Every household has one. The ugly old lamp. It still functions so you feel guilty tossing it out. It remains in a hidden back bedroom, a frightening sight for a poor, unsuspecting guest.

The answer is to the ugly lamp dilemma is easy! Use mosaics to change it into a charming lamp you will be proud to have in your living room.

What you will need

old functioning lamp (simple shapes work best)
glass glue (comes in a tube at home improvement store. Gooey stuff to hold the glass, pottery pieces in place)
Rubber gloves
Hammer
Broken pieces of tiles
Broken old plates
Optional: Buttons!
unsanded grout
water
bucket
rags
sponges

How to get started

1. Take the lampshade off the lamp, unplug it and remove the light bulb.
   
2. Break up tiles of your choice using hammer with tiles inside towel. Smack lightly to get pieces of tile the size of a quarter or a bit larger.
   
3. Start gluing mosaic pieces on the base of the lamp.
   
4. Slide pieces of mosaic next to each other, fitting them together like a jigsaw puzzle with about 1/4 inch between the pieces.
   
5. Break pieces to fit when needed.
   
6. Cover the entire lamp base with mosaic pieces.
   
7. Allow to dry 24 hours.

Time to grout!

The hard part is done and now its time for the grout which is the sand which fills the gaps between the mosaic pieces.

1. Mix the grout in a bucket following the instructions on the grout container
2. With gloves on your hands, carefully pick up a small handful of grout and put it on the lamp, rubbing it into the gaps.
3. Continue covering the lamp with group, rubbing it into the gaps. Wipe excess off with rags.
4. Using a damp sponge, continuing wiping excess grout off the lamp.
5. Finish by wiping the entire lamp down with dry rag, removing the grout glazing.
6. Allow to dry over night.

This may be the moment to replace the lampshade if its faded, torn or mismatched. You can cover the lampshade with a fabric of your choice OR head to your favorite home improvement center to purchase a new one. Add some fringe (purchased at a local fabric store) with a hot glue gun.

Add the light bulb and plug it in. Gorgeous, yes? Instead of your lamp being an embarassment to you, it is now an object of pride.

Let your light shine! Take a bow!

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