Spray Painting Outdoor Lights {Yes, it Works!}

November 11, 2010

YES, you can spray paint your old, worn outdoor lights and make them look like new! 

When we built our house, we upgraded the elevation, (exterior of the house) but didn’t add any extras to the curb appeal – landscaping, lights, etc. 

So I did a few updates soon after moving in:
pink azealeas

I took out the cheapy bushes that were about two inches tall and replaced them with azeleas and lillies, then added landscaping lights and bricks, and installed window boxes. 

MUCH better.  :)

I also replaced our look-away-from-the-shiny!! brass coach lights. They were way too small for the scale of our house and they were practically blinding us with their brassy-ness. 

Anyway, I replaced them with much larger versions that were a pretty, dark bronze color:
How to spray paint exterior lights
Well, they were a pretty dark bronze color. 

It’s been about six years since I installed them, and they sure look their age:
spray painting outdoor light fixtures
In my book, the only thing worse than shiny brass coach light is a pink coach light.

Back in the day, they matched the light on our porch:
dark bronze hanging porch light
We don’t get much full sun on the front of our house, so I chalk it up to the fact that they were fairly cheap inexpensive six years ago -- $40 each I think?

I knew I wanted the lights back to their original dark finish so they would pop off the brick. I checked out a few oil rubbed bronze spray paint options and picked an indoor/outdoor option. 

I thought I could just take the top off the light fixture and remove the glass, but that wasn’t working. I had to pretty much take the whole thing apart:
How to spray paint outdoor lights
I set all the parts aside and cleaned everything well. Even more of the finish came off as I cleaned:
spray painting outdoor lights
And this is the part where I am taking pictures of a dirty paper towel in our front lawn, realizing my neighbors are wondering why in the world is Sarah standing outside taking a picture of a dirty paper towel in her front lawn.

I taped it up all around each light:
Prepping outdoor coach lights for paint
YES…I know I could have just taken the lights down. But that would have taken more time than just slapping some paper up there. And it was extra fun because the paper taped to the garage caused quite a few what-is-that-chick-doing? looks as folks drove by. :)

A sweet little girl from down the street even walked down to ask why I had paper all over the house.
It’s hard to explain the power of spray paint to a five-year-old. :)

I put the parts aside so I could spray paint them separately:
how to paint outdoor lights
I did two coats on everything – making sure to use very short, light sprays. I didn’t even use primer – I figured if the ORB paint ever wore off, I’d rather the pinky tone show through than white primer. :)
The result?:
Painting garage lights
LOVE:
oil rubbed bronze outdoor lights
I ended up giving the glass a good cleaning – wow, they were nasty. Now the lights are about ten times brighter, which is a bonus. :)

They pop off the house now, AND they match the porch light again too:
spray painted coach lights in oil rubbed bronze
I like the new finish even better than the old one, so I may spray the porch light as well.

I think coach lights this size in a similar look are going for at least $50 each now – so I figure I saved $100 by just painting them.

Can I get a hollaaa for spray paint? Whoop! Love it!

Now, I have no clue how this will hold up. Even though the can says you can use it outdoors, you never know…but even if they last till next summer, I’m totally happy with that!

It took about an hour to finish, so yet again, the investment was in my time. And one hour to save $100 works for me!

I think they look SO much better, yes?
Spray painting outdoor coach lights

Renewing outdoor lights with spray paint

Check out that clean glass! You can actually see the light bulb now -- I swear, it’s the little stuff that makes me so happy. :)

Have you saved some cash with spray paint lately? Spill it! 

**See more of the items I've spray painted over the years here

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Comments

  1. I did the exact same thing to my old brass mailbox last spring! Don't you love spray paint?!

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  2. I need to spray paint our front porch light. And the inside foyer light too....dining room chandelier....and I could go on forever. We have lots of ugly shiny brass over here too.

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  3. I love the difference a little paint can make. The lights look mah-velous again!

