How to Paint a Lamp Shade for Home Decor

When you change your living room decor there are many expenses. You can keep costs down by refurbishing or refinishing items you already have. One such home decor craft project that can save you money is repainting a lamp shade on a favorite light fixture.

Paint a Lamp Shade - Materials Needed

In order to paint a lampshade that will match your new living room decor, you must of course have a lamp. The shade for the lamp should have smooth sides but can be any material from plastic to fabric. You'll also need acrylic craft paint and an assortment of paint brushes. A larger piece of paper and pencil is a handy for making a pattern to transfer onto the lampshade.

Paint a Lamp Shade - Making a Pattern

It is simple to make a paper pattern or a lamp shade. Remove the shade from the lamp and lay it on its side on a large piece of paper. Mark the beginning end with a pencil mark and draw a line on both the top and bottom of the shade. Roll the lamp shade slowly along the piece of paper, drawing lines at both top and bottom as you go. You will end up with a curved shape. Cut this out to form the pattern for your lamp shade. Be sure to wrap it around the actual shade and trim off any excess.

Design a pattern for the lamp shade based on your personal preferences of style. If you have a country style house, you might want to make checkers and chickens on the lamp shade. An elegant house may prefer a lacy pattern or austere tonal stripes. Funky designs like swirls, flowers and polka dots can be free-painted without the help of a pattern. Look in home decor books for ideas, or visit the local home store and decide what type of lamp shade pattern looks best to you.

Paint a Lamp Shade - Completing the Project

Transfer the painting patter to the lamp shade with carbon paper or some similar method. If the lamp shade is translucent, tape the paper pattern to the inside of the shade with the patterns positioned as you want them. Set the lamp shade back on the lamp and turn on the light and the pattern will shine through so you can paint it easily. Be sure to cover the lamp with a cloth or paper to avoid ruining it with paint drips as you work.