogspot.com/2010/09/let-there-be-light.html

  65. Loving yellow Amanda! Those lamps are so hot they could sizzle a fajita…yum…fajitas….wait…it’s like 8am 🙂
    thanks for sharing!
    xo – kb

  66. Renee, I would say great job but that would be an understatement. I absolutely love the red lamp with the polka dots…man, I need a little girl that I could decorate for pronto. xo – kb

  68. Ashley ashley ashley….if I had been in the vicinity of that garbage pile, you would have had to punch me in the throat because I would be fighting you for that mirror. LOVE. And I love your mantel…looks so festive and fun! Darn I love it when people incorporate antlers….xo – kb

  70. 90% of the stuff in our house were roadside finds (the other 10% from our parents)! I must agree that spray paint is a handy dandy tool for transforming just about anything. I’d love to narrow it down to one thing I love most that I’ve found or spraypainted, but everything is about par. Most of our finds and revamps are detailed on our blog:
    http://cultivatinghome.wordpress.com

    I do love the lamps by the way. Awesome find and color choice.

    ~Erin

  74. I <3 spraypaint. I only tried for the 1st time about a week ago and now I am actually scouting empty cubes in my office for people who left behind vases. Shhh!! Your lamps look AWESOME.

  76. Now you’ve got me wanting to go to a thrift store! Like now! And if we are driving down the road and I find something good that someone sat out…it’s totally mine! A few years ago, my Dad passed a house that had been foreclosed on and they were throwing furniture in a dumpster. He stopped and asked what they were doing with it and they were just going to throw it away!! They gave us tons of stuff…a super expensive bunk bed set with a chest of drawers and desk, lots of shelves, an old chair, an older model big screen TV (that worked!) The list could go on. I couldn’t believe my Dad stopped that day, but we were all really glad he did!

  78. Looks great! I just bought (with the same intentions) some little brassy holders/urns/whatever from Salvation Army and I can’t wait to break out the paint!

    I’ve linked to my most recent spray project. The total project was $15!

  79. Love them!! Question for you. I have this awful brassy chandelier. Want to spray-paint it a pewter/chrome color…..does spray paint even come in that color and would this turn out ok?

  81. ooh i like that a lot.

    i have been checking out lamps at op shops for quite a while now waiting for the right ones…its good to see another take on some of those dodgy ones i come across…thank you 🙂

    Krystal x

  85. I love, love, love the lamps. You have inspired me to start repurposing items and I no longer have a fear of Goodwill! In fact, I found a gem of a dresser on the side of the road marked free! Totally psyched and can’t wait for it to be finished! Thank you for taking the fear out of refinishing products!

  86. Oh yeah Amanda, I saw that…it just works for brass plated items though. If only I were so lucky to find actual brass plated lamps! I would have definitely tried for the Blue Magic then!
    Thanks for sharing!
    xo – kb

  87. Your lamps look great, cool job on spraying them. I would have been afraid the paint wouldn’t stick. I’ve tried some spray poly finishes and it was really hard for me to get it to look even. I’d recommend the Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Gloss. You can use it over oil base or latex paints and it gives a nice glossy finish. Put a couple of coats on with a brush and it’s easy cleanup.

  88. Thanks fo the tip and link, Katie!! But how would I know if the chandlier is real brass or just brass-colored?? (So new to all this).

  90. Well, Angela, if the chandelier is yellow-y and completely even in color (like no variation in yellows to browns) then it is most likely brass-colored (which would be best for spraypaint)….if it has variation or pitting or has that gold color that looks a little dirty (or if you can tell when it was made – older pieces are most likely brass) then it is brass plated. VERY old pieces might be solid brass but it is very rare to find that….and it would probably have that stamped somewhere on the piece. A brass-plated chandelier is what would work for Blue Magic.
    Hope this helps!
    xo – kb

  92. Those lamps look completely fabulous! I am on the hunt for two living room lamps to do this exact treatment too! Here’s to hoping I find some soon 🙂

  93. Thanks for the tips Alicia…I definitely want them to be glossier…and it is good to know that the spray poly can go awry.
    xo – kb

  95. Thanks Katie! I’m gonna go for it. One more question (sorry!) – do I need to use a spray primer, like Kilz, first?

  96. The gloss lacquer scares me, because it seems so much more hardcore. That’s why I’d stick with gloss poly. But maybe you could do a side-by-side test-run with something else cheap and brassy from Goodwill?

