In the past, I've shared how to paint a vintage, brass chandelier. It was the one I had hanging in my kitchen before this one. And I still use that technique when I want a full coverage for whatever I am painting.
But for this project, I wanted a different look. I was replacing two chandies in the kitchen with twin, new, dark copper colored fixtures from Home Depot.
Here is the picture from the box. When I ordered them, I thought I'd like to have the dark bronzey, coppery color as a contrast to my all white kitchen.
But not only did I decide that they were a little too dark, I thought they looked a little… cheap. After owning a heavy, old, solid brass chandelier, this paper thin metal one was a bit of a come down. I hoped layers of paint would give it some depth plus keep the contrast I wanted for the room.
I'd called the electrician to schedule getting the two lights hung up, just to find out that he had a cancellation that day and could be out that afternoon.
Ooops. Too soon! They weren't painted yet. I didn't want to miss the chance to get them up right away, so I looked around to see what I had to work with.
Now, you might remember that I have complained about Chalk Paint. Actually saying that I would never use it again.
Well, I've discovered that it has its uses here and there. I won't use it for large pieces of furniture due to expense, but I have learned that if you buy the small bottles at Michaels or Hobby Lobby with the 40% coupon, it is affordable for small projects.
It always needs sealed with wax or clear coat. I still dislike wax, but am happy with the results of adding a clear coat.
And for this project, I didn't have time to prime. So, I sponged on cream and white chalk paint.
While sponging the two colors together, I was careful to dab a small amount at a time so that the two colors didn't blend completely as I worked.
I left the crevices dark, not smooshing my sponge down into those areas. Chalk paint is a good choice for a project like this, since you don't need to prime first. If I'd had to prime, it would've been hard to leave the original color peeping through.
TIP- Being a perfectionist isn't helpful, being a messy painter and a bit slap happy with the paint is a plus on a project like this!
After that, I brushed on this water based wood stain that I had left over from painting my cabinets.
The stain is brushed on haphazardly into the dark areas and here and there on the sponged areas, and wiped off.
Then it was covered with a clear, water based. top coat.
By starting at the top of one, working my way through it, turning it as I painted to get every angle, then doing the same with the second one- the first was dry enough to glaze as I finished the second. Same thing with the top coat, the first was ready to seal by the time I finished glazing the second. I was able to get both sponge painted, glazed, and top coated, then set out in the sun to dry in under 2 hours.
And both were ready for the electrician when he arrived.
Don't forget to sponge paint the chain too! I'm considering whether or not to add some paint to the cord… It doesn't bother me that much like this. But I'm still thinking about it.
The results were just what I wanted, not as white as my old fixture, and with a hint of the copper showing under my muted white and cream. It is darker, but not starkly so.
The paint makes the light look more substantial and certainly not like it was just shipped from the factory.
Here is another before picture.
The light came with a lot of glass drops. Not crystals, I could tell the quality wasn't quite as high as the ones I'd had before.
So, I added a mix of the older ones in with the new ones. Including 3 deep colored, large ones.
Ahhhh, that's better!
The tubes that slide over the sockets were glaringly blah after redoing the rest of the piece, so I glued vintage wallpaper to them. I thought about sheet music, and might try that another time. It is simple to slide these off, peel off the paper and glue another type onto them instead.
It is honestly a relief to have brand new fixtures with no wiring worries up in the room. The older chandeliers had arms that no longer lit up, and didn't hold as many bulbs. So, when not all of them worked, the room wasn't very bright.
Each of these lamps holds 6 working bulbs. Very nice! And I can now re-wire the vintage fixtures for use elsewhere if I decide to. In the mean time, this was a quick, easy, and pretty affordable redo that still looks nice in my vintagey cottage.
