How to make a ceiling fan look better
Old ceiling fan seem like they last forever! However, they can look a bit dated. On the other hand, it might even feel a little frivolous to get rid of a perfectly good fan just for the sake of aesthetics.
Here is a quick and easy DIY ceiling makeover for under $15!
What you need for a DIY ceiling fan light makeover:
- Contact paper (I used this golden paper! for shine!)
- An old gift card or card stock cardboard
- New light globes and light bulbs (optional)
Step 1:
Firstly, disassemble the ceiling fan. To do so, remove the light globes (if it comes with lights) and the ceiling fan blades. I used a small Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the ceiling fan blades from the arms.Β
Step 2:
Next, clean the ceiling fan to get rid of stubborn dust and dirt. For example, I first use dryer sheets to tackle the dust. Then, I go back over it with a paper towel and some all-purpose cleaner to shine the fan up.Β
Be sure to also clean and dry each ceiling fan blade as well. That way, your contact paper adheres to the blades smoothly.Β
Step 3:
Thirdly, measure the surface area of one ceiling blade to find its surface area. Then, multiply that surface area by how many ceiling fan blades you have. As a result, you’ll know how much contact paper you’ll need to purchase to cover all the blades.Β
Step 4:
Now itβs time to stick your contact paper on the ceiling fan blades! Unroll the contact paper (with the backing paper still on). Next, use scissors to cut out the general size of the each ceiling fan blade. That will make it easier to handle the paper.
Step 5:
Using an old gift card or piece of card stock, begin to stick the contact paper onto the blade, peeling the backing off a few inches at a time. Meanwhile, use a gift card to smooth the contact paper on the ceiling fan blade as you go.Β
Once you get to where the screw holes are on the blade, you’ll need to cut those out carefully with an X-Acto knife and smooth the excess underneath the screw hole gasket. Continue smoothing the paper.
Step 6:
After that, cut the excess contact paper off with an X-Acto knife by flipping your fan blade over and cutting on a hard (and not too precious) surface. Gently pull away the excess.
Step 7:
Reattach the fan blades and lights. I decided to ditch the old light globes and opt for caged ceiling fan lights. Since the light bulbs are now exposed, I swapped out my standard bulbs for cute Edison ones.
How to make a ceiling fan look better is easily doable!
That’s it! It’s a pretty simple ceiling fan DIY to add a little bit more beauty back into your room. Without a doubt, it’s not the same as just simply replacing the ceiling fan with a more modern one. But at least it’s better than the old look of the ceiling fan!
In the future, I may swap out the pull chains or just simply trim them to be the same length for an even better look. In short, I hope this gives you an idea of how to make your old ceiling fan a little bit cooler, pun totally intended.
Sincerely,
Felicia
P.S.: Discover more One Room Challenge week 5 posts for more great ideas!
And check out my other One Room Challenge posts! week 1 | week 2 | week 3 | week 4
This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click on a link and purchase something.
Shop the post
Roommay, this is great! So simple like you said yet, I’m sorry, it looks like tou spent some 100s. That contact paper is legit. Another great blog post!
I really appreciate that, Roommay! Contact paper nowadays can be of good quality with plenty of attractive and even embroidered patterns.
This is a really good idea! Little investment for a big impact.