Can You Spray Paint Light Bulb? DIY Lightning Tricks

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Can You Spray Paint Light Bulbs

Home decors are the way to go. They help make your home lively and an amazing place to put your tired head after a long day at work. Besides, they help in mental relaxing, which is good for your health.

You might decide on putting a large indoor plant or work on the lighting for some significant serenity. Here, I will divert more into the idea of decorating light bulbs. There are multiple ways to decorate your lighting bulbs, such as using LED lights.

Or, have your tried spray painting your bulbs?  

Yes, it is doable. For incredible outcomes after spray painting, you are advised to use a bulb with minimum power of 40W. Let us dive deep into this genius home decor trick.

Purpose Of Spray-Paint Bulbs

Spray-painting exercise is a cheap exercise that rewards you with a worthwhile sight of creativity. Also, you might go for this exercise to achieve a personalized satisfaction with your dream home decor.

This will be the most significant exercise to handle projects that might add some flowery and beauty sensation to your kids’ bedrooms, which applies to parents.

Also, this project is popular because spray-paint bulbs might act as gifts for your friends or family member. A bird fanatic might enjoy such a gift.

You might grant them a customized sprayed light bulb with a bird painting. Or, you can adjust your bulb to fit a birthday theme and have a person’s details on the painting.

If you have a significant passion for home decorations, you can make this spray painting light bulb activity a side hustle. You might leverage this exercise and generate a few dollars from it by selling some of your work at a fee.

Items You Require For Spray Painting

When you decide to spray-paint your home light bulbs, there are a few things that you need to have. They might include:

  • Safety eyeglasses.
  • Hand gloves.
  • A tape for painters-It will assist in sticking the different craft pieces.
  • A clear light bulb – You might opt for a burnt or a working bulb.
  • A metallic spray paint – The spray paint of choice needs to be non-water-based. Also, it should have high resistance to high temperatures once the light bulb is on. You might check online for the best paint to use.

It is not safe to utilize oil and acrylic paints. They are not good solutions for withstanding the high temperatures of the light bulb.

You will need a special type of paint suitable for a glass material and the oven effects using a working bulb. Otherwise, go for the non-water-based one mentioned above.

The acrylic paints will be most applicable on dead bulbs used for decors. Pick a clear and not a white light bulb for the selected colors to have a vibrant shine.

  • A dimmer – A device that adjusts your lighting and consumes less energy. You should pick a dimmer based on the total watts. It needs to equate or exceed the total power of all the light bulbs. For accuracy, consult an electrician during the installation.

You can find the above items at your nearest local store or merchandisers.

Safety Precautions

It would help if you handled yourself safely when painting your bulbs with sprays. There are numerous harmful and toxic substances that you might come in contact with. You can shun such accidents by complying with the following safety precautions.

It would be wise to put on hand gloves and safety glasses before beginning spray painting. By doing this, you protect yourself from burns and breakages.

Another safety measure to observe is the use of quality paints to avoid explosions and infernos. Always opt for the best paint quality when doing your shopping at the local store.

Step By Step Guide On How To Spray-Paint Bulbs

As a newbie in spraying paint on bulbs, there are steps that you need to follow to achieve the most desirable taste.

Now that we know the particular items to acquire and the safety precautions to observe let us go through this step-to-step guideline.

  1. Wipe the bulb item first before spraying. It will remove stubborn dirt that might interfere with the spraying performance. You might use spirit and cotton wool as the cleaning substances. Rubbing alcohol might also be useful. Apply some dabs of it on the cleaning cloth.
  2. Once the bulb is dry and sparkling clean, stick your bulbs on a flat-surfaced lump. It will assist in keeping it firm and still. Be cautious not to shatter the glass into pieces.
  3. Before doing the actual spraying, it would be wise to have the decor’s impression on paper.
  4. After having a concept idea of the design, you can begin taping off the bulb. You might apply some layers of the paint to the exposed sections. You can use a solid, single color with a brush or mix-up colors to attain a significant hue for your room.

Redo the whole process until the whole desired part is evenly coated. The bulb surface does not quite offer good coverage for spray. You might want to redo the coating for a stronger effect.

  1. Always spray one side at a time, giving each side enough time to dry up. The glass paint should give you a transparent finish.
  2. Upon completing the painting, you can enhance your artwork with the desired polished design patterns. You can spray it and let it dry for at least four hours or leave it overnight. Remember not to touch your work while still wet.
  3. You might finalize the exercise by placing the painted bulb in a cold oven. Adjust your desired temperature for pre-heating purposes. Give the bulb effective time to cool before getting it out from the oven.

Expected Results

This whole simple and economic activity assures you of incredible results. Ensure the switch is off before installing the painted bulb. Once everything is set, the switch is on, and the bulb is in place, you will be surprised by the significant transformation.

You might check diverse design ideas on Pinterest for multiple solutions for your home decor.

The practice is not limited to home use alone. You can exercise the activity in different areas including; themed or Halloween parties.

Other Methods Of Painting A Light Bulb

1. Transforming your bulbs into ornaments

You can turn your bulb into ornaments for an improved appearance. Some of the exercises may include:

  • Developing glass hot-air balloons. You can use glass paint to come up with a design of a hot-air balloon. You might glue the different string pieces and put them together in the form of a knot at the top position.
  • Creating a snowman for your Christmas tree. Paint glue over your light bulb and sprinkle some glitters on it. Could you leave it to dry? You can then use puffy paint to create facial features. Use a hook to hang the art on the tree. A frosted white light bulb is the most preferred item to use.

2. Developing vases

  • The initial step to making a vase out of a bulb is by removing the brass and the wires using needle-nose pliers. Put on safety glasses and hand gloves to avoid cuts when the glass breaks.
  • Look for a screwdriver to dismantle the fill tube present in the bulb. Once you have it broken, you can let out the other components present in the tube by emptying the bulb on a throw-able paper.
  • Once the bulb becomes clear, take your bulb and fill it with water. You can add a few drops of the kitchen detergent for effective cleaning. Shake the bulb with the soapy water inside and drain it off the sink.
  • Leave the clean bulb to dry the remaining water. If you have a paper towel, you can dry or wipe the glass pieces present in the bulb.
  • Then, paint any design on the vase using either acrylic paint or nail polish. Or, if you desire a simple look, you can work on the bulb cap. Let the paint dry before inserting any flowers or water.
  • If you want rustic artwork for your patio, you can tie the cap with twines or ribbons for solid support.

Enhancing Home Decoration

You can enhance your home decor by using different colors for your bulb coating. The following are some of the most advised colors; green, yellow, blue, and red. For beginners, you might employ effective drawing skills to combine these colors for an outstanding taste.

Conclusion

There is a pool of options for your home decorations. The article focuses on spraying paint on light bulbs as a budget-friendly exercise for your room to attain an amazing look. Besides that, you do not need to be tech-savvy to participate in this decorating activity.

It has spotlighted some of the necessary items needed and a step-by-step guideline on how to spray paint in your light bulbs. You should try it out and eliminate boredom in your room.

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