Painted Ceiling Fan = Instant Drama!

Melissa Osborne
by Melissa Osborne
7 Materials
$6
10 Minutes
Easy
I've had this idea to paint my ceiling fan for a while. My flooring is an oak looking pergo. Yuck! But I'm stuck it with it for the time being. The ceiling fan blades match the flooring and that I can do something about. So I had my hubby take it down and the project begins. See below for what I learned about painting ceiling fans and step by step instructions.

BE SURE TO JOIN US LIVE ON HOMETALK ON 12/15/17 at 8pm to see us do this project live. On our live we'll actually be painting the entire ceiling fan, as well as a light fixture. Is there anything you can't update with a little paint? I haven't found anything yet.

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This is what I'm starting with. The mechanics part of the fan is a beautiful steel gray. I love that part but I'm hating on the oak fan blades. The oak must go! I'm going to use my trusty All In One Chalk Style Paint because it doesn't require sanding, stripping or TOPCOAT! Its a one step chalk paint and I love keeping it easy. For this project I'm choosing Cathedral because its a steel gray and I think it'll be pretty close to the fan base.
Let's talk prep for a minute. Very little is required with this paint which is another reason why I choose it for most of my projects. I got my super sweet hubby to take the fan blades down for me after getting home from a 3 day business trip. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he knew how far up a ladder a shorty like me would have to go and as clumsy as I am, that is just a disaster waiting to happen. He's apparently not with me for my life insurance or he'd let me go up the ladder! Each blade was attached with 3 screws so aside from the height its not a big deal to get the blades off and put them back on.


I immediately learned two things.


1. Fan blades are reversible. Atleast mine were. They had oak on one side and mahogany on the other. Did y'all know this?! I don't want either color so painting is still necessary.


2. Fan blades are gross! Especially the side facing the ceiling. It was seriously sticky from all the grease and oils that float in our air. This is why giving your piece a good thorough cleaning before hand is critical to a good paint finish. I cleaned with TSP and let it soak a bit until it didn't feel sticky any longer.


Yes, I'm showing you a picture of the dirt and grime. Don't judge. This thing is 12ft in the air and I'm 5'2".
I poured out a little bit of my Cathedral AIO Paint to each fan blade and used my handy dandy True Applicator to swipe it on each blade. Don't forget the edges. If your fan is low hanging, I would recommend painting both sides. This paint typically takes two coats, be sure to allow plenty of dry time between.
After coat 1. This is still wet so the shine will dull to a beautiful, low luster, matte sheen. But look at that coverage with the Cathedral. It was one coat with a few touch up spots.
Close up of this gorgeous finish. This is just paint. Nothing else! I used about 2 ounces of paint to do 5 fan blades.
Now it's Brian's turn to put the blades back on the fan for me. He's such a good husband and indulges me in my DIY Projects. It seriously took him longer to put them up than it did for me to paint them. I had maybe 10 mins of hands on time for cleaning and painting. Super EASY!
Finished Fan at night.
Finished Fan in the day. Ignore those golden brown walls. Those are next to go if the painter ever comes. I'm over the moon with how it came out. It was exactly what I envisioned. Dramatic! The fan looks larger and more expensive now too which is always a bonus.


I've put links below to other colors I think would make good choices for painting your own fan. All of these colors can arrive to you within 2 days if you're an Amazon Prime member! What color would you choose?
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  • Patty Anderson Patty Anderson on Dec 18, 2017

    Well done, and kudo's to your other half for doing the ladder work! I must admit, I felt like you folk were good people, when I saw that the only framed photo on your wall was a picture of your dog.....am I right?

  • Linda Kimmons Linda Kimmons on Dec 18, 2017

    Mine r white all over what color can I paint to give them that wow factor

  • Linda Jorgensen Linda Jorgensen on Jan 06, 2018

    faux painting fans what about gloss clear painting make the gloss clear? what do you think is helpful?


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  • Vicky Corey Vicky Corey on Jan 30, 2018

    Melissa I was over half way reading your post when it hit me I had already read it. Lol I kept going anyway. I did see something I didn't notice the last time about using teal in a room. I would sure love to see that when you're finished! I love bold colors. Your ceiling fan looks great!

  • Gail Novak Phelps Gail Novak Phelps on Feb 12, 2018

    Had my popcorn ceiling skimmed and it was time to paint the fan blades. I took them down and sprayed them flat black and it also allowed the guys to finish the ceiling. Thanks for the idea!

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