    Oh how I love me some spray paint. We're selling our house, so there's been lots of spray paint lovin' this week. Some super cute a to z bookends I got at HomeGoods (thanks again for the recommendation!) were a little too pink for my fabulous most definitely NOT pink home office. I gave them a nice coat of silver. Then I pulled out the black spray paint and gave some lovely oak picture frames a nice touch of class. I even painted the mats with silver - didn't know you could do that, but it worked. And I hit up Goodwill and found a cute little square mirror that will soon get a coat of black. Or maybe silver? I can't decide.

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  4. I spray painted two of our outside fixtures earlier this year. Makes such a difference! Yours is gorgeous now! My next trick is to spray paint our solar lights along the back walk. Sounds like fun, huh?

    A month or so ago, I bought a great pair of lamps from a hotel liquidation for $5. That's the good news. Bad news is they are purple. Or were until today! Spray paint to the rescue. Now I'm just waiting for the tea stained shades to dry...

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  5. Looks great! I love spray paint! Just think you were being green...

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  6. I give the nod of approval from this Benjamin Moore Painter - you did a great job- and I like to see that you re-used something. Great job.

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  7. This is awesome. Thank you for posting this topic. Our exterior rarely gets the attention it deserves because I am always worried about inside. AND I have some oil-rubbed bronze spray paint left over from another project. Weekend project I think!

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  8. I am quite literally drooling with envy over here (or is that my dog drooling in my lap?). Anyway. They look absolutely stunning. Great, inexpensive upgrade!

    I am also green in the gills from that spray paint aisle. My local hardware store literally has twelve cans of spray paint. :(

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  9. Awesome! What a huge difference...great job:). I love spray paint!

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  10. Oh, and, I feel you on brass. My whole house is full of brass fixtures, which we are replacing one, by one, by one...

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  11. Love it Sarah! Spray paint is a miracle-working, magic wonder. :)

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  12. It looks SO good! Before you painted them, the coach lights just kind of blended in with the brick, but the black makes them *pop*!

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  13. wow, they look BRAND NEW!! So pretty! Perfect for some greenery and a red bow in a few weeks! :)

    And I am loving the idea of painting the mailbox!! so need to do that on our next 70 degree day! :)

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  14. That looks brand spanking new. Great job!

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  15. Just did the same two weeks ago with our horrible original 30 year old brass porch light. Holy Cow!!! Looks almost as amazing as yours!

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  16. Hey stop cursing our weather woman! Don't wish the cold any sooner than it is coming. Enjoy the Indian summer because we all know what that means....spray painting is still in effect! tee hee....LOVES the ORB...much better. It totally rocks the front of your house. Hugs!

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  17. Way Way Way better. I love how they turned out..yes...I think you are going to have to paint the porch light too.

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  18. The lights look FANTASTIC! Funny thing, I spray painted outdoors today, too ... wanted to take advantage of one more warm day before the snow flies. I saved$140.00 by purchasing 2 cans of $5.00 heat-resistant spray paint and painted the inside of 6 recessed can lights which were black ... wanted them white. I could have purchased new ones for a total of $150.00 but saving $140.00 made me feel sooooo GOOD.

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  19. I have NEVER liked outdoor lights which also happen to be pinkish. They are on THE redo list. I actually own that spray paint and it has never occurred to me to spray paint them. Funny b/c I spray paint everything. I just thought they were too ugly to spruce up but maybe just maybe a coat of spray paint will do the trick...

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  20. Great timing...I am in the process of painting our outdoor lights as well. 4 down, 2 to go. I wanted to spray paint too, but the hubs wouldn't let me use spray if I left them wired to the house!! So, I used the left over black paint from our front door and brushed it on. For the first ones, I took out the glass, then I just decided to tape it off. They look so much better now. Hubby said I was the only person who would worry about the color of the porch lights!!!! Poor thing, he still hasn't learned!!!

