Creating a DIY Mason jar lamp for the kitchen with a $2 mason jar find, a lamp kit and spray paint.
As you may, or may not know, we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel. One of my big dilemmas has been lighting. Not only have I been struggling to find a ceiling light fixture for the center of the room, but I’ve also been trying to find the perfect little lamp for the counter.
I searched high and low for the perfect small lamp but couldn’t find what I wanted. One trip to the thrift store gave me my answer. I found this large 1/2 gallon Mason jar for $1.99, and I knew it would make the perfect DIY lamp.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the jar when I started this project. It would be cool to fill it up with something pretty, or I could paint it…but, because I had so much fun turning an old window into a mirror a while back, I decided to use mirror effect spray paint again to turn it into a mercury glass lamp.
Supplies for DIY Mason jar lamp
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- 1/2 gallon Mason jar
- mirror effect spray paint
- vinegar/water mixture in a squirt bottle
- clear enamel spray paint
- lamp lighting kit
First I worked on creating the mercury glass look by giving the jar a thorough wash and dry.Then I sprayed the first coat of mirror effect spray. I immediately followed that with a light spritzing of a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 1 part water all over the outside of the jar (you want the water to bead up and not run down the sides).
I set the jar on cardboard to dry a few minutes and then took a wet but well-wrung out paper towel and lightly blotted the beaded water up.
This is where you get the antique, mercury glass look. It happens because the water mixture prevents the spray from adhering to the glass. I had to spray, spritz and blot 3 times before I was satisfied with the coverage. It’s a really quick process but you need to be sure the jar is dry before adding more coats.
After I was sure the jar was completely dry, I sprayed a coat of clear enamel to protect the finish.
With my jar finished, it was time to add my lamp kit. I’ve posted the steps to working with a lamp kit before so, to keep this post from going too long, I won’t go through the step by step again.
We used a regular Mason jar lid, with two lid inserts for extra stability, and quickly wired it all up. I thought about drilling a hole in the jar to bring the cord through but I didn’t want to do that.
Instead we drilled a second hole in the lid, added a rubber grommet and brought the wire back out (as shown in the picture above).
That’s it, 5 minutes and the lamp was ready for a shade. I was going to make a burlap shade but I found a really inexpensive one at World Market. Not only did I get a discount (yay!), but I also saved myself some time. I did add some black ribbon that I had in my stash to style it up a bit. I’m not sure if it will stay, but I liked it better than the plain burlap.
I love how my Mason jar lamp turned out and it looks great in my newly remodeled kitchen.
Have you ever turned a Mason jar into something useful, or something pretty?
Check out my other DIY lamp posts…
How to Make a DIY Hanging Lamp from Thrifty Finds
Easy and Inexpensive Lamp Makeover