Builder Grade Light Fixtures? Here’s How To Spray Paint Bathroom Light Fixtures

You don’t need a new vanity light! Here’s how to update your boring builder grade light fixtures for less than $20! All you need is some spray paint and new light bulbs. Learn how to spray paint bathroom light fixtures in this step by step tutorial.

One of the easiest things we did during our farmhouse bathroom renovation was to fix the dreadful vanity light.

I really didn’t want to spend money or time installing a new vanity light, but we HAD to do something about the builder grade light fixtures. It was boring and didn’t fit with the farmhouse feel that I wanted for our master bathroom.

If I had decided to go with a new light fixture instead, I probably would have purchased something like this farmhouse bath vanity light or this farmhouse-style glass wall light.

I was shocked when we figured out how to paint light fixtures to give them a farmhouse look – it was SO easy !!

We were able to use what we had instead of buying something brand new, which saved a ton of money. In fact, we only spent $22 on the supplies needed for this DIY bathroom light fixture makeover.

You can even spray paint other bathroom fixtures to give them a new look – like updating a bathroom mirror as we did in this tutorial.

Related – If you’re looking for inexpensive bathroom remodel ideas like spray painted light fixtures, check out this article with 30+ ideas!

Don’t want to mess with updating your old light? Buy a new one and install the vanity light yourself!

Spray painting bathroom light fixtures FAQs

Before Picture

If you’re really confused about why this photo above is a different bathroom and a different light (3 bulbs versus 2 bulbs)…long story short, I lost some photos due to a hard drive that went kaputz, so I don’t have a good “before” photo of the same light in our master bathroom….but I promise it looked JUST like this, but just with 2 lights. 🙂

This spray paint bathroom light fixtures tutorial contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

Step 1. Take light off of the wall.

Before you touch the light, be sure you turn the light switch on and then turn off the breakers on your electrical panel one by one until the light turns off. If you’re still scared the electricity is “live”, you can use one of these handy voltage detectors to check.

Once the electricity is off for the light, remove the glass shades and bulbs. You may need a screwdriver to remove the glass shades depending on the style of your builder-grade light fixtures.

Next, you can unscrew and pull off the light fixture. There will probably be little screws on the front that you can simply undo to loosen the light from the wall.

Once you can see the wires behind the light, start with the grounding wire first (this will be the one without any plastic coating on it, or in some cases, it may be the green wire). Simply unscrew the wire nut (the plastic cone-looking thing) and pull the wires apart. Then reattach the wire nut over the wire coming out of the wall. Move on to the neutral wire (white plastic coating around the wire) and last disconnect live wires (black). Next, do the same thing with white wires.

Always be sure that you are reattaching a wire nut over the wire coming out of the wall before you step away. Never leave the wires coming out of the wall exposed.

If you want a closer look at how to remove builder-grade light fixtures from the wall, watch this video of ours from 0:00 to 1:05 to see the process!

Step 2. Remove light bulbs and cover light sockets.

You don’t want to get spray paint on the light sockets. So after you remove the light bulbs, add painter’s tape over the sockets.

Step 3. Spray paint bathroom light fixture.

Before you begin spray painting, wipe down the light fixture to remove any dust. Then rub the entire fixture down with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils and grime from the surface. A clean surface will ensure that the paint will stick to the light rather than the oil or dust!

Next, you just start spraying your light in even, light coats with the spray paint. We did about 3 coats of this flat black spray paint. Let dry thoroughly before moving on.

If you want more help with getting the right spray painting technique, check out this article with spray painting tips and tricks for beginners.

Step 4. Reinstall spray painted light fixture.

Last, you just put the light right back where you found it on the wall. Reattach the wires by twisting the ends together and securing them with wire nuts.

For the order of the reattaching wires, start with the grounding wire (no plastic coating), neutral wire (white), and live wire (black). Want more help with installing a bathroom light fixture, watch this quick video which commenters have called “the best light replacement video” on YouTube!

After the wires are connected, you can bolt the spray-painted light fixture onto the wall.

If you notice, we technically installed our bathroom light fixture upside down. I liked the way it looked having the light bulbs point upwards instead.

We also did NOT add those glass light covers either. That’s the fun part of this light! I love that you can see the vintage-looking light bulbs.

You can do whatever you prefer… point the lights up or down… no glass shades or add them back. You could even swap out the shades with something like these wire ones for a more industrial look!

Step 5. Add new light bulbs.

I think boring builder-grade bathroom light fixtures really start to take on a whole new farmhouse feel when you attach the old-fashioned light bulbs.

We use these ones throughout our house and love how long-lasting they are….(in fact I’ve never had to replace one yet after living here nearly 3 years!!…but you watch, just because I said that one is going to go out, like tomorrow!). Whatever type of old-fashioned light bulbs you purchase, be sure you buy the LED ones!

Tada! Yes, it’s really that simple to do a DIY bathroom light fixture makeover. All you need to do is give it a few coats of spray paint and add the old-fashioned-looking light bulbs.

I love that we were able to transform our boring builder-grade light fixtures into something that fits right into our farmhouse master bathroom for just $22!

Have you ever transformed something with spray paint??

Let’s hear about it in the comments!

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