Painted Lamp Tutorial

Remember these…



And how they started off like this…



Well, here’s how I did it:

First, I wiped them down with de-glosser.  You’ll be amazed at how much further your sandpaper goes when you start with this step because it’s not getting gummed up by the polyurethane.



Then I scuffed up the lamp, including the base, with a 120 grit sandpaper.  Because I went the lazy route {just a scuff-up}, none of the wood grain showed through in my final result.  But, if you have the patience and determination to sand down to the bare wood, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I made a batch of gray, water-based stain {white, black and brown paint, thinned down with water to a stain consistency} and applied three coats with a foam brush.



Here are the first and second coats.



After the final coat, I took them out to the garage and sprayed the bases with Rustoleum’s oil-rubbed bronze spray paint.



The final step {no photos…sorry} was to wipe on a tinted, oil-based polyurethane to add a little warmth and sheen.



The final result is a great, faux-stain lamp!  Thanks for reading :)