Antique glass lamps.....to hot glue or not to hot glue...
Several months ago I bought two antique glass lamps at an auction. They are amazing! So simple yet elegant. Kind of a "Grace Kelly" lamp if you ask me...lol!
They have a faint decorative etching in the glass that is difficult to see...very subtle...but so pretty.
The exposed metal on the lamps have a little "corrosion" but I have decided to leave that be for the time being. Amazingly, they don't have a chip anywhere on the glass!
I decided to keep one and replace the little round crystal lamp I have in my office. But I wasn't real keen on the lamp shade, so I decided to keep the lamp shade from the crystal lamp....
I have some pearl froo-froo trim I bought after Christmas last year for pennies. I decided I would gussy up the lamp shade with trim...just to give it a little more glam.
That is where the question of hot glue vs. tacky glue comes in.
I think hot glue has a time and place. But whenever possible, especially on fabrics and upholstery, I always use a quick drying tacky/fabric glue. It takes a tad longer to set up but it holds better in the long run. Sometimes I will put a tiny bit of hot glue on something just to help it hold until the tacky/fabric glue dries completely. I do the same for wood working projects...apply a little bit of hot glue just to hold something in place that can't be clamped until the heavy duty mastic or wood glue can dry completely. But hot glue can break down in extreme hot and cold temps or even with too much "stress" from use. So I rarely use it exclusively...I just think, long term, tacky/fabric glue (and liquid nail or wood glue for wood projects) is a better option.
I see upholstery tutorials suggest hot glue for piping and trim. I personally think that is a mistake!
On this lamp shade, I applied a line of the tacky glue along the edge and then pressed the decorative trim in place....
Again, subtle...but it is the little subtle changes and additions that can make a difference in the "big picture."
HINT: If you use tacky/fabric glue, go back after the glue has "tacked" (10-15 minutes) and press the trim down again! At that point the glue will have a better "grip" and the trim will press flat and adhere better.
(Yes, that is a piece of driftwood on the table...I picked it up on our fishing trip in Colorado last year and I just love the texture of driftwood...I have another piece on my mantel in the den that I picked up off a frozen lake in Georgetown, Colorado 10 years ago!)
Lamps can be an expensive accessory in a room. But they are soooo easy to spruce up or change...just by painting or changing the shade. Several years ago I got a bit tired of my bedside lamps...too dark. So I painted the base AND the shades.
Not a humungus difference...and I am still not real keen on the style.... but it is enough to keep me from running out and paying $200 for the two lamps I wanted.
Painting light fixtures and lamps is a great way to personalize and update a space on the cheap! I featured painted light fixtures and paddle fans here and outdoor fixtures here.
Again, give it a shot...what's the worst thing that can happen...you don't like it. So what...you don't like it as it is...before you toss it, paint it or trim it. It will fetch the same price in the garage sale regardless...lol!
