Sunday, April 3, 2011

DIY: Rewire a Lamp


Rewiring a lamp: not so difficult.

For the past few months, I have been on the hunt for the perfect table-top lamp that suited my tastes and overall needs of light. Lamps are important. They accent and beautify a room, set a mood and tone, maybe make things romantic or mysterious. And I didn't want to spend too much money on something ugly and generic, or something that took up too much space.

M. suggested that I rewire an old or used lamp, one that I could possibly find in a junk shop or in the dumpster. Really, it's all about taking the insides out of the base and replacing them with a new and fresh wire and socket. She had done it herself (see: right), having bought a make-a-lamp kit from Canadian Tire and assured me "If I can do it, YOU can do it."

I found quite the beaut of a lamp at Value Village for 7 bucks. It is ideal in size and has that old timey-grandma style that I love. I visited Jacobs Hardware (410 Queen Street West) and told them "I am rewiring a lamp. Give me what I need. What do I do?"



Supplies:

- Lamp cord
- Keyless Lampholder (660W - 250V)
- 2 prong plug (a lamp kit will have the plug already attached to the cord)
- In-line Switch (optional)


Tools that will help you:

- a flat head screwdriver
- electrical tape
- sharp scissors or an exacto knife
- pliers (optional)
- confidence and patience

The guy was so nice and gave me the run down of how to connect the cord to all of the pieces. I had forgotten everything he had said as soon as I left the store. I also threw out all the packaging that contained all of the instructions.

The great thing about the internet is that it has all the answers.

Video Tutorial: How to Rewire a Lamp


Links:
How to Install an In-Line Switch on a Lamp Cord
Another tutorial with nice diagrams

Bunny Bling Bling Tip: Make sure that there are no stray wires hanging from under the socket's screws. Take your time with doing this precisely and properly because YOU DON'T WANT TO START A FIRE.

1 comment:

  1. Maybe I do want to start a fire? You don't know me!!!! WHO ARE YOU TWO??

    This is super awesome. I, too, have been in search of a nice table lamp. Thanks, friends!

    ReplyDelete