Who Doesn't Love a Good Chandelier Makeover?

There is absolutely nothing on the whole internet that is more irresistible to me than a good before and after chandelier makeover. They make me go weak in the knees. And this builder grade chandelier hanging over my kitchen table has been asking for it for some time now. It is so on the "replace as soon as possible" list. So I had $3.50 and a couple of hours and a chandy headed for a dumpster. I know, I know, enough talk. You want the after shot, don't you?! I know! I want to post it so bad! Here it comes!

Yes, only $3.50 and a couple of hours and, most importantly, the most mind boggling bit of home decor craft information I've ever read. This woman, Sara from It's Good to Be Queen, had the stroke of genius to flip the arms of this exact chandelier upside down. That's it. She just grasped them. And turned them. And I fell over and died when I read that. So I had to try it. It works!!!! Sara painted hers an aged bronze color, but I went the other way. Yellow. I used craft paint. That's right. An 89 cent bottle of yellow craft paint. "Don't you have to sandblast that?" you're asking if you're Hank Hill. "It's not going to be durable." Well, here's the thing. If you tend to snuggle a lot with your ceiling lights or clean them with steel wool or drop them on the floor a lot, or if you want to hand down this $14 builder grade chandelier to your kids some day, then, sure, sandblast it. But seriously, when was the last time you even touched your ceiling lights with anything other that a soft, fluffy, Swiffery thing? Craft paint? It's fine. Whatevs. Live on the edge. I do. And I didn't even have to unwire it and take it down. I like the matte finish, but you could easily polyurethane it or use gloss paint.

When I removed the glass shades, I realized that I needed something there to sort of block that space where the base of the bulb shows. So I bought some 10 inch foil doilies. $2.50 for a pack of 6. Cut them in half like this and cut out the inner circle.

Painted them.

Rolled them up.

They sit right on top of the screws on each light base. I was a little bit perturbed that these foil doilies are paper lined because I didn't want paper close to the bulbs. But then I scoured the internet for tips about how close shades can be to bulbs. It seems part of the issue is the shape of the shade. A shade that has a smaller opening at the top traps heat. A large opening lets the heat dissipate. These don't even really have a top because they're so open. And a general guideline I found said for a 40 watt bulb, the shade should be an inch away. So I put in smaller bulbs. I also read that the surface temp of a 40 watt bulb is 252 degrees, way lower than the flash point of paper. Finally, I just left the light on all day and felt the paper. Not warm at all. Whew!

So there it is. My upturned arm before and after doily chandelier makeover. I love it so much!