How to Refurbish a Table Lamp

Twist the lamp finial counterclockwise to remove it from the top of the lamp. Lift the shade off the lamp to expose the harp.

Find where the two sides of the harp connect to the harp saddle near the bottom of the lamp socket. Two small sleeves cover the harp and saddle connections. Slide the sleeves up the harp to expose the connections. Keep the sleeves from sliding down the harp with one hand as you squeeze the two sides of the harp towards the socket to release them from the saddle.

Grab the top of the metal socket sleeve. Wiggle the sleeve back and forth as you attempt to pull it from its metal base -- called the socket cap -- to expose the socket. If you cannot pull the sleeve from the cap by hand, use pliers to squeeze the sides of the sleeve above the cap and insert a small flat-head screwdriver between the socket cap and the sleeve to pry the sleeve from the cap.

Loosen the two screws holding the lamp cord wires to the side of the socket. Pull the socket from the lamp.

Untie the knot in the lamp wire. The knot in the wire keeps it from accidentally pulling from the socket and the lamp base. Look beneath the socket cap for a small setscrew. Loosen this setscrew and rotate the cap counterclockwise to remove it from threaded lamp pipe. Removing the cap allows you to lift the harp saddle from the top of the lamp.

Wrap the exposed lamp pipe threads in masking tape to protect them. Lay the lamp on its side to access the bottom of the base. Peel the felt from the bottom of the base to expose the nut holding the threaded lamp pipe in the lamp base and the lamp cord.

Trace the cord from the bottom of the pipe to where they thread through the side of the base. Use wire cutters to cut the cord next to the grommet inside the lamp base. Pull the old lamp cord from the lamp pipe. Grab the cord along the outside of the lamp base and pull it from the lamp. Use pliers to pull the old grommet from the lamp. Discard the old lamp cord and grommet.

Grab the top of the lamp pipe with pliers to hold it stationary. Tighten the nut in the lamp base with another set of pliers.

Sand the body of the lamp with 120-grit sandpaper to remove any corrosion and flaking paint. Continue to lightly sand the entire lamp to remove the finish from any glossy surface. Do not sand any areas you do not want to paint.

Protect any parts of the lamp you do not wish to paint with painters tape. Move the lamp to a well-ventilated area. Spray-paint the lamp with a color and texture of your choice. Allow the paint to cure for at least 24 hours, and then remove the all the painters and masking tape.

Place a new lamp harp saddle over the lamp pipe at the top of the lamp. Twist a new socket cap onto the lamp pipe threads. Tighten the socket cap setscrew.

Thread the bare ends of the replacement lamp cord wires through a new rubber lamp grommet. Thread the wires through the hole in the lamp base and up through the threaded lamp pipe until you expose about six or eight inches of cord. Replacement lamp cords come with the plugs attached and the ends of the cord stripped of insulation.

Tie an overhand knot in the cord as close to the socket cap as possible. Grasp the bare wires at the end of the cord. Pull the wires apart until you separate about three inches of lamp cord into two individual wires. The design of lamp cord allows you to pull the wires apart without any effort and without damaging the cord.

Feel the exterior of the insulation on the two separate lamp cord wires at the top of the lamp. One wire feels smooth while the other feels like it has small ribs molded in the insulation.

Loosen the two screws on the side of a replacement socket. Wrap the end of the smooth wire around the brass screw and tighten it. Wrap the ribbed wire around the silver screw and tighten it.

Grab the lamp cord outside the base. Pull the cord to remove the slack at the socket. Keep the cord taut as you push the rubber grommet into the lamp base cord hole.

Cut a piece of lamp-base felt to fit the bottom of the base. Use all-purpose craft glue to adhere the felt to the lamp base. Let the glue dry before seitting the lamp on its base.

Slide the new socket sleeve over the socket. Push the sleeve into the socket cap.

Slide the harp sleeves up the harp. Hold the sleeves away from the ends of the harp as you squeeze the ends of the harp toward each other. Fit the ends of the harp into the harp saddle. Release the harp sleeves.

Place the lamp shade over the harp. Secure the shade with the original finial or a new decorative finial.