Thrift Store Fix for an Old Brass Light Fixture

You may notice a theme going with my many "Thrift Store" finds and fixes. It is true. I admit I frequently visit thrift stores, consignment shops, hardware stores, and such. I always seem to find great stuff for next to nothing. And, when a solution presents itself and it is cheap, I'm all over it.   

During a thrift shop visit last week, I found a glass shade that was just the right size for the ugly upstairs hall light that came with my 1970's house. (What are the odds?)


Here's what $1.00 buys.

Here's what the hall light looked like before.


I removed the "too cutesy," "too sweet" glass shade, sanded the brass part with steel wool, wiped it off, then painted it black (acrylic craft paint). I used a small brush and put on two coats, then followed with a coat of waterbase varnish. The entire light fixture could have been removed and spray painted with Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint, but I'm always in a hurry and wanted it done fast. (And, I am pretty good with a paint brush!) After it was all dry, I added my thrift store glass shade.



The finished "cheap" fix.

I have to admit that this small $1.00 project started a fairly time-consuming makeover for the upstairs hall. You'll have to follow along to see what all it entailed!!!!!

~Kandy

Thrift Store Buffet Turns into Entertainment Center

Karli and Brent needed a home for their big screen TV, but not anything boring or the usual entertainment center from a "big box store." I found the perfect piece at a Thrift Store in town. It was an antique buffet c. 1930's -1940's. It did have some real problems and the finish was beyond horrible, but it had style and the price was right...$25.00. The clerk informed me that it was marked so cheap because "it was haunted" and they wanted it out of the store! I told her I was not afraid of it...I would probably be praying the entire time I refinished it, anyway.

Here is the "Haunted Buffet." It doesn't look too scary, does it?

It definitely had issues with the doors. Someone had tried to repair them with wood putty, but I was planning to remove them anyway. In fact I didn't even need the drawers since the Karli and Brent would be using that area to store the electronics. I sanded the piece and added a floor to one drawer area. I then spray painted the buffet with Krylon Flat Black (2 coats), distressed it with a sanding sponge, dusted it well, and finished with Minwax Spray Polyurathane in Semi Gloss (2 coats.)



The finished beauty! (You can also see Karli's ladder for blankets in this picture. Learn more about that here)



An up-close of the drawer floor I added



Here you can see that I painted the inside since the doors were removed.

  I proudly delivered it to Brent and Karli. "Look what Mom brought you...a stylish entertainment center that is supposedly haunted."  Now, Karli takes over with the rest of the story.

"We really love using this as our entertainment center. It houses all the components as well as magazines and some baskets for more junk. We often joke with people that it's haunted. It is all fun and games until we hear someone walking around in the bedroom above the family room (when we're all downstairs). Eerie, right?"  

~Kandy