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  21. They look fabulous! I love that Rustoleum stuff!

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  22. You go girl! (Wait, are people not saying that anymore? How sad am I?) Anywho, the lights looks fabulous!! I recently spray painted all the curtain rods in my house which had turned an ugly "cheap-fake-gold-turned-green" finish. I'll give you a second to stop admiring my creativity.

    Done? ok. Moving on...

    I am about to undertake the painting of my childhood dresser. Risk-taker that I am, I am painting it... wait for it.... BLACK! I tell you, I amaze myself at just how original I am.

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  23. Looks Amazing!!! OK now I want to do mine, along w/all of the brassy gold things on the door way, door bell, kick plate, peep hole!

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  24. We just moved into a house that needed EVERY.LAST.THING. done to it....because I ALSO have nothing but love for Big D, we've paid cash for all our projects and gotten awfully creative to do so. We had this really hideous, not-so-much-anymore-silver five arm light in the dining room w/ the hideous frosted glass hurricane globes. I splurged and got the fabulous 18 candle looking chandelier from Lowes for our dining room which left me nada in the bank for the kitchen light (which HAD to be replaced -- it was literally a giant frosted disco ball minus all the glitz -- hideous.) I bought a can of ORB spray and covered all the chipping silvery bits and switched out the globes for some sweet mini lamp shades (which I ALSO sprayed -- they were gold -- ew... that I sprayed white) that have the BEST zebra print hidden inside...Fab.U.lous. If I had ANY idea how to post a picture of the before and after, I would -- it's totally a BRAND new completely different light for the cost of some paint and shades -- under $15 for sure. YAY Spraypaint! :)

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  25. Ahh, that looks GREAT! That's what I need to do to our ugggly brass mailbox!

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  26. Those lights look amazing! When we bought our house, we had zero money left over for projects (and the house looked SCARY from the street). We spray painted the existing door and shutters and got a new $8 mailbox, which we spray painted to match. My house has the cutest curb appeal now... the change is unbelievable. I have since painted terra cotta pots for my flowers on the porch, also.

    I am having a linkup party right now and you are absolutely welcome to join and link up anything you want!

    Carol
    antiquetexan.blogspot.com

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  27. I've done this too & I see mine could be redone. They've been out 3 years in the weather? They still look good from a distance though!

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  28. Smart girl! They look better than new...:)
    Janell

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  29. I'm nuts over this "make over" wish it wasn't so cold in MI, I'd be out there right about w/ my Rustoleum cans of paint... LOL
    As always you are Fanta-bulous!

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  30. I'm nuts over this "make over" wish it wasn't so cold in MI, I'd be out there right about w/ my Rustoleum cans of paint... LOL
    As always you are Fanta-bulous!

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  31. Love, love, love ORB and all things spray paint!! I've slowing doing all the brass door knobs in our house!

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  32. Dude, I am SO doing this, my porch light is a nasty brass and I love ORB since I saw it in your blog a few months ago!

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  33. First of all, that looks GORGEOUS!!!!! I am SO copying this!!! Secondly, I seem to recall asking you to do a post on landscaping/gardening and you said you weren't that great at it...pshaw! It's obvious that you are amazing at it!!! It's your blog of course, and you don't have to if you don't want to, but I am so clueless & I would love any help & advice on landscaping!! :)

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  34. I know this post is about the spray painted lanterns, but I kept returning to the first picture of your gorgeous yard. I love the purple flowers and window boxes- so lovely!! And your grass is so green!!

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  35. It's so ironic that you recently painted your outdoor light fixtures...I just spray painted mine ORB 2 weeks ago!! Love them!! They're dark against the brick on my house and make a statement, but not quite as harsh as a black paint might be. This was my first attempt as spray painting something...after reading all your posts about it! I am new to your site and I think I have read every one of your posts...they're addictive! I always am checking to see if you have a new post up! :)

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  36. Thats awesome. I actually just did mine too... last weekend. Great minds think alike.

