Lamp Makeover - Cottage On Bunker Hill

When I was out on a Walmart stock-up run a few weeks back I raced by a clearance aisle. I had to make a U-turn because I spotted a lamp sitting there lonely on the top shelf way down at the end (one good thing about being tall is I can always reach!). It was definitely too dark for my decor but I loved the shape and knew that I could give this lamp a makeover with a little bit of paint.

The best part was this gem was marked down from almost $30 to 5 bucks!!

lamp makeover — I LOVE THE BETTER HOMES & GARDENS LINE AT WALMART!

PAINTING THE LAMP

Now, the fun part…figuring out how I wanted to paint it. It’s going on my entryway table by my front door so I wanted a coastal/cottage vibe. I was thinking about the look of driftwood as my inspiration.

folk art chalk paint — FOLK ART CHALK PAINT

I painted the lamp with a coat of “Castle” which is a sandy brown shade of chalk paint. I let it dry.

Next, I dry brushed a little of the “Java” which is a dark brown shade. Dry brushing is a paint technique where you want almost all the paint gone from your brush before you use it.

I painted along the natural shape of the lamp adding color here and there to pick up the details of the lamp.

dry- brush technique

Dip the end of the bristles of a straight edged brush into the paint
Using a piece of newspaper or a paper plate, brush off most of the paint until the bristles are almost “dry”
Make light brush strokes across your piece; follow the grain of the wood.

lamp makeover-adding highlights — A little metallic silver chalk paint dry-brushed on to add a few highlights.

FINISHING WITH WAX

I finished my lamp with a coat of Behr White Wax…I didn’t even know white wax was a thing until I saw one of my talented Instagram friends use it for a furniture makeover.

I used a lampshade I already had on hand that worked out perfectly.