How to Rewire a Vintage Lamp

Learn how to rewire a vintage lamp to make it safe and ready to use again as a beautiful piece of decor in your home!

Decorating your home can be really expensive, especially if you want high quality pieces. That’s why I like to search thrift stores for home decor. Oftentimes, people donate items that are still in excellent shape, but no longer fit their needs or their style. If you search hard enough and are patient, you’ll find the right pieces for your home at a fraction of the cost.

A piece of home decor you’re almost guaranteed to find at thrift stores are lamps. It never fails that there are a number of lamps available every time I visit my favorite places. Most of the time, you can pick up a new to you lamp for between $5 and $10, which is a steal considering even the cheapies from Target or Walmart are more expensive than that.

I picked up this solid mid century modern brass lamp a few months ago for $4.99. A quick search shows me that similar lamps sell for a minimum of $75. How crazy is that?! The only thing “wrong” with this lamp is that the wires are old and not up to par. Thankfully it’s easy to learn how to rewire a vintage lamp, or any lamp for that matter, to ensure it’s safe to use in your home! Let me show you how.

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TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

MATERIALS YOU MAY NEED

HOW TO REWIRE A VINTAGE LAMP

How to Disassemble A Lamp

**UNPLUG THE LAMP BEFORE BEGINNING THIS PROCESS**

Remove the harp (the part that holds the lampshade) by lifting the sliding pieces on either side, squeezing and pulling up.

Remove the felt piece from the bottom of the lamp.

Twist the harp holder counter clockwise to loosen it, then using a small flathead screw driver, gently separate the two pieces of the three way socket.

Once the two pieces are separated, pull it up to expose the wires. Using a small screw driver, loosen the two screws, then use a pair of pliers to remove the wires from around the screws.

Untie the underwriter’s knot, then pull the old cord out the bottom of the lamp.

How to Rewire a Lamp

Feed the new lamp wires through the hole on the side of the bottom of the lamp, then up through the center. Depending on how tall the lamp is, you may have to remove the top section to make this part easier.

Add on the new hardware, including the harp holder and the bottom part of the three way socket. Then tie an underwriter’s knot.

Loosen the screws on the top of the light bulb base, then attach the neutral wire (the one with ridges) to the silver screw, then the hot wire (the one that’s smooth), to the brass screw by feeding the wire around the screw. Tighten each screw once completed.

Pull the wires taught from the bottom and situate the top of the three way socket in the bottom of the base and push to secure it.

Glue on the felt piece onto the bottom of the lamp, add a lightbulb, then plug in your lamp and test it out!

NOTES

It’s vital that you unplug your lamp prior to attempting to rewire your vintage lamp.
Make sure to follow the directions on the specific lamp rewire kit that you purchase.
It’s important to tie an underwriter’s knot prior to connecting the wires to the light bulb base because it ensures the wires will not be pulled back through the bottom of the lamp.

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How to Rewire a Vintage Lamp

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