Updating an Old Ceiling Fan

5 Materials
$15
5 Hours
Medium

We had an old, out-dated ceiling fan in one of our bedrooms and I wanted(needed) to give it a new look. We could have gone out and bought a new fixture, but I thought it would be more fun and less expensive if I gave it an upgrade. With a little paint and elbow grease, I managed to turn this out-dated ceiling fan into something a bit more modern.

This is the original look - cream colors on the fan and base with shiny brass and gold details on the fan blades.

The first step was to remove all of the easily removeable pieces. The lightbulbs, fan blades, and motor cover. Then I gave everything the ceiling fan a thorough cleaning.

I had different colors for the metals pieces, so I removed those from the blades and wiped down all of the pieces.

I didn't like the points at the end of the fan blades, so I used a miter saw to give them a straight edge. Then I sanded each blade to round out the corners and smooth it out.

The fan blades got two coats of Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Aged Gray. The metal pieces got two coats of Rustoleum Metallic Flat Antique Nickel.

I used the same Aged Gray on the base of the ceiling fan. Before I started using the spray paint, I covered everything around and below the fan with plastic. I also made sure to fully open all three windows in that bedroom. It is very important to make sure you have proper ventilation when using spray paint in an enclosed space.

It was tricky to get all the pieces back together by myself, so my husband assisted me with this step.

Here is the final look!

I think it brings a more modern look to this room and it was a cheap and fun project!

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  • Sarge Sarge on Oct 30, 2019

    Looks great! Have you ever thought of changing out the cover to something more open to get more light? Like a metal "cage" globe?

  • Peg49221084 Peg49221084 on Aug 24, 2021

    Loved it but why not change the glass globe

  • Julie Brodie Julie Brodie on Aug 18, 2023

    I painted ceiling fans for over 30yrs to fit into my kids bedroom themes :)

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  • Katen Katen on Aug 17, 2023

    I had same problem. Thought about updating my existing fans but not of a mind to do as much as you did so I found new fans at overstock buy out place (read ridiculously cheap) and had handy man replace four under $125, total complete. If I thought I would have enjoyed project I’d have gone your way

  • Nomo Nomo on Aug 17, 2023

    Great job! Anyone can B U Y. This is a true D I Y. Big difference.

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