Chandelier Redo

When we moved into our house in July, we didn't have fans or light fixtures in any of the bedrooms. We bought basic fans and lights for the rooms we sleep in, but I wanted something different for the playroom. Thus began the hunt for the perfect cheap, old, beat-up chandelier on Craig's List. After a few months of searching, I finally found this gem, for only $10! Here's a look at it's transformation.

Materials Needed:

• cheap chandelier
• 1 can of bonded primer (sticks to metal)
• 1 can of spray paint
• painters tape

I really didn't know what I was doing on this project, so I did a little internet research and winged it on the rest! The first thing I did was take the chandelier apart. I removed the glass bottom and all of the glass discs on the candles. I didn't really care for the discs so I just got rid of those. I also took out the lightbulbs.
Then I primed the entire thing (even the chain!) with bonded primer. I found it easier to paint the top first, and then turn it upside-down and balance it on the candles. This prevented the newly painted side from sticking to the plastic or paper underneath. I had to do some serious contortioning (is that a word?) to make sure that I covered all the angles. It seemed like every time I thought I was done I'd find another area I missed.

After letting it dry overnight, I taped up the "candles" with painters tape. I decided that I wanted to leave them white to add a little contrast. Then I started in with the green spray paint. I again painted the top first, hitting all angles, and then after it dried I flipped it over and painted the underneath.

 When it finally dried I put all the parts back together. Then for the fun part - hanging it! Again, we really had no idea what we were doing, but Brian had just hung 3 fans with lights so we thought we'd give it a whirl. Let me tell you, this part was not easy! But it wasn't really because of the wiring, it was more because this particular chandelier hangs in a strange way with three poles attaching to the disc and chain. We had to hold it just right, or one of them would unhook and clang into one of the arms of the chandelier. After this happening about 5, 10, 15 times we finally got it hung, and by some miracle it actually works!

Because those lovely metal poles kept coming unhooked while we were hanging it, I did end up with some dings in my beautiful paint job :( To patch them up, I just sprayed some of the spray paint into a disposable plate and used a paint brush for touch ups. It looks great now! And Matthew loves his new light. In fact, we can't be in the playroom and have it off, even if its the middle of the day!