Antique Light fixture, What would you do!!

Its4637160
by Its4637160
How would you cover, the middle open up for the light blub. One in den and bedroom
  17 answers
  • William William on Nov 08, 2016
    They look like old bathroom lights. I would remove and replace them.
  • Bsp7949642 Bsp7949642 on Nov 08, 2016
    Get a ceiling medallion and cover it up! Get yourself a pretty light fixture that is more in line with your design style. Like this example here-- https://www.google.com/search?q=escutcheon&so...
    • See 1 previous
    • Lynne Webb Lynne Webb on Nov 09, 2016
      You are so correct with the medallion idea. I got an old (flea market) 1960's chandelier and a Home Depot medallion. There is a 2 part painting technique called 'Rust'. Since it was going in a cabin, we did both pieces and it looks like it could have been stored in a barn for years before it was discovered and reused. Nobody even suspects it's a 'gold' chandelier and a plastic medallion. The finish on the chandelier was so bad, it was no doubt headed for the trash if someone didn't buy it for a couple of dollars. So glad I did. If 'rust' isn't your choice, I'm sure there are other paint techniques you can use and for sure, the medallion will work.
  • Sherry Mandina Sherry Mandina on Nov 08, 2016
    Piece of stained glass
  • Pamela Palmer Pamela Palmer on Nov 08, 2016
    replace then
  • Kim Humber Kim Humber on Nov 08, 2016
    Antique means more than 100 years old. Those lights are from the early 1970s. Take them out and replace them. We had these in our basement when I was a kid. They might even have aluminum wiring, which is dangerous.
    • Phil a Phil a on Nov 09, 2016
      Aluminum wiring was typically used in outlets to save money, but light fixtures, at least in California, even then, usually had copper wiring to resist the bad effects of heat from the old style lamps. But, some older homes had aluminum everywhere, which can be a safety issue. Phil
  • 62q10370829 62q10370829 on Nov 09, 2016
    Pane in neck lights. From the late 70's. Replace them. You can find pretty ones at good will or yard sales. They was for bathrooms & hallways. Not good lighting.
  • Danette Rasmussen Danette Rasmussen on Nov 09, 2016
    Take frame down and paint white like ceiling...it will disappear into the ceiling....I did this with a gold colored one.
  • Suzanne Suzanne on Nov 09, 2016
    I don't know how you think they are antiques. Remove them.
  • Phil a Phil a on Nov 09, 2016
    I don't want to be a wet blanket, but legally, you can't just "cover them up" as you would be making a live electrical connection inaccessible. I recently replaced one of these old style ceiling lights with a more modern LED fixture for a customer. These have a spring loaded cover that can be removed and a bulb socket that is operated by a wall switch. The fixture I used had a base large enough to cover the square hole and a plug adapter that simply screwed into the existing socket. The only issue I had was mounting the base to the ceiling since it's not a usual light electrical box with standard mounting holes. But, using anchors and screws, it mounted, covering the square hole and allowed a more modern look. If you really want to "cover the fixture", you will need to remove the wiring from the existing light switch so no power can be sent to the existing fixture, Remove the spring loaded cover and bulb so there is nothing protruding below the surface. Then, you can consider the existing fixture wiring "abandoned in place". That is the only way you can protect yourself from any possible denial of claims by your home insurer if there were ever a fire and they determined that the wiring was "not to code." Phil
  • I have one of these in the hallway of my house that was built in 1986. The ceiling is low so replacing for me was not an option. I painted a bright white along with the rest of the ceiling in the tiny hallway. Replaced the frosted glass with a piece of custom made stained glass. Mine is rated for a 60 watt bulb. It made a difference for me and I like the effect. It is also not on frequently, just when I enter the house from the garage. When I moved into this house the first thing I did was upgrade the electrical panel as there were NO ceiling fixtures in the house except the one in the hallway and kitchen. Try getting something out if your closet at 5:00 am in the winter with no closet light - :-). Worth every penny I spent on the electrician to add what I wanted and needed and to bring everything up to current code.
  • Marros1960 Marros1960 on Nov 09, 2016
    As we have these in our hallway with low ceilings (swamp cooler) we kept ours, cleaned them up, redid the silver and replaced the bulb with LED and it is now WOW bright. Even a flush mounted light is 3 or 4" and with a 6'3" hubbie it wasn't an option.
  • MadameRã MadameRã on Nov 10, 2016
    Easy... pick your two to three colours of sample paints, car wash sponge cut into right size pieces (though put some non tear paint tape around edges onto the roof) , then sponge the first layer, let dry then proceed to the second...if proceeding to a third colour then only use minimal amounts but while almost dry use another clean piece of sponge & dab spread colours into a marble like look... Keep it old & use a waterbase paint, then one shouldn't run into any legal issues,& besides it will look great for a little effort.. Happy Crafting M®
  • Michele Brown Hirsch Michele Brown Hirsch on Nov 10, 2016
    I have the same fixtures in my house. It is expensive to get new ones, but that is what I am doing room by room.
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    • Rog4628424 Rog4628424 on Nov 13, 2016
      I have them in the den, and I lightly sanded the frames, cleaned them off, cover around them, and below, and used Krylon spray paint.
  • Pat Hill Pat Hill on Nov 11, 2016
    have you thought about using stain glass paints
  • Mary Mary on Nov 11, 2016
    Rustoleum has great metallic spray paints to spray the frame. At that point, you could add a fabulous piece of glass cut to fit that has some type of texture your like. Look at websites that sell glass for glass crafters. For instance, water glass or a striated type of glass would be lovely!
  • Gail Gail on Nov 13, 2016
    Get a cheap roll of HV/AC aluminum tape, wipe frame of light fixture rubbing alcohol to clean of dust & residues, then cover with silver tape. Wash insert & use LED bulb. & Presto in less than hour, new light fixture. Duck tape could also be used.
  • Renee Outzen Renee Outzen on Nov 15, 2016
    Not sure this is feasible....but i would spray paint the edge a shiny silver metallic, tie crystal beaded string at various lengths around it. the light would reflect off the crystals, increasing light an adding interest....