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The exterior of our home has been neglected since we bought it back in 2017. We’ve put a lot of time, engergy, and money into our backyard space but the front of the hosue has remained untouched. Since moving in I’ve wanted to upgrade our exterior light fixtures from brass to matte black but I’ve kept putting it off. I finally decided that we didn’t need new lights, we just needed to upgrade the color! So I did what any DIYer does best… I grabbed an $8 can of spray paint and got to work. I love how they turned out and I want to share the process with you for how to upgrade your own exterior lights!

Step 1 – Disassemble your light fixture

All light fixtures are different but most have seperate pieces that include glass (or a bulb), the fixture itself, and screws. Remove all of these items. You can uninstall the fixture completely or just leave the plate attached to your house.

Step 2 – Spray Paint the Parts

Lay all your parts (screws, supports, etc) on a drop cloth and spray with your desired color spray paint. I used Behr Premium spray paint in matte black, but there are so many different paints that could work for light fixtures. I recommend a high quality interior/exterior paint that has good one coat coverage.

Step 3 – Tape off The Attached Fixture

If you left the base of the fixture installed on your home, use exterior painters tape to tape off any exposed brick, trim, etc. I also taped on additional paper to protect the exterior of my home from overspray.

Step 4 – Spray the Fixture

Spray paint the fixture attached to the house being sure to spray from all angles. It’s easy to miss areas so give it a good once over to make sure you havent missed any spots.

Step 5 – Assemble

Once the fixture and parts are completely dry (I let mine cure overnight) put all the part back together and assemble the light fixture.

This is a quick and easy way to upgrade exterior light fixtures but it also works for interior fixtures and lamps!