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  37. I did, and I completely gushed on my blog about how much I love spray paint!! I've used it in just about all ways, from wall art to wedding decorations to furniture...it's totally my fave! :-)

    http://mrspeluyera.blogspot.com/2010/11/spray-on-pretty.html

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  38. huge difference and much better looking!

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  39. They look amazing! I love, love, love spray paint!! It works wonders for such a small price. I love seeing your make-overs, you always inspire me!

    Aimee @ Justkiddingaroundatlanta

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  40. Loooovely! At our rental property, we spray painted the mailbox, added new house numbers, and painted the stairs and handrails all while the tenant was away. They thought we spent a fortune when we only spend an afternoon!

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  41. I had similar lights, Sarah, and when we were re-siding our house they came down and like yours they need a perk up with spray paint. I cut out cardboard to fit over each section of glass and got one done {I primed it and everything}. Then hubby told me, we can't re-use these, the base is too long. I was so sad because I loved these lights, so we had to get new with a simple square base to attach to the house. So, thanks for showing me how great I know MY lights would have looked! : )

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  42. Armed with a can of spraypaint-we can do ANYTHING!! LOL I LOVE the color--it really pops against the brick.

    Nicely done!

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  43. Great job!
    I just redid my daughters lamp and it's so rewarding to, not only save a lot of money but also see the beautiful results of your hard work.

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  44. Love them!....isn't it odd how outdoor fixtures fade over time. Like you I have thought of replacing mine but am too cheap so I may have to spray mine as well. We had some rattan chairs that were a la naturale and very faded and looked just "sad". I told my husband I was going to spray paint them black to match the shutters, door trim and lights on our house and then put them on our front porch. "BLACK!!" he was aghast. But I just said, "trust me", and they look fab. I'm so glad I did it. Wish I could send you the before and after.

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  45. I'm known as the "paint lady" in my neighborhood and we just moved in this June!

    My neighbor, who has never spoken to me actually said a few weeks ago as I was spray painting like my 6th piece of furniture - "I'm always curious as to what you're doing out here so I watch from my window and enjoy your transformations." Hahaha.

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  46. I very much want to do this to ours too!!!

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  47. yep, you can see it here: http://jahaldeman.blogspot.com/2010/11/our-fall-fireplace.html

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  48. Wooooeee!!!! Love! I need to do the icky old brass ones outside our front door. They are pitiful. :s

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  49. Love it! We did the SAME thing to the lights on the front of our house. They were builders grade WHITE PLASTIC lights. On the FRONT of the house. Our whole neighborhood has them. It is so unfortunate! We took them down and used the same spray paint and now everyone asks if we installed new lights. Haha :) Yours look beautiful too!!

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  50. I've lived in my home for 9 years and have always HATED the brassy outdoor light fixtures. I am also a thrifty shopper, but when I would look to replace them, I never saw anything that I really liked for the right price. I asked my husband to spray paint them until I could find the "deal of the century"...he thought I was NUTS!!! Well, he did it and that is when he became a spray paint-aholic!

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  51. That looks pretty fantabulous. But you can keep your ORB. I'm a hammered copper gal. We got our house repainted this spring and it looked really great. Except for the 20+ year old brass mailbox hanging by the door. Gah. I was saving up to buy a new one when I discovered your site and it gave me the brainstorm to try painting that eyesore. My "new" hammered copper mail box is loverly, even the mailman thinks so.

    I've also been systematically repainting the tacky brass light fixtures in hammered copper.

    My favorite thing about the hammered copper is that I can change application techniques and get a wide variety of different finishes in one can. I can get it really shiny copper, I can go with a duller copper, lightly hammered, deeply pitted, you name it. All I do is change how long my bursts of spray are and how many coats I apply.

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  52. we spray paint everything! light fixtures, doorknobs, floor vents!! it's my favorite trick!!

