Pages

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Revamping A Chandelier

I had visions of an antique carriage lantern hanging in my redecorated hall.  I just couldn't find one.  My perfect light fixture is out there waiting for me but you can't will an amazing 'find' to appear.  In the meantime, I would have to resign myself to something a little less English country estate.

Luckily, I had a free, terribly ugly chandelier!  It's an odd mixture of brushed brass and clear shades, with a strange pattern of ridges and daisy type flowers on the shades.

Even Maeve looks singularly unimpressed with this light. ~


If there's one thing I'm always telling you on this blog, it is that absolutely any finish can be changed!

When I'm working with metal, my favourite 'go to paint' is Old Masters Metallics.  It's about $8 for a small pot and I have painted dozens and dozens of things with one that shows no signs of running out.

I used a frayed paint brush to daub Aged Bronze on the metal parts, chain and all. ~



By leaving bits of the brass showing through, it takes on a weathered look.

The glass shades looked like a good candidate for an experiment with Krylon Looking Glass Spray.  I hunted all over for this stuff in Canada and couldn't find it.  My friend, Wendy, brought me a can from the USA.  There are tons of tutorials on how to use this paint to get a mirrored surface so I won't give you all the itty bitty details.  I read about 20 of them and went with the simplest version I could find.


I wanted the shades to look like aged mercury glass.  To get the look, I had to spray the inside of the shades with the paint and then spray a mixture of vinegar and water on the wet paint.  Looking Glass spray is the runniest stuff I have ever worked with!  You need a VERY THIN coat or it will have drips and runs in it. The vinegar eats into the paint and forms bubbles.  You dab at the bubbles with a paper towel to break them. Of course, if you wanted a pristine mirrored surface, you would skip the vinegar/water/paper towel part.

After one coat it didn't look like it was doing much. ~


After 3 coats I had the look I was going for.  I used a heavy hand in wiping the vinegar off because I wanted a very worn look. ~



This looks pretty close to the real thing when it is lit.  I think the ridges and flowers have a bit of an Art Deco look now instead of a seventies vibe. ~


The light was free, the metal paint was from the never ending pot and the Krylon Looking Glass paint cost $10.

I'm good with that until the perfect, antique carriage lantern magically appears! ~


I'm sharing this with Cottage Style Party  From Dream To Reality  Tuesdays With A Twist

28 comments:

  1. Great job, Maureen! A little elbow grease and your 'for now' chandelier may just have found a permanent residence! But, more importantly, what was Maeve's reaction?! I'm sure she took her place in the spotlight, even for a few seconds!

    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think using the Looking Glass paint added an upscale appearance to the shades. They turned out very pretty and enhanced your lighting fixture until you find one that you truly love.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You did way better with the looking glass paint than I did...I think maybe I have lead hand...lol! Great job Maureen...way to reuse, recycle and upscale! xo wendy

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE It and you did a GREAT job. That looking glass paint is a mess to work with, isn't it? I love the effects though-just not the process of spraying the stuff-it takes practice.

    Your chandy looks 100 years old! LOVE it!!!! xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  5. this is a fabulous re-do, maureen!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks really good Maureen . I have a can of that paint but never tried it. From what I read, not easy to work with, but you sure did a great job of getting the right look of a vintage, aged fixture. Good for you.
    Blessings,
    Audrey Z.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have never heard of looking glass spray...so want to try it someday. This turned out so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oooh, very nice. I can hardly believe it's the same chandelier.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think you did a great job painting this chandelier, Maureen! I love it. The shades look like the cornflower crystal pattern. That spray paint really works wonders.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have heard of the looking glass paint, but have not tried it yet thank you for the tips! The shades do look art deco and I love the finished look

    CArol

    ReplyDelete
  11. It turned out great. I'll bet even Maeve is impressed!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wowza!! You are good girl...really good!!
    Okay, so here is the strange thing... I am working on a little chandelier project of sorts. Only hope mine is post-able.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I seriously love this, what a transformation, it looks perfectly aged. I really want to try making my own mercury glass, so I'll have to look out for the spray.
    I'm sure it's a great addition to your new, bright hallway.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Honestly I on really know what mercury glass is but I do love the new look. I thiink it sucks we can't will a good find but this did come out great for your for now light. We don't get krylon paints here either, I get jealous ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. well done on the chandy. I'm thinking I might be able to steal that idea! thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Spectacular! Surely the cat loves it now....

    -andi

    ReplyDelete
  17. You did an amazing job with this! Great find, you have a knack for finding and really making an item "shine"!
    Hugs,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  18. Maureen, I love how you aged your chandelier! It's wonderful!! You are a very talented woman.
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh my yes this is wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

    Have a lovely week my friend. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh wow. That turned out beautiful. What a great transformation.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love the looking glass and maeve is gorgeous! kitty love!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, Maureen this is fabulous! You would never believe that it was the same light. Love the mercury glass looking shades!
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  23. That is one amazing difference! I love how your chandelier turned out.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just stunning....I love it....and I'm going to get some of that paint and look around for something to paint.
    Hope you are having a good December. Don't know if you knew I have a new blog...it's just like my old one.
    xo bj

    ReplyDelete
  25. A completely lovely makeover! I adore the glass shades.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow, this turned out really cool. I haven't seen that paint before, looks like it's one I may have to experiment with!
    Karee

    ReplyDelete
  27. You did a fabulous job transforming that (not so great...I agree with Maeve) chandy! It does look like an antique (in a good way) now.

    ReplyDelete