Dated to Delightful - My Favorite New Lamp

Recently I shared a little makeover in one corner of our family room.  I was particularly happy with the results because I had most of the items already on hand.  The little Craigslist antique dresser is a great piece but the curvy, turquoise lamp that sits on it stole my heart.  In my opinion it makes the whole thing pop!

(You may have noticed some new, FABULOUS, chevron curtains in this picture...more on those soon!)

I picked up this lamp on one of my many thrifting trips for $8.08.  I couldn't ignore that curvalicious shape!  I had seen so many lamp transformations online and I wanted to make a beautiful (and cheap) lamp for my home too.  But then the lamp sat in my garage waiting for the right project for almost a year.   Here's the dark, dated before.

I followed the usual spray painting steps: tape off non-paint areas, quick degloss, light sanding and then several light coats of Bahama Sea spay paint by Krylon.  Unfortunately, things didn't proceed so smoothly from this point on.  Once a few coats of paint were on, I could clearly see cracks in the wood that were not obvious before.

Boo!

For some reason, my paint projects always take extra time. (whine, whine)  I filled the visible cracks with wood filler and  sprayed a few more light coats of Bahama Sea.  Then I started to have trouble with the finish crackling and bubbling.  I felt like giving up, but I kept at it.  Once I re-sanded the wood and reapplied more paint (I went through 1 and a half cans!) I was done.  And it turns the delightful results were worth the extra work!

What are your secrets for perfect spray painting?  Clearly I need your help!

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