    -abby

    www.downtownfarmhouse.blogspot.com

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  53. Yet again, you have inspired me. I have a shiny brass light fixture in my powder room that I just didn't want to take down to paint so I left it up. TODAY I am going to get some paper out and cover the area around it and SPRAY THE DANG thing right where it is! My new motto...if it doesn't move or CANT move...SPRAY it!!!

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  54. Just last week we gave my mom's dining room chandelier new life - Love that ORB! :)

    Your lights look great - just in time to make some holiday decor "pop" :)

    Cheers
    Emily

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  55. I recently took a "challenge" by my church's ladies group to do a holiday table aka "Design on a Dime." They gave each of us $25, 4 white dinner plates, white tablecloth, glasses & silverware. We had to do the rest and couldn't use anything from our stash. Spray paint came in real handy for the dozen or so nasty brass candlesticks I picked up at garage/estate sales and Goodwill! They became beautiful brushed nickel and when arranged on a formerly ugly country-apple themed picture frame - spray painted gloss black and with a beautiful black velvet flocked scrapbook paper - it was stunning!! Love me some spray paint...it's a new-found love and I give thanks to you, Thrifty Decor Chick!!

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  56. absolutely stunning! You make me wish I HAD something to spray paint! LOL!

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  57. WOW! A major improvement. I love it! I am always spray painting something and I had to giggle at you trying to explain spray paint to a 5 year old. One of my 10 year old daughter's friends came over one time as I was spray painting something. She asked me why and I explained to her I didn't like the original color and I was using the things to decorate. I received a blank stare back. haha!

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  58. Yep, I put the ORB to the shiny brass vanity light in our powder room. I also switched out the light shades and saved myself about $100 by not replacing the whole thing.

    http://tallgrassdesign.blogspot.com/2010/10/powder-room-make-over.html

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  59. WOW! What a difference! It's so beautiful :-)

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  60. Love what you did! I love outdoor lanterns and I just wrote a post about some island inspired ones on my blog yesterday!

    I always read your blog for great tips! Thanks for sharing!

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  61. First the love: this is my first time posting on your site, but I'm a long-time reader - I LOVE your blog. You've inspired me to do so many crafty DIY things around the house - really, you're one of the first blogs I click on in Reader. Gushy enough for you? :)

    Now re: the post: love the look and what you did. Our outdoor lights are very similar - old and patina'd (not in a good way) and I'd been playing with the idea of using the Rustoleum ORB, but (like you) worried about how well it would wear outside (especially up here in the great white north of Canada!). It's gotten too cold for anymore outdoor projects for me this year, but this one is definitely at the top of my list for next spring - front door light, back door light, carriage lamps and my house number (which are also NASTY brass - at least the duller type, not shiny, but hate hate hate!).

    Oh and my most recent spray paint adventure has been going around and spraying all of our floor registers with brushed nickel (our primary household finish) instead of them being the dull crappy brown they were. It's made such a difference and it's cost me $8 for 2 cans of spray paint!

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  62. Had Hubby do the same to all our brass lighting fixtures while he was unemployed. It gave him something to do and we have a newer modern look. We did inside and out. Paint does wonders

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  63. Ok, I'm singing here....LOVE IT!!! I think ORB is my favorite spray paint! I've used it all over my house. ha! I never thought to paint the light fixtures outside though. Hmmm? I do need to spray paint the chandelier in my petite dining room. It's brass. The horror! Ha Thanks for inspiring us to get to spray painting again. :)
    Sandra

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  64. What a huge difference! Looks fabulous :o)
    Kristen

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  65. Ya know, I really don't use spray paint much, so I'm finding this VERY interesting. I know I've passed up nicer lighting fixtures than my own at garage sales, simply because of the nasty brass color, but now I'm rethinking all that! I'll certainly have to remember the break out the spray paint can the next time!

