...one of the 'little projects' that I'd been wanting to do for quite a while...
...was to update this light...its worn brass wasn't blowin' my hair back...
...as
most...all...of the other metal in the dining room and the kitchen was of a silver tone...remember the
cabinet handles...
...the ceiling fan metal is silver...
...and the handles on the buffet...
...and the handles on the china cabinet too...
...were all silver...
...so the brass needed to go...
...and let me just say...that I'm TERRIFIED of electricity...it's usually the Man's realm...but I was determined to step out of my comfort zone and actually do a bit of 'wiring'...
...the first thing I did was make some labels so that I'd know which wires to reconnect when I was done...
...then I turned off the breaker to this part of the house...
...before I took anything apart I wrapped both wires with the same lettered tape...
...a blog with a photo record of how things go back together doesn't hurt either...HA!
...so then...I took the wires apart...
...and took the fixture down...
...I got out some fine sandpaper to scuff up the shiny brass a bit...
...and covered the light sockets with masking tape...I didn't want any gunk getting in those...
...then I gave everything a light sanding...
...including the wood piece in the center...
...then I taped that up really well...I'll refinish the walnut stain on it later too...
...I took the fixture outside and sprayed it with the same stainless Rustoleum paint I had used on the kitchen cabinet handles...
...gave it a second coat...
...then as it was getting late...I hung it up in the garage to dry overnight...and I removed the masking tape from the wood...and was happy to find that not a speck of silver paint got on the wood...
...after it was good and dry...I carefully stained the wood...I used a Minwax poly and stain combo for that...
...then I hung it back up...
...matched up and reconnected my wires...
...and ta-daaa...the nervewracking part was over...
...I washed the globes...
...and put everything back in place...
...and I can give myself a pat on the back that I was able to do some really simple wiring by myself...and I can cross another small project off the list...and I'm really happy with the new silver light...
~Have a lovely day!
i bet we all knew what was going to become of that light fixture before you even told us!! good job! love, k
ReplyDeleteThat is so clever! Slowly it is getting there and looking good.
ReplyDeleteWell done and it looks good.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that you have grass. That means the snow that you featured the other day is gone. Wow. I'm surprised.
Great job! I am tempted to do the same, but am very nervous that I will start a fire/ electrocute myself.
ReplyDeleteMost excellent job; well done! Wiring and electricity frightens me and I've tackled it but with less than stellar results. I am envious!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job on the light. I had to laugh, because that style is all the rage. It's a cross between midcentury modern and contemporary, so if you'd try to buy it, it would have cost you upwards of $300. It was smart to keep it, because it blends beautifully with the rest of the space. A nod towards contemporary with pieces of traditional is my favorite kind of decorating!
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