5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl
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5 Minute Update for Your Ceiling Fan

5 Minute Ceiling Fan Update | Pretty Handy Girl

When I was updating my son’s bedroom, I gave the ceiling fan a 5 minute update! You can easily change the look of a ceiling fan by quickly swapped out the light shades. I removed the scalloped edged glass shades and replaced them with square ones for a more “gender neutral” look.

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

New glass shades cost anywhere from $3 – $10 each at Lowe’s or other home improvement stores. The shade size is pretty much universal, but make sure you are buying the smaller shades versus larger ones that are sold for pendant lights. To be sure, bring one of the old shades with you or measure the diameter of the mouth on the existing shades.

Here’s the quick 5 minute how to swap out your ceiling fan light shades:

Turn off the light and fan. Unscrew and remove all the light bulbs.

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

Loosen the screws on the sides of the light shades. Don’t remove them completely, just loosen all of them until you can remove the shades.

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

Remove the old shades.

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

Set the new ones in place.

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

Tighten the screws around the shade.

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

Replace the bulbs and admire the new look!

5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl

That was easy, right? Nothing like a 5 minute makeover.

Don’t throw away the old shades. You can donate them to your local Habitat ReStore or thrift store!

If you really want to give your ceiling fan a new look, here’s how to paint your ceiling fan!

Do tell, did you know you could swap out the shades on your ceiling fan? The same holds true for your bathroom vanity shades! Save yourself the time and effort of replacing a light fixture by just swapping out the shades. Of course if you are dealing with a TRULY UGLY fixture like a Hollywood strip light, you can follow my tutorial for changing out a light fixture.

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Five Minute Ceiling Fan Makeover | Pretty Handy Girl

6 replies
  1. susan burrows
    susan burrows says:

    I also take the globes down twice a year and run them through the dishwasher, top rack, no heat dry. it keeps them sparkly and shiny and clean!
    I also changed up the blades on a ceiling fan for one of my grandsons years ago. I decoupaged Superman comics on them. You have to weigh them after, I used a kitchen scale, to make sure they are all the same weight or the fan won’t be balanced. I just add
    ed a dab or two more modge podge to the light ones and they worked perfectly.

    Reply
  2. kristine
    kristine says:

    Hi! I just found your site, love it! Sorry if this is addressed somewhere but I cannot find it so far. Can the blades on a ceiling fan be replaced or does the whole fan need to be replaced? I have one on a screened-in porch and the blades are warped.
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Brittany Bailey
      Brittany Bailey says:

      Kristine, absolutely! Most of the home improvement stores sell replacement blades. However, make sure you purchase outdoor blades. The fact that your’s are warped means that they are the standard indoor masonite kind. Look for damp location blades. You may have to order them online. Be sure to measure your existing fan blade width (from the outer tip of one to the outer tip of an opposite one.) That will give you your fan size. 45″, 52″ etc. Also make sure to order blades for your fan’s brand.

      Reply
  3. Susan
    Susan says:

    Nice idea to donate to Habitat ReStore or thrift store, but if you want another idea, I have used these as covers for outside for tea lights. If it is windy, they make a kind of hurrican lamp type of cover and your candles don’t get blown out. I have found really old, mismatched shades and liked the way they looked and thought of a way to recycle.

    Reply

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