How to Make a Bold Hobnail Lamp

The DIY experts at HGTV Magazine recreated this flea market find. Here’s how you can, too.
Old hobnail lamp next to a bright yellow lamp with striped lampshade.

Brighten Up a Hobnail Lamp

HGTV gives step by step instructions on how to update an outdated hobnail lamp.

Photo by: Marko Metzinger/Studio D

Marko Metzinger/Studio D

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Materials Needed:

  • painter's tape
  • spray paint + primer combo
  • new patterned lampshade

Step 1

Discard the old shade.

Step 2

Tape off the lamp’s cord and bulb socket with painter’s tape. Spray-paint the lamp base—we used a spray-paint-and-primer-in-one, which adheres to glass surfaces. Let dry.

Step 3

Add a patterned shade that complements the color of the base.

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Photo by: Marko Metzinger/Studio D

Marko Metzinger/Studio D

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