How to update a lampshade for a floor lamp with your own hands

Floor lamps are one of the favorite and multifunctional light sources. Under the influence of time and other unfavorable factors, the lampshade may lose its attractive appearance. Often there is a need to update it in accordance with the new interior style. To do this, it is not at all necessary to turn to craftsmen or buy expensive materials. You can make a beautiful and unusual lampshade with your own hands.

Features of the lampshade

A lampshade can create an indescribable atmosphere of warmth and comfort in a room. It also performs a protective function for the eyes and can decorate any room. An undeniable advantage is the availability of a large selection of these products. You can choose different shapes and colors. It is possible to choose such a thing for any stylistic orientation.

The peculiarity of the lampshade is that for its manufacture you need to carefully select materials and follow safety precautions. Thus, when heated, plastic can release harmful substances, and paper and cardboard will burn out during use. The fabric has the property of flammability. It is especially important when you need to restore a floor lamp yourself.

REFERENCE! To avoid fire of fabric or paper, it is recommended to use special energy-saving light bulbs.

How to update a lampshade with your own hands

Making a beautiful lampshade is not at all difficult, as it might seem at first glance. It is enough to show a little imagination and find the necessary materials. It can be made from any available materials. First, you need to decide on the purpose of the product and, based on this, choose a suitable color scheme in order to harmoniously fit it into the interior of the room. Experienced craftsmen advise using the frame from an old product to create a new lampshade. However, you can make it yourself from wire. You should measure the surface in advance and prepare the necessary materials and tools.

Paper lampshade

The simplest option is to wallpaper the lampshade. You should choose a suitable paper by illuminating it with a light bulb in order to understand in advance what kind of light there will be when it is turned on. Next, you need to take measurements and cut a suitable piece of wallpaper. The lampshade is removed from the leg of the lighting fixture and wiped with a special degreasing compound. Next, an adhesive composition is applied to it and wallpaper is glued. It is not recommended to press them tightly with your hands, because... Unwanted air pockets and bumps may form. After the wallpaper has dried, the lampshade is returned to the leg.

IMPORTANT! You should select interesting textured paper, and also use collages and other photo wallpapers. You can print any design you like.

Fabric lampshade

It is also easy to decorate the lampshade with a piece of suitable fabric left over from upholstering upholstered furniture or sewing curtains. This will allow the floor lamp to harmoniously fit into the overall stylistic design of the interior. You will need a piece of material, scissors, double-sided tape, thread and needles. Let's look at the manufacturing process step by step:

• First you need to disassemble the lamp and remove the old coating from it. As a result, only one frame should remain.
• Cut the fabric into even strips. To do this, at regular intervals of approximately 2-4 cm, it is necessary to make cuts in the direction of the warp thread. They can be torn apart later. The length of the strips may vary, but the longer the better, because... in the future there will be no need to make many connections.
• Next, the resulting strips must be ironed and excess threads removed.
• One of the strips is fixed on the upper side of the frame. It is convenient to do this with a thread and a needle, as well as regular glue.
• Ribbons can be wound either directly onto the frame itself or onto a surface previously covered with fabric.
• This strip begins to be wound around the upper and lower rings of the frame. Each next layer should overlap the previous one.
• When the strip ends on the reverse side, the next one is sewn to it and the winding process is continued until the walls of the lampshade are completely covered with fabric.
• Then you should decorate the bottom and top edges. You can use fabric in a contrasting color. A strip about 14 cm wide is cut out of it.
• One of the edges of the strip is folded 2 cm and ironed, and double-sided tape is glued to the inside.
• Next, gradually removing the protective layer from the tape, the tape is glued to the lampshade. It is wrapped on the inside.
• The bottom edge is also decorated in the same way. The rest of the tissue is cut off.

ATTENTION! You can use ready-made tapes purchased at the store. In this case, you will not have to trim the edges.

Other solutions

There are many non-standard ways to repair a lampshade, among which the following are especially worth highlighting:

• Knitting a cover using knitting needles or crochet.
• Decorating the surface with beads, sequins, buttons, lace inserts and other decorative elements.
• Painting fabric with acrylic paints.
• Designing various shapes from fabric and paper.
• Wrapping the frame with threads and ropes.
• The use of unusual materials (old sieve and other utensils).

Lighting is an important component of any interior, affecting a person’s health and mood. You can make a unique designer product, which you definitely won’t find in any store, with your own hands and without resorting to significant financial investments.