Decorative Punched Metal Ceiling Light Shade

Hey Remodelaholic readers! It’s Corinna from For My Love Of (a blog sharing unique DIY ideas, first time home ownership stories, and thrifting successes) here as a contributor again (see the shelves I shared here). Today I’m sharing with you the tutorial for a decorative punched metal ceiling light shade designed to retrofit over top an existing light fixture. It’s moroccan inspired and fairly easy to put together!

How to Make a Punched Metal Ceiling Light Shade

Supplies Needed:

• E-6000
• Spray adhesive
• Clothespins
• Sheet(s) of decorative punched metal (like this)
• Contact Paper or Wide Painter’s Tape
• Styrene Lighting Panel
• Parchment Paper
• Dremel Tool with Cutting Disk
• 1 16 inch Bottom Wire Ring (lamp shade making kind)
• 1 16 inch Top Washer Wire Ring (lamp shade making kind)
• 11 inch straight pipe (lamp making kind) if working with the standard “boob light”
• (if you’re working with a semi-flushmount “boob light” like this one then you may not need any straight pipe)

The Process:

Here’s the light fixture I started out with. I’ve removed the glass cover, the threaded pipe that screws in that hole in between the light bulbs, and the light bulbs. We aren’t playing with the electrical here but the power is off because safety first. I chose to remove the outer ring and legs with a dremel tool.

Trace the inner rim of the lamp ring onto the light panel and cut out with a dremel tool. I also tried tin snips and a torch with pointed attachment and neither of those worked in the least bit, but the panels are rather large so you have room to make a couple mistakes.

Take the sheet (or sheets if a single sheet isn’t long enough) and roll loosely over a round object. Quart sized paint cans work well! This is just to get the sheet curved to hug the lamp ring.

Line up the lamp rings along the edges of the sheet of decorative punched metal. Secure in place with inexpensive clothespins.

(note here the placement of the lamp ring with washer and the threaded pipe already in place with a bolt securing it in place. That is the bottom side and this will thread into the hole in the light fixture. If your light is flush mounted, you will definitely need a longer one of these than what is likely already in use in the light fixture. The semi flushmount models hang down from the ceiling so there’s more clearance for the lamp shade, hence being able to just reuse the existing threaded pipe and washer.)

Place a small dollop of a strong adhesive, like E6000 here, in the groove between the ring and the sheet of metal. E6000 will ball up and come right off of fingers (even more easily than school glue!) so you can smear it into this space with your finger.

This is where I’m going to tell you what I did, tell you to do something else, and tell you why.

I wrapped my shade with parchment paper and secured it in place with tape. You really ought to wrap the shade with something more like contact paper, thick painter’s tape wrapped over and over, or something like inexpensive self adhesive shelf liners. The parchment paper does not do a good job of preventing spray adhesive from seeping onto the outside of the shade and I am certain I will have problems with dust in the future, just saying, I’m all about realtalk.

I’m certain if you use something sticky that will cling to the shade, that the overspray won’t be an issue. Once the outside is secure, spray the inside with spray adhesive.

Line the inside of the shade with parchment paper. I have to give credit to my husband. I was highy dissatisfied with how visible all the ugliness inside the shade was highlighted and he suggested using parchment paper to conceal and diffuse the light.

You can absolutely do this in sections if dealing with one long piece is too frustrating. I had to cover a small gap because I mismeasured and it not at all visible from the outside.

Pop the light panel circle we cut out earlier into the bottom of the shade, place a few dollops of adhesive onto the panel next to the shade ring (from the inside) and give ample time to dry.

Then you’ll just need to line up the threaded pipe with the hole in the light fixture and twist on. The parchment paper diffuses the light enough that you can use light bulbs as bright as day light so it makes for a really wonderful light source. (Note: use LED bulbs for less heat and also saving energy!)

I had trouble finding a panel long enough to go around the whole 16 inch ring, so I used a few pieces I lined up and cut with tin snips. You can see here how it’s kind of noticeable up close.

The shade is much more my style than the previous light fixture, which is perfect, because I just redecorated our entire bedroom!

The brushed nickel finish still gives the shade a clean and refined look, but the fun punched out pattern is reminiscent of many of styles you’d see in moroccan lanterns. It really blends the two styles seamlessly.

And here’s a little shot of the bedroom I just redecorated (and furnished!). The space is tiny, so I love the impact a light fixture like this can make in such a small room.

Thank you for checking out this project! I hope you’ve found this tutorial helpful and that it inspires you to try something new! Check out more projects on my blog – For My Love Of.

And, if you’ve enjoyed this tutorial, you’ll probably enjoy these posts, too-

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More ways to update a light fixture:

Pottery Barn Crystal Flushmount Knock-off

One “boob” light updated in two easy ways

DIY Pendant Lights

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