How to Make Farmhouse Style Metal Pendant Light
I admit it, I believe in UFOs. I’ve seen them, honestly! I even captured a picture of two of them, see:
Yup, we have two UFOs that are frequently seen in our kitchen. Why did I purchase and install them when we first moved in? I’ll never know. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t horrible, but they just don’t go with the casual country vibe I want in my kitchen.
In true Frugal Handy Girl fashion, I set out to Lowe’s to see if I could find a fix for my extraterrestrial pendant lights (and avoid buying new lamps.)
In what I call devine intervention (or maybe guided by an out-of-body entity), I stumbled upon a lone scalloped metal collar in the heating and cooling section. There was no price tag and no others to be found. I was crest fallen until I snagged the nearby Lowe’s employee to ask if they had any more. He said, “Oh definitely, this is in the wrong section. There are more by the water heaters.” He ran away before I could smother him with kisses and hugs.
Sure enough, at the back of the store I found 4″ Storm Collars which fit perfectly over my pendant light. (Bring your light with you to double check the fit.)
Oh happy day! There were more of these scalloped pretties! I grabbed a second one and a can of Rustoleum High Heat Copper and ran out the door (after paying of course.) Then I did some Dr. Frankenstein style surgery and married the two. And here are the surgical notes for you.
Materials:
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- Pendant light
- Storm collar
- Screw driver
- Clean rag
- GooGone
- 3M fine grit sanding block
- Soldering Iron
- Flux
- Solder
- J-B Weld (if you prefer to avoid soldering)
- Rustoleum High Heat copper spray paint
How to Remove Track Lights:
Removing track style lighting is truly an easy task. Turn off the light switch powering the track. Grasp the top of your track light, pull the sliding tab down and twist clockwise. Pull down to remove the light. Done.
Creating Metal Pendant Lights:
Turn the UFO pendant light upside down. Remove the halogen light bulb. (Side note: I never touch halogen bulbs with my fingers. The bulbs get so hot, that the oils on your fingers can damage the bulb. So I always use a rag.)
Use a screwdriver to remove the screws holding the glass shade in place. Save the screws for later.
Remove any stickers from the storm collar.
Use GooGone to remove any sticker residue. Then clean the collar throughly with soap and water.
Clean off any dust and dirt (or splashed juice!) off the pendant light. Then lightly rough up all the metal surfaces with a fine grit sanding block.
Rough up the interior edge of the storm collar (where the pendant light and the storm collar will be attached.) Wipe the light and storm collar clean.
Cover the light bulb socket with tape to keep anything from falling into it. Slip the storm collar over the down shaft of the pendant light. Make sure the storm collar fits snugly over the pendant. Gently bend the collar to eliminate any gaps. For proper adhesion, the metal surfaces must touch each other.
Soldering the Metals Together:
If you are comfortable soldering metal together, go ahead and join the collar and the pendant light as shown. If you have never soldered before, you may want to practice first and forego the soldering on this project.
If you are using J B Weld instead of soldering, mix two equal amounts of the JB Weld and line the outside rim of the pendant. Slip the collar over the pendant light to join the two. Set the pendant light aside where it won’t be disturbed and can harden.
After the weld has hardened, it’s time to paint! Cover all the parts of your pendant lamp that you don’t want to be painted. And cover the light socket again.
Coat the pendants with two or more light coats of the Rustoleum high heat copper paint. Also spray the ball caps from the screws that held the glass in place. (Side note: I used the high heat paint because the halogen bulbs really heat up the metal around them and I didn’t want to risk the paint bubbling off in the near future.)
After the paint has dried, re-attach the screws and painted ball caps back through the holes in the pendant lamp. They won’t fit snug anymore, but at least they cover the hole.
Re-install your pendant lights (don’t forget to turn off the light switch while installing.)
Oh beautiful farmhouse style pendants, how do I love thee. Let me count the ways:
One
Two
And just in case you forgot what those UFO pendants looked like, before:
And now beautiful copper pendants, after:
What do you think? Can you tell that they used to be UFOs? Or that I used a storm collar for a water heater? Tell the truth!
Disclosure: I have partnered with Lowe’s as a Lowe’s Creative Influencer. I was provided with a Lowe’s gift card to complete my project. The tutorial, photos and opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was not told what to write. #LowesCreator
I love how they turned out, no you can’t tell they started out as UFOs! Great job, and such and imaginative mind to come up with this idea!
Debbie 🙂
Amazing!! That is the most creative thing I think I’ve ever seen for DIY home decor!
Sally, wow, bringing on the charm by calling it the “most creative thing”. LOL. Thank you so much for the kind comment.
You certainly live up to your blog name!! very inspiring!!
Hi Brittany, congrats on your article in Woman’s Day magazine. 🙂
Thanks Jo 😉
Speechless! I really liked the original lights, they were clean and architectural. Maybe you can sell the shades, or repurpose them. I wish I could solder. I think I will put it on my Mighty List. (See Mighty Girl.) Ann
Ann, yes, I thought I might be able to do something with the glass shades. They are super thick. Hmmmm, what to do with them ;-).
My goodness, you certainly are a Pretty Handy Girl. How flippin ingenious! And talented. I bet the majority of us do not know how to use a soldering iron and would be afraid of setting the house on fire if we tried! I love, love, love your blog and this is one of the reasons why. Keep up the inspiration!
Sharon, thanks for the kind comment. I have a tutorial on how to use a soldering iron in the works ;-).
Brittany, you rule!! I did not know the high heat paint came in Copper… My grill would look awesome in copper!! Have a great weekend!
Cher, ha, neither did I. It must be new. It’s not as shiny as real copper, but I might add some rub n’ buff in a patina color.
Pretty darn cool, Pretty Handy Girl!!!! 🙂
Thanks Erin ;-).
I love what can be made with random home improvement store items. Now don’t get caught smooching the man at Lowes, ha ha 🙂
Jessica, go figure, right?! That was a great find.
Wow! how clever – I think they turned out great! That’s using your noggin!!
Thanks Tracie. Honestly, I totally stumbled across those collars and it all fit together.
I really LIKE the UFO lights! That’s what we had in our condo and it was very stylish 🙂 But your AFTER is pretty creative, I have to admit! 🙂
Serena
Thrift Diving
Serena, they aren’t horrible, they just aren’t my style. I’m not a modern gal ;-).
I want to steal you for two weeks. The wonders you could do in my house. This is pure genius!
Nelly, watch it, that is my husbands nightmare ;-). I have to finish my home projects first. LOL. Thanks for your comment.
Fantastic makeover for pennies! Love it!
Thanks Rita! I still can’t get over that the collar was the exact same size as my pendant light. Meant to be I tell ya!