Lamp Shade Project #1

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

They say the key to good design is the marriage of the old with the new, and so in my search for a funky lamp shade for a great but old fashioned floor lamp in the corner of our room, I have stumbled upon some weird and wonderful ideas, amongst the nooks and crannies of the Internet - some of which I will share on these pages over the next few weeks, hence the #1 in the title of this post.

And so on with the first.


Wood Veneer Pendant Light which I found over at Lowe's Creative Ideas.
You can also find a number of other great ideas for some of the pendant lamps in the photo below by clicking on their page here.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

The list of materials for this wood veneer project, obviously come from Lowe's themselves but if you don't live in America you could probably find similar items in your local Homebase or B&Q.


Materials needed.

• 12-in x 4-ft red oak iron-on edging, #40380                          (Similar item at Homebase)
• Rectangle metal electrical box cover, #19847
• 2 – #6-32 x 1-ft threaded rods, #160882                              (Similar item at Homebase)
• #6 zinc-plated flat washers                                                    (Similar item at Homebase)
• #6-32 zinc-plated standard hex nuts                                      (Similar item at Homebase)
• Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner, #79958                        (make your own if you can't buy any)
• Minwax stain, #164686 (we used Tender Green, Mandarin Orange, and Mustard)
• Nickel mini pendant light fixture, #268808
• 2-pack 25-watt incandescent lightbulbs, #76563

Other materials and tools.

• Hacksaw or jigsaw with metal-cutting blade
• Crafts knife
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Drill with 1/8-in bit
• 3-in painter’s tape
• Scrap wood
• Super glue, #176218
• Foam brush
• Sandpaper
• Rag
• 2 empty paint cans (also available at Lowe’s, #60689)

Step 1: Unroll the wood veneer with the preglued back facing down on your work surface.
Cut a 23-1/2-in length of veneer with a crafts knife. Then cut 1-in from the width of this piece.

Step 2: Using a hacksaw or jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade, cut the threaded rods into 7-1/8-in lengths.

Step 3: Remove the handles from two empty paint cans by twisting the handle wires with your hands.

Step 4: Using two small pieces of tape, tape two empty paint cans together -- bottom to bottom -- lining up the vertical seams on the cans. (You will use these as a reference point later.)

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Form Veneer into Cylinders
Step 1: Apply 3-in-wide painter’s tape along one end of the veneer backing (this will prevent it from adhering to the paint can when you iron it in Step 3 of this section). Trim the tape with a crafts knife so it’s flush with the end of the veneer. Cut two more small pieces of tape (these will be used in the next step). Line up the taped end of the veneer backing with the vertical seams on the paint cans.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 2: Tape the veneer to the paint cans as shown. Then wrap the veneer around the cans. The veneer should overlap by about 2-1/2-in and fit perfectly between the paint can handle sockets. Preheat an iron to its warmest setting before moving to the next step.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 3: Make sure you have a piece of scrap wood handy -- you’ll need it immediately following this step. Iron the overlapping section of veneer to activate the glue on the backing. Start in the middle and then work outward. Before you get to the outer edges, carefully remove the two small pieces of tape and continue ironing.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 4: Firmly press the scrap wood against the overlapping section of veneer you just ironed; hold it there for about a minute while the glue cools.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 5: Gently twist and remove the paint cans as shown. Remove the painter’s tape from inside the veneer tube. Then lightly sand the edges of the veneer and wipe with a rag.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Attach Hanging Hardware
Step 1: Place the two threaded rod pieces on top of the tube, roughly 2-in apart (or wider than the large hole in the light switchplate -- see Step 5 of this section). Mark four holes (two on each side) 1-in down from the top of the tube.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 2: Drill 1/8-in holes at the four marks you made.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 3: Insert a threaded rod into one of the holes. Slide on a washer, two nuts, and another washer. Push the rod through the opposite hole in the tube. Screw the nuts outward so they secure the washers against the inner walls of the tube. Next, slide washers on the outside ends of the rod and secure with two nuts. Repeat with a second rod and the remaining two holes.

Step 4: Apply two beads of super glue to the face of the switchplate where it will touch the threaded rods.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Step 5: Reach inside from the bottom of the tube and press the face of the switchplate against the threaded rods; hold for 1 minute while the glue dries.

Image: Lowe's Creative Ideas

Finish Up
Step 1: Apply wood conditioner to the tube with a foam brush -- this will prevent blotchiness when you stain it. Stain the tube in a color of your choice; let dry.

Step 2: Unscrew the ring from the pendant light fixture bulb socket, slip the switchplate hole over the socket, then screw the ring back on to secure it in place.


Next week - A lamp made from a Tetra Pack.

Image: 9gag