How to Make a Thrifty Knock-off Outdoor Candle Chandelier

Over the weekend when I wasn’t working on my bathroom makeover, I started on a bit of Inside-Outside decorating on my deck so I can enjoy it more during the summer.  I love to be outside and am always on the lookout for outdoor decorating ideas.  I love looking at the pages of  home furnishing catalogs this time of year for inspiration.

I like to keep things simple, but make my outside space look inviting and comfortable.  To get the look I am after and not spend too much, I bring my inside decorating accessories outside for a thrifty makeover.   Everything can easily be brought back inside when not in use.  My newest additions are the green tablecloth, the Le Creuset pitcher, and a cheap – o fake brass chandelier that I picked up at my favorite thrift store. The tablecloth I am using as is and I transformed the chandelier and hung it from the pergola.

The chandelier cost me $5.90 minus 25%; it was on sale.  The candles cost more than the chandelier. I bought them at Walmart for $2.88 each.  I am excited to sit out here in the evening now. The candles will add to the mood when we are eating alfresco or I am enjoying some quiet time on the swing with a good glass of wine.

I sprayed the fake brass chandelier with Rust-Oleum’s Universal Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint. It is a primer and paint in one.

Here is what I did to transform the chandelier.

This is what it looked like right after I brought it home from the thrift store. I like the fact the candle bases are wide. When the existing electrical sockets are removed a pillar style candle will sit nicely on these bases.

Before

I removed the candelabra covers and stashed them safely away as they are in perfect condition and I can use them on other fixtures. I cut all the wires from the center of each candle socket and then removed the socket. They just unscrewed.  Easy.

It was easy to unscrew the top section from the bottom of the main body of the chandelier. I cut all the wires and pulled them through the chandelier to remove them, then screwed the chandelier back together again.

This is the pile of electrical guts I removed.  See the price tag – $5.90 minus the 25% – I know I told you that already, but I love the fact that the thrift store discounts their already low prices. :)

To keep the base of each arm on the chandelier intact, I needed new screw- nuts, but my hubs said he could just cut each socket screw off with tin snips.   I needed that bottom nut to screw back on.

If you don’t have tin snips – you will need to buy nuts that fit over the screws on each arm of the chandelier.  You can see the section that was cut off from the socket. I also thought I could cover the screws with a blob of hot glue to hold them in place if I could not find nuts to fit.

Screw  the nut back on over the existing arm screw.   I had to slightly bend each base so it was level.

Repeat the process on all the arms and it is ready for spray paint.

I used one quick coat of Rust-Oleum metal primer because this is going to be outside and I wanted the finish to be as durable as possible.

Then I sprayed a few coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze on it to finish.

It goes nicely with my Walmart outdoor sideboard.

I bought the green linen tablecloth for $2.90. It is extra long and was the perfect fit for the dining table on my deck. The Le Creuset pitcher was $5.00.

The throw is from my family room. When we are outside at night it can get a bit chilly, so this is nice to have. I made the pillows and no-sew cushion last summer.  My party baskets are in easy reach and at the ready.   Now all I wish for is a laptop with a screen that can be easily viewed outside. I would love to be able to work out here – that is the only thing that is stopping me.

Have you decorated the outside of your home like the inside?  If you have I would love to see your photos as I would like to add them to my Pinterest board.

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Tagged as: Outdoor Decorating Ideas, Rust Oleum Spray Paint, Summer Decorating Ideas, Summer entertaining ideas, Thrift Store Decorating