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  66. Looks great! I just bought some ORB spray paint to paint my black iron plate stands ORB to match the one I have that are a brown finish now.... I am glad it works!!

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  67. Sarah--Love your blog!!! The lights look fab!!! Like you, I spray paint just about anything that doesn't move too quick around my house--LOL!! ORB is my favorite shade, but, I have to say, I'm not a big fan of the Rustoleum ORB. I've had terrible problems with the way it sprays (hard to squeeze, sputtering out globs of paint, etc). I swear by the Krylon ORB--much easier to spary. The nozzle isn't like regular spray paint (you know the kind--where you get horrible hand cramps if you don't use one of those snap-on spray-gun attachment thingys). Just thought I would mention it in case anyone else had the same problem and offer the Krylon suggestion.

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  68. I need to do this! Our garage & porch lights have "aged" to that very same pink color! HATE it. Thank you for the idea!

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  69. GAWD I so need to do this. I thought my lights and mailbox were the only pink ones in town. I have been struggling with just the right color. Thank you so much for the inspiration. I love your blog. You have opened my eyes to the blog world. I am totally addicted.

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  70. I painted our porch light earlier this year. It started out white which blended in with our siding. I too used the same oil rubbed bronze. The only problem we ran into was getting it back together. The little tabs that hold the pieces between the glass kept breaking off ... we ended up super gluing it back together. It looks good but if the bulb goes out we will have to replace the fixture since it is held together with glue. Oh, well for now it works and the ORB paint has held up even in direct evening sun.

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  71. This makes me want to break out the spray paint! Fab job--looks great!

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  72. WOW! What a difference a little spray paint makes! I love the new look - the lights are beautiful and look like you paid so much more than you really did. When I saw the "after" shot, I really did say, "WOW!" outloud! You asked if we've changed anything with spray paint - I recently needed a new pair of gold earrings but didn't want to buy any. I grabbed some earrings I already owned and sprayed them gold. Now I wear them ALL.THE.TIME.!!

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  73. Wow! Most beautiful spray paint job ever! I love it!!!

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  74. Hey Sarah...we have those exact light fixtures, but ours haven't turned pink yet....now I know what I have to look forward to. Gah! lol Oh well, I already have CANS of ORB paint in the garage, so I'll be all set when it happens. :)
    Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!!
    HUGS
    Missy :)

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  75. love lOVe LOVE the new and improved finish! Looks awesome!

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  76. Love how it turned out! I spray painted my towel racks, soap dishes & kleenex holder when I redid out bathroom. BTW, it's 80 degrees here today!!

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  77. Hi Sarah-

    Isn't that Rust-Oleum line of spray paints the absoulute best? I love Rust-Oleum products, but this line is so ingenious. I used the Hammered Dark Bronze on my outdoor fixtures and even one of my outdoor tables. A brand new look for under $10 bucks. Gotta love it.
    My best- Diane

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  78. Oh.My.Goodness. Thank YOU for this post! You just gave me hope! We are picky where we're spending $ these days so have held off changing our brass outside lights. WHY did I not think of painting them before!? The only bummer is I think it's too cold here to paint now... the paint would never dry. Maybe we'll get another warm day... and I'll remember I want to paint - ha! If not, then next spring.... watch out light fixtures! Oh, AND I could paint our house numbers. AHHHH! Thanks!

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  79. I'm loving me some spray paint too! The lights look brand new!!! Great job! Question...how can you do multiple coats and still finish in such record time???? Also, it's difficult to find ORB spray paint around my area...any other DIYers have this prob? Any ideas? Keep the inspiration coming Sarah! My family thinks I've lost it, but I big fat fluffly "HEART" your ideas!

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  80. Hi there! I'm a loyal follower of your blog and felt the need to comment today!!

