DIY Plaster Lamp
I feel like I'm not the only one obsessed with the raw, natural look of imperfect plaster considering these lamps sell for like $350.00, right? Even if I am, I'm totally fine with it, I am going to continue to plaster every cheesy looking vase and lamp I can find because I just LOVE it!
I have found that placing these lamps and vases around my home helps to ground the space and bring a natural, textured look to an otherwise boring area, am I right?? If you wan to see me do the whole thing video-style, head over to my instagram page @blushrenovations and find the DIY Lamp tab in highlights.
I placed my finished DIY lamp in my guest room.
Anyway, without further ramblings, here's how I made it.
STEP 1 : FIND YOUR LAMP
I first found a lamp that I liked the shape of. I found this one from Target for $10.00... yes you heard that right $10.00!!!!! I don't really care about the details other than the shape of the lamp (and if I like the shade, but if not I can always buy another, right?)
STEP 2 : DRY AND TAPE
I cleaned my lamp and then taped off the top and cord so that I wouldn't get that part dirty! I just used painters tape to do this.
STEP 3 : PRIME
After taping, I used my KILZ primer. It doesn't really matter if you get the primer perfect, there just has to be enough to texturize the surface so that the mudding can stick to it. Let that dry.
STEP 4 : ADD YOUR MUDDING
Next, I mixed my wallboard joint compound, aka "mudding" to my lamp. Careful not to put this on too thick or it will crack. (If it does, not to worry I'll show you what to do further down in this post!).
STEP 5 : ADD YOUR DIRT
After you've got a good layer of your mudding on there, go around with your finger and just smooth the surface as much as you can so that you can let any air bubbles escape, you don't want to capture air in there or it will lead to more cracking.
*optional note : I added paint to my mudding because I wanted a specific finished color to match a room, you can too or you can just leave it a nice, natural off white.
Next, I add a little dirt to my smooth surface. This is to texturize it a bit. (You DO NOT have to do this if you want it smooth, but I like the look. If you want it smooth but also want the natural color dirt brings, you can wait until the entire thing dries and AFTER sanding, you can mix dirt with water and brush it on with your hand, wait for it to dry then dust it off and it is beautiful!!)
STEP 6 : SAND
After I let that dry, I sanded the mudding with a hand held block/sponge sander. (You may want to do this outside, the powder is fine and gets everywhere!) ...and VOILA!
If your mudding cracks, it is probably because you used too much. Sand down the area and do another layer, being really careful to fill in those cracks as much as you can. Make the layer THIN so it doesn't crack again and let that dry then sand!
Hope you have as much fun as I did making this!
xoxo,
Alex
