You may have noticed that I have a problem! I cannot stop spray painting our light fixtures! 😉
One by one they seem to be coming down…..getting deep cleaned……and then getting “dolled” up with a fresh coat of paint.
My go to paint of choice? Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint.
I know, I know…..you say I will probably tire of this color down the road. Just like the brass that is slowly being phased out in our home. After living with it for over 15 years I was over it. Which is why the oil rubbed bronze paint is taking up residence in our house. If I get bored with it, I will just repeat this process and paint it whatever color suits our fancy at that time.
It is as simple as that! Oh yeah…….you will also need a $6 can of paint. Not bad for freshening and bringing our decor up to date!
I have to tell you that I was a little unsure about painting the ceiling fan. Light fixtures are a piece of cake as you can separate each part and pretty much cover up the important “electrical parts”.
So many openings to contend with on a ceiling fan, and that mesh you see in the picture above. What is its purpose and is it protecting a number of mechanics as well? I thought that the fan would stop working if paint worked itself into the mesh of the fan.
I actually stalled on this project because I felt a little sorry for it. It was not the fan’s fault that it was outdated. If I could have found a new one at the hardware store, I might have just taken it down and donated it to the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. But I couldn’t find one! Story of my life!!
I finally gave up the search and took the plunge…..keeping my fingers crossed every step of the way.
I do not know why I was worried. The paint went on with zero issues! Even getting paint in and around the mesh wasn’t a problem. I swear I was holding my breath hooking it back up and flipping the switch. Hearing the low hum was music to my ears.
Like I said earlier………I cleaned it up before painting it. Who gets up to the top of a ceiling fan to dust? Obviously not me!!
I stuffed some plastic grocery bags into each vital opening that I could think of and add some painters tape to make sure that the bags didn’t come loose. There was nothing I could do to protect the mesh. I tried sliding a piece of paper in between each opening, but there wasn’t any “give”. This is when I decided to just go freestyle and see what happens.
Tip: I love using dixie cups to get small items up and off the ground when I spray paint. I have a bunch of them that I keep reusing just for this purpose.
This is the top of the fan all bagged and taped up. On the areas that you would see, I made sure that no tape was touching the brass. No one will see this area so I wasn’t as picky. I also didn’t want to pant over the stickers giving important information about this fan. Just in case I needed to refer back to it someday! 😉
I think it looks fabulous. Now all I had to do was put the whole thing back together!!
Here is a reminder of what it used to look like…..
and how it looks now……
So much better!
Do you agree????
Just in case you want to become a spray painting fool like me, here are some other projects for you to look at. Just click on the photo and it will bring you right to the post!
I hope you all are having a great week, but if you aren’t ……… the weekend is just ahead…….. and I know it will be a good one!! 😉
Shaunna
I enjoyed seeing your painted fixtures so much! Several years ago we discovered hammered paint and fell in love with it. We had built a house and used antiqued pewter handles, hinges, etc., which I still love, but they quickly went out of style and we couldn’t find that finish in anything more that we wanted…..and then we found the spray paint that looked like exactly the same color as antiqued pewter. I spray painted everything….wooden door knobs that looked like metal when done, outdoor light fixtures that we found on clearance but weren’t the right color….haven’t stopped spray painting since! And I LOVE your curtain fabric!
Kristin, You are a girl after my own heart! Spray paint can revitalize and modernize a house without a lot of effort and $$$! 😉
Love this idea!! My dang house is full of brass!! 🙁 Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you Shelly!
Shauna, thanks for the encouraging instructions. Looks like a piece of cake on the ceiling fans in our home. Have you ever tried to spray paint kitchen small appliances? I’m remodeling my kitchen & cobalt blue mixer, toaster, blender & food processor will not fit in. But, I don’t want to spend big $ to replace these great appliances. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi Kate, I have not spray painted kitchen appliances yet…..but that is only because I haven’t had the need to do so. I know that there is paint on the market that is very specific to appliances. I would go for it!!!
Thanks for showing all the pictures of other projects that you painted. If it was just me, I’d go for it. The pictures MIGHT convince my husband not to be afraid!
Did your husband give it a go after seeing the pictures?
Looks great. Save money . Use what you have. Nice!!!!!! The vent holes are for cooling the fans motor, plus keeping dust out of the motor.
Thanks Ralph! Learned something new on the vent holes, but makes perfect sense.
Looks great! I’m planning on doing the one in our kitchen. Did you have to sand or prime before spray painting? Did you use flat or satin?
Thanks! I just cleaned it, and then painted it. For other light fixtures, I have sanded lightly and used a primer, but not this one.
Sorry…..I used the Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, and I believe that only comes in a satin finish.
Looks great! I’m planning on doing the one in our kitchen. Did you have to sand or prime before spray painting? Did you use flat or satin?
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I love Rustoleum’s ORB spray paint! I’ve used it on light fixtures, towel bars, cabinet hardware, and door knobs. I didn’t want to remove the bathroom doors to paint the hinges, so I sprayed some paint into a Dixie cup (another great use for those little cups) and dabbed it onto the hinges with a small brush. Took several coats and I’ll admit they don’t look as nice as the sprayed knobs, but who’s going to examine hinges? Now I can’t wait to paint the ceiling fan in my bedroom. Thanks for the post!
Hi Julie, How is the paint holding up on the towel bar? That is a great idea!! You are also right in that people do not pay that much attention to the hinges so you can definitely get away with your technique.
Good question. The towel bar I painted is in a little-used powder room, so it isn’t a good measure of how the paint would hold up in a steamy bathroom with damp towels.
I might have to try this out in one of our bathrooms soon. I am totally up for a little science experiment. Maybe it will hold up in a steamy bathroom if I lightly sand the bar, prime it, spray it and then seal it with some type of poly sealer. Inquiring minds want to know….. 😉
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That looks fabulous! You’ve inspired me to do my ceiling fan. What brand of spray paint did you use? is it matte? Love your Blog and all the helpful information. Thanks!!!!
Debra, I used Rustoleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze. Get the can that already has the primer already in it, and it will save you time and money. Good luck……email me pictures of the finished product please! S