    My family owns a lighting store and I can tell you exactly what happened to them! :)

    When acid rain hits the paint on the fixture the paint is actually being washed off. The chalky finish you are seeing is the primer on the fixture itself. The reason your porch light looks so much better is because it hasn't been exposed to the rain as much as the others. More expensive outdoor lighting has a coat of marine paint on them to lengthen the life of the finish. However, in our environment today, it would be difficult for any fixture to hold up to the elements. If you haven't already, I would put a clear coat on to help the paint stick around as long as possible.

    Hope this helps!! Love your blog and all of your ideas!!

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  81. I love the contrast of the black against the color of your house. It looks great!

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  82. Lovin' it girl! Nice job! & that's funny about that little girl :)
    Hearts, SJ

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  83. I just discovered your wonderful BLOG. Great post on painting your outdoor lights. I look forward to reading more. Thanks for sharing! C

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  84. Isn't it amazing what spray paint can do? It's pretty AND functional!

    Love the ORB. You were my inspiration for spraying my front door hardware instead of replacing it! :D

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  85. I spray paint so often, I finally just set up a spray station on my patio this summer. I keep thinking I'm going to get rid of that table with the old shower curtain covering it, but I keep finding random things to spray...and once I pull out all my holiday stuff, I just know I'm gonna want to spray some things with spray glue and glitter, so the spray station will stay for just a little while longer! FYI, I replaced all my coach lights with some amazing ones I found on clearance at Lowe's, but ONE had a different finish than the others, so I sprayed them all the same color -VOILA!!!

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  86. i literally just did this exact same thing last weekend and plan to post it on my blog this week. why buy a new light fixture when this is so cheap and easy? great work!

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  87. A little spraypaint goes a long way! Looks great.

    http://metamorphouse.blogspot.com/

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  88. Looks great...I've re-spray painted my faux terricotta flowerboxes that get faded by the sun. They look like new and fresh in the spring with new flowers.

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  89. I have the SAME EXACT light fixture on the outside of my house and it needs a touch up....BAD, like yours. I just wasn't sure of what type of paint spray I should use........ now its off to wally world to buy some Rustoleum!!!!!!!!!! Happy painting... (Hey, its 82F here in Houston.....I'd pay for 75F)

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  90. Sarah,
    They look amazingly good! Sooo worth the time and little money you spent on it. :)
    I bet it makes a HUGE difference from the road.

    The weather is in the 70's here too. Huh?
    I was thinking about putting the Christmas lights up outside while it's warm. If I don't this weekend, it will be forty below next weekend when I was planning to put them up.

    Ya know what I mean? :)

    Have a great weekend!

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  91. Spray paint is to women what duck tape is to men. Don't you just love it! The results are amazing!~Ames

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  92. I like the new finish better than the old one too! Looks great! I've been spray painting a lot lately using aluminum paint. I even posted with the title "somebody stop me!" because I'm spray painting everything in sight aluminum. It's an illness I guess.
    http://3ringcottage.blogspot.com/2010/11/somebody-stop-me.html

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  93. I agree, spray paint is the means to just about anything! I just did a mini-tutorial on how to change solid brass to Oil-rubbed Bronze using some spray paint and Rub 'n Buff - check it out if you want http://thousandsquarefeet.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-turn-brass-into-oil-rubbed.html

    It is a serious transformation!

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  94. I love the "new" look!! I may tackle this project myself if the weather holds up.

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  95. Wow, that was amazing! I luuuurve it- Hugs, Lola

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  96. Last little funny thing....We LOVE the spray paint too....We use our big-rubbermaid-garbage-can-on wheels to spray paint things on because it matches exactly.... Oil rubbed bronze matches so well you never know I painted....

    keep up the fun. Love reading the blog.

