Kitchen Light Budget Makeover
by
Lauren Z
3 Materials
$10
3 Hours
Easy
Can't afford to replace that ugly, florescent light? Here's a simple, budget-friendly fix!
Many of us have these metal casing, florescent lights in our homes, especially the kitchen and bathroom. When updating our kitchen, I was on a tight budget and replacing the fixture was not an option so I decided to give it a new look.
The first step was to paint the awful, faux-wood grain metal case. I painted it the same yellow as the soffit but if yours is on the ceiling, you'll want to paint it the ceiling color so it 'disappears'.
The first step was to paint the awful, faux-wood grain metal case. I painted it the same yellow as the ledge but if yours is on the ceiling, you'll want to paint it the ceiling color so it 'disappears'.
The plastic cover of mine was cracked but even if it wasn't I planned to replace it. I went to my local hardware store and had them cut me a piece of clear plexiglass to fit the frame. You CAN purchase marbled or textured plexiglass but I found it to be quite expensive so I opted for the clear. But then you can see the bulbs . . . not pretty. I took an old piece of lace and laid it down on the plexiglass then sprayed a coat of white paint over it. I let it dry for just a few minutes and removed the lace to let it dry completely. You don't want to leave the lace on or it will stick to your plexiglass.
Here it is with the lights on -- it looks so soft and pretty!
The end result is something that almost everyone comments on!
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Comments
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2 comments
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Great job! I have these types of lights in most every room of our house and will be giving this a try...
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Definitely do it! Such a quick, inexpensive fix to an ugly problem! Thanks for your feedback.
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