I recently scored these Pottery Barn lamps for $10 on Craigslist and gave them a major makeover.
Here’s my favorite after shot:
Here’s the before photo from the original Craigslist ad:
When I got the lamps home and began my post-purchase inspection, I definitely wondered what I’d been thinking when I bought them.
The peeling, rusting finish in this pic should give you an idea of their poor condition:
I got busy scraping with my putty knife and then sanded with 150 grit sandpaper.
When I removed the lampshades, I was greeted by even more rust. So I sanded away.
After sanding and cleaning the lamps thoroughly, I taped them off with painters tape and enclosed the cord in a plastic grocery bag.
Shhhhh….I smuggled in the plastic grocery bag from a different city due to a bag ban ordinance in Austin.
