How to Paint a Brass and Glass Chandelier

In our case, I was thinking about lighting early but I knew that there wouldn’t be much money.  I looked at options for lighting but I couldn’t find anything that really struck me as what would be perfect for the space. I’m still not sure that what we have is perfect but we are living with it to see.

With no money in the coffers, I had to think about how I could still make a statement. I started looking on Pinterest for inspiration, as you do, and I started to see beautiful white chandeliers.  I also started thinking about how I could achieve this look without breaking the bank.

Enter my search for the perfect light fixture. I started looking on TradeMe (NZ’s secondhand buy and sell website) for brass chandeliers. There were actually heaps of options, the only thing was that I needed two  and I wanted them to match.  There were lots of 1980s looking ones which I thought I could work with.

I ended up buying this one – it came with a matching mate and two wall sconces as well.  The best part – it was $50!

They were pretty grubby so the first thing I did was take off all the removable parts and give it a good wash.  I was quite brutal – I used a Steelo pad to scrub the years of muck off them and to remove a little bit of surface rust.

I took them outside and attached them to a post for the deck (don’t worry this will be painted so I didn’t mind getting paint on it).  You could easily hang it to a clothesline or a fence.  Anything that will allow you free movement around the light.

Next, I used masking tape to cover all the brass fittings. I actually didn’t need to do this as they were replaced when the electrician rewired it (but it would have been hard to remove them if I had painted over them). I initially thought that I could save the wiring but after speaking with our electrician, he thought it was best to rewire them.  I’m really pleased he convinced me to do this.  He was already here working on the wiring for the entire house so it didn’t cost much extra.

I primed them with Rust-oleum Ultra Cover Primer.

I wasn’t sure if the paint would stick to the glass without primer so, after chatting with a nice man at Bunnings who suggested I did, I primed it to be safe.  

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Once the primer was dry, I sprayed it with two coats of Rust-oleum Ultra Cover Paint and Primer.

I used a flat white paint. Hindsight being what it is, if I did this again, I would use a high gloss paint as it would be easier to clean.

Please excuse the wood pile and long grass in this picture –our house is a work in progress.

Once it was all dry, it was rewired.  I reattached all the dangles and the electrician put it up.  I am really happy with it, I do love it, I’m just not sure whether it’s big enough for the space because we have such high ceilings. There is one at the other end of the room above the lounge area (this area is not for public consumption yet).

Let me know in the comments section what you think – does it work or do I need a bigger chandelier. This one could happily find a home in our bedroom if it isn’t going to stay here.

I hope you enjoyed this little project.

If so….. 

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