TURN A LAMP INTO A SIDE TABLE

by Gina @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

4 Materials

$8.00

30 Minutes

Easy

Need a side table ? Buy a lamp. No, seriously! Head to your local thrift store or stop by a yard sale and buy a lamp and a glass platter. Because this project is so simple you’ll never look at lamps the same way again. This project is super simple, it only took about 30 minutes of hands on time. I’ve never made a table without a saw, so this one was truly interesting (and fun!) to tackle. Want to make it? Then let’s get started!

turn a lamp into a side table, lighting, painted furniture

I started with a metal lamp and a glass platter plus Liquid Nails Fuze*It, because it bonds almost everything to almost everything else. Plus, it dries in about 4 hours. Nice for an impatient DIYer like me.

First, cut the cord and take apart the lamp. See the hex nut on the bottom? Unscrew that and it will come apart in pieces. Those flat metal discs on the bottom are the weights that help keep the lamp balanced – so be sure to replace them before you finish up in the next step.

Remove the cord and the socket, then put the pieces back together on the rod. We didn’t put it together exactly the same as it came off. You usually have a little artistic license to rearrange the parts, because it comes off in small sections. It’s almost like a fun puzzle to put back together. Just make sure you have a lip at the top for the platter to sit on. Use the rod and screws to secure the parts together.

Next, this is where the magic happened. This is the first time we’ve tried this particular product, and I was super impressed with how well it worked. It creates a durable, flexible bond that is twice as strong as fasteners alone. And it can be applied interior and exterior in hot, cold, wet or dry environments to porous or smooth surfaces… which is good to know with the crazy weather we’ve been having this year.

So we put a bead around the top of the lamp (now side table) base with Liquid Nails Fuze*It, using a caulk gun, just like applying caulk. It went on very smoothly. It’s a tiny bit thicker than caulk is (which is understandable because it is adhesive and not caulk at all.)

We turned the platter upside down and centered the lamp base on it (upside down, too) and put it on the platter. Liquid Nails Fuze*It has instant grab to save time, and I only had to hold it a few minutes. Let it set upside down for 4 hours when it was good and secure, then spray painted the entire side table with a few coats.

If you’ve ever wanted to “make” a piece of furniture, but you’re scared by power tools, this one is definitely a good starter project. I don’t do a ton of upcycle projects, but this one turned out so pretty… I might find myself doing more and more of them! I don’t know if they’re all this easy (because using the Liquid Nails Fuze*It seriously did make it so simple) – but I’ll keep an eye out at yard sales and thrift stores. Taking something old and bringing it back to life was a fun challenge!