Raf is not such a fan and has been dying to get rid of them, but I can't imagine what we'd replace them with. The only pendants I've seen that have caught my attention are at Ikea. They're a cooler shape, but other than that, the only difference is that they're a metallic color, rather than white--and I'm really not stoked on the idea of shelling out money on new lights that are almost the same darn thing.
So, I proposed that I simply add a new coat of paint. Raf was skeptical (read: totally pessimistic and mean), but I decided it was worth a Sunday to give it a shot.
Here's what I was working with:
I disassembled all the little pieces, cleaned them up, then it was off to Lowe's to find a cool spray paint color.
I disassembled all the little pieces, cleaned them up, then it was off to Lowe's to find a cool spray paint color.
Here's my fancy workspace. This was the one and only time I've appreciated all the crap in our driveway. Here I'm using a box on top of the dead dryer to work at the perfect height.
My resourceful setup for painting the cords:Here they are drying between coats--fun, eh?!
I came home with 3 metallic color options--one was vetoed immediately, the other 2 I tested side-by-side. The winner: Valspar Lacquer Hi-Gloss in Aluminum. The darker color I ended up using on the cords, so they weren't the same color as the lights: Valspar Metal Premium Enamel in Graphite.
I put a good 3 coats inside and out, and this is what I came up with. What do you think? The best news: Raf ate his words--he actually likes them!
This was my first time using spray paint. It's a bit challenging to get the hang of, but by the end of the project, I was sold. I want to spray paint everything now!
This was my first time using spray paint. It's a bit challenging to get the hang of, but by the end of the project, I was sold. I want to spray paint everything now!
Two lessons learned:
- Take note of how you disassemble things. Chances are you won't remember how it was put together in the first place--which makes for way more stress than necessary when you want to get stuff put back together. (We are SO bad at this!)
- Primer, Primer, Primer! The spray instructions said I would only need primer for raw metal. The lights were painted, so I figured I was safe. Nope. They were all kinds of scratched up by the time they were finished being hung. In the future, I'll always primer. Always.
Now I just need to get some dimmable lights in these puppies. The constant flickering is going to give me a seizure one of these days.
3 comments:
they turned out awesome!! ;) Great job honey! now when do we get to see pics of the floor? xoxoxo
they look good but my first though was, tin man's head.
TOTALLY Tin Man!! Lol. I don't know why, but the words "Tin Man" have been in my head for the last 3 days...guess that would explain it! hahaha
floor pics when they're finished...and i have daylight for decent shots!
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