Light fixtures in the bathroom are no different than light fixtures throughout the rest of the house--they become old and outdated. Replacing the fixtures may cost more than you want to spend, but this does not mean that you cannot have new lights. A quick fix for the light dilemma is to remodel the fixtures so they look like new. You can remodel old light fixtures for less than half the cost of new ones.
Instructions
1. Remove the light fixture or fixtures prior to remodeling them. To do this, the light fixtures must be disconnected from the wiring. Shut off the power to the bathroom and bring a light in from another room. Remove the lightbulbs and set them aside. Loosen and remove the decorative nuts that cover the mounting screws and pull the fixtures away from the wall or ceiling. Untwist the wire nuts that connect the wiring to the wiring in the wall or ceiling.
2. Sand the surface of the fixtures with steel wool to remove rust. Metal light fixtures that begin to lose their cover coat will rust in the presence of moisture and create raised areas. Use a 400-grit sandpaper to smooth rough areas that are left after using the steel wool.
3. Wipe each fixture with a rag moistened with denatured alcohol. The alcohol will remove residue from hair care products and dust.
4. Lay the light fixtures on old newspapers, preferably outside or in a garage. Lay a section of cardboard under the newspapers when spraying outside. The cardboard will create a solid, level surface for the fixtures to sit on.
5. Spray each light fixture with metal primer and allow the primer to dry. Pick up the fixtures and move them to a clean area on the newspapers. Moving the fixtures will keep them from sticking to the newspaper when they are painted.
6. Apply a cover coat of spray paint for metal to each light fixture, allow them to dry, and reinstall the fixtures. To reinstall the light fixtures, remember that the black wires go together and the white wires go together. The green wire is a ground wire that connects to a copper wire in the wall or ceiling, or to a green screw when no copper wire is present.
7. Place the new bulbs on the fixtures to finish remodeling your bathroom lights.
Tags: , light fixture, wall ceiling, copper wire, cover coat, each light, each light fixture