vintage lamps and side tables

Recently, I was able to redo some thrifted finds for our living room. I love how they turned out and what they add to our space. It's a huge feat for me to complete any sort of project these days, so that makes this one all the more sweeter.

I found two vintage Ethan Allen side tables which I bought for a total of $25 dollars. Then, I found two vintage metal lamp bases for a total of $20. They were in great need of some care but I loved the size, shape and prices of all these pieces. I knew I could figure out something that would work. I had great success with some products by Amy Howard which I was able to get at CAPPEL'S ACE HARDWARE in West Des Moines.

Here's how the pieces came together...

The tables looked like this before...

The lamps looked like this...

For the tables I went with Amy Howard's One Step Paint in "Ballet White". This is a specialty paint very similar to Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. No stripping, sanding or priming is required and it has that "chalky" look and feel to it. It was great to work with. Coverage was excellent. I brushed on my usual two coats and then sealed it with Amy Howard's Clear Wax. Glad to find another paint option to work with and her color line is just beautiful. Definitely plan to try some new colors with this line of paint.

I got a recommendation to try Amy Howard's High Performance Furniture Lacquer (a.k.a- spray paint) for my lamps when I was looking for helpful suggestions on Instagram. This spray paint is awesome! I went with "Golden Egg" which is one of her metallic options (several other color options are available). I love the color and the quality of this paint... great new product for me to be able to work with.

Now for my DIY friends, I have a few lamp spray painting tips for you: 

1. Clean your lamp off thoroughly (I just use a little bit of Dawn soap and water).

2. Prep your lamp for being sprayed with paint...

tape off a portion of the cord and then put the rest of the cord in a plastic bag:

then I just tuck a paper towel over the light socket...

3. Prime. This is what I like to use...

4. Spray paint. When priming and spraying the paint here's some recommendations...

 ~have your lamp set up where you can circle around it as your spray

~follow directions on the can for shaking/mixing

~I spray in straight lines going up. Start at the bottom of the lamp and go all the way to the top in one smooth spray. Then slide over a little and start the next smooth line of spray paint going from bottom to top again. Work your way around the lamp in this way. (my husband taught me that trick and it is a great one. you can easily avoid drips doing it that way).

~Light coats and keep moving (I did two coats of the "Golden Egg".

~Allow the recommended dry time between coats

Hope that helps and gives you some ideas on how to fix up those big, ugly thrift store lamps that you want to buy :) Head on over to Cappel's Ace Hardware and get what you need. Tell them that Mimi sent you!

245 50th St. West Des Moines, IA 50265

Thanks for stopping by! 

You can find me on Instagram as m.vintagecharm

Linking To:
The Inspiration Gallery 
Rooted in Thyme 
French Country Cottage