Papier Mache an Old Lampshade

Cinzanno
by Cinzanno
5 Materials
105 Minutes
Easy

Do you have an old/dirty/stained lampshade that you like the size and shape of? well don't chuck it out just re purpose it with Papier Mache. Below is how i did it. it is really easy both shades only took me 1 hour 45 mins from start to finish

I had 2 cream lampshades rather old and getting dusty and tatty, the one had some blood on it form when I cut my finger and accidentally touched the shade. (silly me) well I was now fed up of looking at it and after mentioning to a friend of mine to paper mache her lampshade I decided to take my own advice and sort out my 2 lampshades.

I had some old maps in the shed that were about to get thrown out, so I decided to take those and use them to repurpose these lampshades. I tore them into largish hand size pieces and made them smaller when I needed smaller pieces

I laid out some scrap towels on my countertop that I have for just this sort of thin (that mache glue gets everywhere.)

I then made up my paper mache glue based on the recipe above (1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Water and 2 Tablespoons Salt to prevent mould) and stirred it by hand until all lumps were gone, about 3-4 mins or so should do it (this made enough to cover my 2 lampshades with a little over to spare) (an alternative to papier mache glue if you want to cheat a little would be to use pre-mixed or packet wallpaper glue… 😊 sneaky)

Once your Glue is nice and smooth dunk your 1st piece in the glue until it is covered, then I used my forefinger and middle finger either side of the piece of paper and wiped odd majority of the paste. Then lay it on your shade (I work top to bottom I just found that easier) continue until you have covered the entire shade. I cut the top and bottom straight, but you can curl it over if you prefer. I just found that it looked neater when trimmed.

The photo above looks bubbly it is only because the paper is still wet when it dries it smooths out

Finally wipe down the shade to remove as much of the mache glue from the front otherwise it will leave a white finish over the whole shade as the flour dries

Once finished let them dry over night

Then put them back on your lamp stand and admire your handy work 😊


DIY home decor using recycled paper

Check out more ideas for DIY projects using paper here.

Suggested materials:
  • Old maps   (Lying around the shed)
  • Old lampshade   (Was being used already in my Lounge)
  • Flour   (Already had this in my Kitchen)
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