How to Re-Cover a Lampshade With Fabric

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Sometimes it's the small details in a room that help to bring color and uniqueness to a space. One such small detail is the lampshade. So often lampshades with decorative designs and pretty colors can be hard to find without a high price tag. Today we have a tutorial for giving a plain old lampshade a beautiful makeover by covering it with fabric. Re-covering a lampshade is a quick and easy project (no sewing required!) that will produce stunning results.

Materials List:

Lampshade
Decorative Fabric
Spray Adhesive (we used 3M™ Super 77 #636100)
Tracing Paper

Tools List:

Rotary Cutter #9655
Cutting Mat #102990
Pencil, Yardstick

How to Recover a Lamp Shade With Fabric Video 2 — Learn how to recover a lampshade with fabric in this step-by-step video guide.

When selecting a fabric for your lampshade, it’s important to consider both the weight and pattern of the fabric. Choose a thin, lightweight fabric to allow the light from the lamp to shine through more effectively. Depending on the shape of your lampshade, be mindful of the pattern you choose. A straight drum shade (where the top and bottom diameters are equal) works well with any pattern. However, if the top and bottom diameters of your shade are slightly different, a vertically linear pattern might not be the best choice. As the shade curves, the pattern may fall unevenly along the back seam. In such cases, a more random pattern is recommended for a more cohesive look.

In this video demonstration, you will learn how to pattern the fabric for your shade and how to glue it in place. For extra embellishments, you can add trim, beading, or fringe using a hot glue gun at the end of the project.

Have you ever spruced up a lampshade? Let us know how your projects turn out!