Recovering a lampshade is the perfect way to upgrade a room with custom details. This is a quick DIY project that even a beginner can quickly master! You’ll need a lampshade, obviously. But firsts, before you start, you may want to check out my Lampshades 101 post HERE to learn the basics about size, shape, style and even the mechanics of lampshades before you jump all in!
NOTE: You can watch a full Video Tutorial at the end of this article.
SO many options! Wrap your lamp shades in decorative fabric. Wrapping Paper. Scrapbook Paper. Wallpaper. Scarves. An old blouse you still love but don’t wear anymore. . . think outside the box! Even old posters turn out super fun. You could wrap the shade with rope or ribbon, or you could cover it with sea shells. Just look around until you find a style in colors that you love.
Keep in mind the opacity of the material you use. If the material is dense or very dark not as much light will shine through your finished shade, which will make the light it gives off dark and moody. Be sure this is the end result you want if this is the kind of material you choose. The lighter the paper or fabric you use, the more light the lamp will produce.
I do love a patterned lamp shade, big patterns, small patterns, random patterns, stripes, plaids and checks. They’re all fun and each elicits a very different vibe. Just be sure the vibe your choosing works well with and enhances the rest of what’s going on in the room.
If you want stripes, unless you’re already pro at this, you may want to stick with a drum shaped shade – a cylinder shaped shade, meaning the same circumference top, bottom, and middle. It’s easy to run stripes horizontally or vertically with a drum shade. Take note that stripes and large plaids are very difficult on a cone shaped shade. I’m pretty adept at this and even I avoid stripes on a cone shape.
I often recommend creating a template. To create this you’ll want a large sheet of paper. Depending on the size of your shade, you could use a roll of kitchen parchment paper, which is somewhat transparent. I like this option best if working with fabric or paper that has a pattern. You can also use wrapping paper or a roll of kraft paper. Generally you’ll need a larger sheet of paper than an ordinary 8×11 piece of paper.
To embellish or not embellish? I look for great ribbon, gimp and cordings. Fringe, tassels, pompoms – look on Pinterest and online sites that sell designer shades for inspiration.
I use spray glue and/or 3M ATG Transfer Tape for most lampshade projects. Usually both. I never use a glue gun on a lampshade. It’s nearly impossible to get a smooth even result with a glue gun. For this reason I’m not a fan and rarely use glue guns for any project if I can help it.
3M ATG Transfer Tape HERE is essential to my existence and a basic staple in my life! If you’ve been around me much, you know, I use the stuff almost daily. It’s ideal for lampshades because it sticks well to both paper and fabric, with the added luxury of being forgiving, making it easy to move or remove, but staying put until I choose to take it off.
Any Do-It-Yourself project requires some skill. The good news? Skills are not inherited, they’re learned. If you can read, or you can watch a video tutorial, you can easily and quickly acquire the skills to do these simple projects.
If your covering your shade in a fabric or paper you’ll need to trace the shade. Weather creating a template or tracing directly onto the fabric, if the shade is anything other than drum shade, you’ll want to trace it out.
NOTES: If you are making multiples of the same size shade, for example for a multi-light chandelier, you can make it easier on yourself by creating a template and then cutting each shade out using the template, rather than having to trace out each one individually.
When using a patterned material, I like making a template with something I can see through. This way I can easily position the pattern the way I want it to appear on my shade. Remember that the center of the arch will be the front center of your finished shade. Position the best part of your pattern there.
Also, if you’re covering a drum shade, lucky you. You can skip the tracing part. All you need to do is measure the height and circumstance of the shade. Then measure it out and cut straight lines to create a rectangle the size you need it. Don’t forget to add a little extra at the end for a rolled seam allowance if you want one.
A rotary cutter is ideal for smooth, accurate cutting. If you have a rotary cutter you can just leave your material on your matt where you traced it, or lay out your template over your fabric. Weight the template in place. I use fabric weights. If you don’t have fabric weights you can use cups or really anything that will keep your template in place.
If you don’t have a rotary cutter, pin the template to your fabric and cut it out. If your using paper, you can use an Exact-o Knife or blade to cut so that you don’t make holes in your paper with pins. It can be tricky to get a smooth accurate cut with a knife or blade. Go slow. Or, better yet, order a rotary cutter on Amazon Prime and wait to cut until it gets here tomorrow!
To attach your material to the shade, use spray adhesive/glue.
That’s it – You did it!!!