How To Recover Lamp Shades | Maintain the Optimal Condition

Lamps are a great way to add light and style to any room, but they require regular maintenance, including replacing bulbs and cleaning them. Lamp shades also need to be taken apart and cleaned regularly so that they don’t get dusty or dirty over time. However, if you’re uncomfortable with taking apart your lampshade or if it’s broken beyond repair, then this guide will show how to recover lamp shades for further use!

Table of Contents

How To Recover A Lamp Shade?

Recovering lamp shades is an easy way to give any lamp a new look. In addition, lamp shades are a great way to add style, color, texture, and pattern to your home. They can be made from different materials such as glass, metal, and fabric to create a variety of looks in one piece of furniture.

Let’s focus on the process of recovering a lampshade now.

Measure The Amount Of Fabric Needed

First, measure the diameter of the lamp shade.
Then, measure its height from the floor to the center of your table lamp.
Next, measure how far down from where you want your fabric to hang. If it’s just one inch or so shy of being straight across and covers most of your surface area (in other words, no longer than one foot), go with that measurement. Otherwise, double-check yourself before ordering anything else.
Finally, take the measure of the entire fabric. If you want tassels on each shade side but only need two yards total because they’re not enormous yet, then don’t worry about having enough left over after cutting out all those little triangles. Otherwise, make sure there is an even number (say three) so that when using multiple colors together, they match up nicely without needing any extra sewing later down the line.

Cut The Fabric To The Correct Size

After you’ve measured the diameter of your lamp shade, mark it with a pen.
Then, measure and mark the fabric for each shade. Cut out strips of fabric that are twice as wide as your original measurement. For example, if you measured 8 inches or 20 cm, cut two strips 12 inches long instead.
Now, it’s time to sew! Tie off any loose ends of the fabric, so they don’t get in the way during sewing later on in this process.

Take Apart The Lamp Shade Frame (If Necessary)

If you need to take apart the lamp shade frame, you’ll need a Phillips screwdriver. This is used to remove individual screws from their holes in the metal frame.
You can also use a flat head screwdriver (or any other type of Allen wrench that fits the screws). Use any of them to remove springs from the slot of lamp shades and pry off metal clips that hold them in place on either side of the shade’s metal rod assembly.

Glue Or Staple The Fabric

Once you’ve completed the necessary preparation, it’s time to attach the fabric now. You can use hot glue or staples for this step.
If you’re using a staple gun, make sure your fabric is straight. And, lay it out on top of the frame so that it’s evenly spaced from each end.
Then, hold down one end with one hand while stapling down with a second hand (don’t let go until all sides are attached).
If using hot glue instead, cut off about 1 inch from each side of your fabric before attaching them together with a hot glue gun.
Then, cover both sides with more strips of fabric before letting them dry completely. After waiting for 15 minutes, your lamp shade is now recovered.

How Do You Restore An Old Lamp Shade?

If you’ve got a lamp with an old, faded, or worn-out lampshade, there are several ways to restore it. We’re going to be focusing on the two most common methods: reattaching the shade and replacing the fabric.

Reattaching

This is the easiest method and does not require any sewing skills at all. Simply remove all of the screws from the bottom of your lamp. And, pull off the shade from its base. Then, simply push it back into place and put it back in your screws.

Replacing

Unfortunately, this requires a little more work than reattaching but can still be done by anyone with sewing experience.

First, you’ll need to remove all the screws on your lamp’s base.
Next, you need to cut out a piece of fabric that’s slightly larger than what you see when looking at your old lampshade (this will allow room for overlap).
Once you’ve cut out your new fabric piece, fold it over once so that it makes four layers. These layers will make up your new shade.
Then, just sew each side together using some strong thread. And, never use embroidery for sewing. This way, you can restore your old lamp shade.

How Do You Redo A Lampshade?

You already know that lampshades are a very important part of your home décor and need to be kept in good condition. If the shade is already broken, it can be repaired or replaced. When the lampshade needs to be redone, you can follow the below process.

1. Remove The Old Lampshade

The first thing you will need to do is remove the old lampshade from the arm of your existing lamp. You can do this by unscrewing the base of the lamp and then pulling it away from the wall.

2. Clean And Prep New Shade Material

Once you have removed the old lampshade, clean off all dust and debris with water and a soft sponge or cloth. Then make sure that there are no holes in your new shade material where dirt or mold could get inside. If there are any holes, use a needle and thread to close them up before using your new shade material over it.

3. Attach New Shade Material

Now that you have prepared both sides of your new shade material, it’s time to attach it to each arm of your new light fixture! This part is easy because there are screws on both sides of your light and you just need to screw them into place once they’re in place on top of each arm.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Recover A Lamp Shade Frame?

The easiest process of recovering a lamp shade frame.

Step 1: Remove the old lamp shade.

Step 2: Remove the old fabric from the lamp shade frame.

Step 3: Clean the surface of the frame and remove any discoloration.

Step 4: Apply liquid glue to the fabric and place it over the frame, ensuring that it is evenly distributed over all areas of the fabric.

Step 5: Allow drying for 24 hours before removing any excess glue using a cloth or newspaper if required.

How To Cover An Old Lamp Shade?

To cover an old lampshade, you can use:

A lamp shade: This can be any shade, but it needs to be in good condition and free of any damage. It may need some cleaning or removing some dust or dirt.

An old lampshade cording: You can buy these or make your own using a piece of fabric like an old shirt or rug yarn. The cord should be about 20 inches long. If you’re using a cord with a clasp at one end, be sure to remove it before starting the project.

Some lampshade fabric glue or tape: When you want something that is easy to use and not permanent looking, try out different types of glue before deciding on one type of adhesive.

Conclusion

Lamp shades should be treated with the same respect as any other piece of furniture, which means that they need to be properly cleaned and stored when not in use. If you have too many old lamp shades around the house, then consider giving them new life by recovering them with new fabric. By following our instructions from above, anyone can easily do this DIY project at home!