  97. Hi Angela,
    Spray primer is great on surfaces that might be too slick (like if your chandy was coated with something glossy) for the paint to stick. It definitely wouldn’t hurt 🙂
    xo – kb

  98. Yeah, that is the problem. I have made over a few items with Blue Magic and it’s such a great alternative to paint. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some spray paint, but I also like that I can have something silver without painting. I’ve found a ton of little brass nick knacks at Goodwill and other thrift stores and the Blue Magic works on those, too. You might want to give it a try on something other than a lamp… 🙂

  100. Such a cool transformation! I love a good thrift store find. I have never tried spray painting, but must add “what can I paint” to my Goodwill list. 🙂

  101. They look awesome! I am in the process of spray-painting my two living room floor lamps. It’s my first time trying a hammered metal paint, and it’s taking more coats than I expected to achieve the right look (and therefore more weekends before they’re finished).

  104. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your new lamps! You were right about the spray paint! They look so much cozier and so charming! Woohoo! If only it weren’t getting too cold to spray paint here. Hrrrmph….

  105. The lamps look great! Good job! I know what you mean about glossy spray paint not always looking so glossy on metal. I had the same issue with a lamp I did this summer, but I just left it lol.

    One question I do have, is where on earth did you get that glossy white box with the bird on top? I am IN LOVE!!!

  107. Yup – it sure is…we had that thing framed when we were getting married (it’s an engagement photo) and had wedding guests sign the mat…never got around to changing out the photo…which we should totally do now. Thanks for the reminder…
    xo – kb

  108. Last weekend, I spray painted some Goodwill finds. Yesterday, I decided to try and make them glossier with a clear glossy coat finish spray. What a nightmare! Half of the object turned out fine, but the other half had raised “cracks” all over it!!!!! I used quality paint and finish, and followed the directions. It was so bad, I had to strip the stuff down and spray paint from the beginning. If you haven’t already tried it painting over the lamps with a glossy finish coat, DON’T! 😛

    btw, Motsenbocker’s Lift Off Ready to Use Spray Graffiti Paint Remover is an amazing spray paint remover for ceramics and brass. It’s probably not very green, but it does a great job!

  110. Spray paint is definitely proof that there is a God and he wants us to be happy. I spray paint random stuff in my house when I’m bored. Last night, I sprayed an owl candleholder. It looks a thousand times better.

    http://thelonelywifeproject.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/spray-me/

    And I recently spray painted our floor mirror white — also a thousand times better! Thanks for sharing the love of spray paint!

    http://thelonelywifeproject.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/under-18-not-allowed/

  111. Hi Katie! I was totally inspired to spray paint anything I could get my hands on after seeing your blog and YHL. I finally bought some spray paint and primer and painted some old wooden picture frames.

    The primer went on perfectly and I let it dry for 24 hrs, then applied the glossy spray paint. The problem is that once it started drying it started cracking and bunching up 🙁 . Any suggestions on how I can fix this and get them to look as nice as everything you do?

    Thx a bunch!!!

  112. Hi Jacqueline,
    It seems to me to be a finish problem…the underneath finish is somehow incompatible with the top coat…thus causing the crackle. You can sand the top crackle and bunching off with a piece of fine sandpaper, apply another coat of primer and then clean it really well, let it dry a couple days, and then try again. If you still see the problem, then it might be a problem with the temperature (being too cold outside) or because the under layer is not dry enough.
    Hope this helps!
    xo – kb

  114. First of all, 113 comments and nothing on the chocolate covered bacon bits??? Please explain, sounds like it could be a match made in heaven, like french fries dipped in milkshake!

    Secondly, a signed matted frame of engagement photos of yourselves??? What were you thinking?? In your OWN living room??? Oh the horror! Is there another point in having a signed mat if you are not going to put a photo of yourselves in it? Or hang it in your own home? Who else would go in it and who’s living room should it be in?? Seriously. And it’s far from massive. Really.

    I just framed an 8×10 of my husband and I at our wedding and I plan on hanging it in OUR living room! Shame on me.

  115. heehee…I know right?!
    And secondly, it really is quite big…not your standard 8×10…but far from massive 🙂 I think of it as a way to scalp signatures from friends and family members to forge checks when we run outta money 🙂
    xo – kb

  116. Just reading through some of your past posts and found this makeover. I sprayed laquer over my high gloss black chair that I redid ages ago and it turned out great! Really glossy and it gives another layer of protection. I think it was just Rustoleum’s clear gloss laquer spray, if that helps!
    Here’s the chair too, if you want to see the results: http://www.swooninteriors.com/p/before-after.html

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