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  97. I did the same thing with every DOOR HANDLE in my entire house! Very exciting and has lasted without a single chip. Three cans of spray paint saved me thousands of dollars. Highly recommend this to anyone (like me) who has those oh so lovely shiny brass door handles. I have also spray painted our brass rusty mail box, kitchen door knobs and brass light fixtures. Thanks for the inspiration.
    stephanie {http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com

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  98. This is totally another reason I love your blog, ingenious! I only live in an apartment, but my parent's house has a few outside lights that need a pick-me-up too, I'm going to get on this for them. Thanks for the inspiration and how-to!

    MeeDun
    http://heelsheartsandhighkicks.blogspot.com/

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  99. I, too, stand and drool in the spray paint aisle... nice to know I'm not alone (especially given the strange looks I receive from the staff). Great update - thanks for sharing!

    Betsey at b.bar
    www.bybbar.blogspot.com

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  100. Wowwie wow wow! I have exactly the same problem, and wanted to spray, but don't have the expertise to disconnect the lamps electrically. If Cape Cod gets another warm day before winter, I'm going to use your clever paper trick (love that red rosen builder's paper!) and do this. Thanks for the inspiration. Oh, and thanks, Amanda, for explaining that acid rain is to blame for the faded look -- guess I'll add a coat of poly, too.!
    Big "wave" from Cape Cod,
    Jude at
    dolcecapecod dot blogspot.com

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  101. Look beautiful, I would like you to
    tell how can I paint my stove stractor, is already with brown stains and I bought 2 cans of spray for metal appliances. I want you to know Im writing from Puerto Rico. I love everything you do. Thank you

    Nelly

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  102. I am IN LOVE with this blog! These look great! I would have never thought of this solution, and I would have just ended up buying new lights. Thanks for the tips!

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  103. I love spray paint. This past summer I was coveting some of the large bright red planters that I was seeing every where. But at prices starting at $50 a piece - forget it! Then I was digging in my shed and what did I find? Two extra, extra large planters that used to be a dark green but were totally sun faded. I bought some red spray paint and wa-la!! Beautiful and all for less than $10! Gotta love it!

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  104. I just found your site today. You are the next-door neighbor that I would love to have.

    Your outside light is beautiful. Spray paint is my friend. So easy and quick.

    Because of your reposting the Roman Shade instructions, I've found my new favorite diy home.

    Have you ever made your own slipcovers? I have Cindy Crawford Beachside Collection loveseat, club chair and ottoman. The slipcovers are in great condition, but I want to have a second set. If you've made slipcovers and have the time, will you post instructions?

    Thanks so much, Janie

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  105. Ooh, great job! I wish I would have seen your post before I took my lights off the garage, disassembled them to get all of the parts off that I didn't want to get painted, and reassembled them! :)

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  106. Did the little glass panels pop out? I hav 2 brassy fitures that I want to spray paint also ORB but dont think the galss will ome out? do you think some taping over them would work?

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  107. I feel the same way about spray paint. We have an old chain link fence in the front of our house that has seen better days. I would love to tear down and replace with a picket fence, but financially it's not going to happen for a few years as it's a lot of fence...soooo oil bronze spray paint. That's right, I now have a bronze chain link fence. Put some flower beds in front of it and it looks fantastic!

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  108. Thank you for your post! You totally inspired me and I did the same thing to my outdoor light fixtures this weekend. I chose Rustoleum Metallic Burnished Amber. One $7 can of spray paint coated six light fixtures! Have gotten great compliments from the neighbors already. Really fun and easy to do.

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  109. Such a simple project, yet what a transformation!

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  110. Hey, I'd love to hear how it held up over time! Did you add a protective coat? Are you in a humid area?

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    1. They held up great! Yes, we get high humidity in the summers.

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  111. Can you please let me know what kind of spray paint you used and what color? I just had a new garage door put and have the brass and I think change it to black. Thank you

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    1. The color is oil rubbed bronze and any indoor/outdoor paint in this color will work well! :)

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If you have a specific question I will do my best to answer you back here!

You can find our paint colors and links to items at the "Our Home" tab at the top of my site.

THANKS so much for reading!