How To Paint Outdoor Light Fixtures Quickly And Easily
Keep Your Maryland, DC, Or Northern Virginia Light Fixtures Looking Great With A Fresh Coat Of Paint
They Look Battle-Scarred
“Hon, come take a look at this please.”
Charlie Angel looks up from the news as he hears Jill call to him from what sounds like the front door.
He heaves himself out of his chair and walks over to see what she needs. As he nears the door he can see her staring at something on the outside of their home.
“Take a look at this light fixture and tell me what you see.” Charlie looks closely and sees that it’s in pretty bad shape. “With all the cracks and chips in the paint, this fixture looks battle-scarred! Not to mention the rust forming on it.”
“Which is why we need to paint the outdoor light fixtures around our home, hon.” Charlie smiles and cracks his knuckles in excitement as he gets ready for his next home project. “I’ll find the steps for it and get to work babe.”
5 Steps To Painting Outdoor Light Fixtures
- Mask outdoor light fixtures
- Strip paint and rust
- Clean the unit
- Prime
- Paint
Charles frowns as he stares at the instructions he found online. This 5-step process makes painting outdoor light fixtures seem almost too easy.
He scrolls further down to see if he can find more details.
We recommend wearing a dust mask, goggles, and clothes you can get dirty.
You can remove the entire fixture to paint it or you can leave it up and mask around it.
To mask around outdoor light fixtures attached to walls, cut a sheet of paper or other lightweight material to go between it and the wall. Make sure it extends about 1-2 feet around it in each direction. Also, cut some styrofoam into pieces so you can create a raised edge to go around the fixture.
Unscrew the back of the fixture enough so the paper can slide behind it. Cut a slit into the top of the paper and slide it behind the fixture. Stick it to the wall with duct tape making sure to cover the cut too.
Attach the styrofoam border around the fixture and on top of the paper with the duct tape.
Strip off the paint with a stiff wire brush or other abrasive material. Remove the rust with a commercial rust remover (please follow the instructions on it).
Clean the fixture with an all-purpose cleaner.
Now you can prime your outdoor light fixture with 1-2 coats of a rust-inhibiting primer.
Finally, paint your outdoor light fixtures! Hold the can about 8-12 inches away. Apply 2-3 coats of paint, allowing each coat to completely dry.
*You can also use a paint/primer in one
A Few Hours Later…
Jill walks outside to see Charlie screwing the backing back into place. “Wow, you did a great job with these! I knew I married you for a reason,” she says jokingly. He smiles as she hugs him and together they admire their beautifully painted outdoor light fixtures.
As they do, Charlie wonders what else they’ll need to do for outdoor lighting maintenance.