Transform Your Chandelier with Resin Candle Covers and Silk-Wrapped Bulbs

Greetings!  How has your week been?  Are you ready for the weekend…the last weekend before Thanksgiving?  Doing any baking or cooking in advance?  Cleaning and readying the house for family?  This next week is going to be a busy one for many folks.

Last week I wrote about a little “upgrade” I’m giving the chandelier in my dining room.  You can read the story of how I found/purchased this chandelier in this previous post here:  Beeswax Candle Covers and Satin-Wrapped Bulbs for Chandeliers.

I’ve had my dining room chandelier for 15+ years and over that time the candle covers had really darkened.  I hadn’t even noticed it until I recently learned  they make honest-to-goodness, real wax candle covers.   I looked at mine and was shocked at how awful they looked.  You may remember in the previous post mentioned above, I purchased one wax candle cover to see how it would look on the chandelier.  The wax one is the one right up front, slightly to the right.

Here’s a close up of the wax candle cover from that previous post.  I was seriously thinking of buying some of these until I talked with David, a local antique and lighting expert who heavily cautioned me against buying them.  He said wax covers are prone to melt unless you use very low wattage bulbs and they are difficult to keep clean.  David told me he will not even order them for customers because of all the problems they can cause.

Chandelier-Update-with-Wax-Candle-Covers-and-Silk-Wrapped-Bulbs

I hadn’t even thought about how I’d clean them until he mentioned it.  Also, I’m pretty obsessed with having the lighting in the rooms of my home at the level I want.  I love lighting, love everything about it.  It can completely make or break a room.  You can have a beautifully furnished/decorated room and it can be ruined with bad lighting.  The opposite holds true, too.  An average-looking space can feel and look much better with great lighting.

Besides my concerns of having a dimly lit dining room, I had visions of dust stuck to the wax of the candle covers.  David suggested I use resin covers because they look just like the wax ones with the “drips” running down the side and are much easier to keep clean.  Plus, you can use whatever watt bulb you wish.  Like that idea!

Resin Candles

He had several chandeliers in his shop with the resin covers and they were all beautiful.  A few days later I located a company online that sells them and will cut them to the exact height you need for your chandelier.  I decided to order them, keeping my fingers crossed I’d like them when they arrived.  They arrived today and I love them!  They actually look better on the chandelier than I ever expected.  Let’s do a little comparison and check them out.

Oh, I should mention, I’ve also swapped all the bulbs out in my chandelier for the silk/satin wrapped bulbs.   You can read more about those in that previous post, too.  (I’ll link to that post again at the bottom of this post.)  The picture above shows the chandelier with regular chandelier bulbs.

I ordered 60-watt, silk-wrapped bulbs since the wrapped finish quietens down the wattage a bit.  I had 25-watt bulbs in the chandelier before but David suggested going with 60-watts when I changed to silk-wrapped bulbs. I’m glad he suggested that because my chandelier is on a dimmer and the 60-watt bulbs are perfect.  If you buy silk-wrapped bulbs and your chandelier is not on a dimmer, you may want to stick with 4o-watt bulbs.  I think 60-watt bulbs would be a bit much without a dimmer.  They are great turned up full-blast for task lighting, but you wouldn’t want to keep them there full-time, at least not in an average size dining room with normal height ceilings.

I love the new bulbs.  They were in the chandelier when I took pics of my Thanksgiving tablescape for this post:  Thanksgiving Tablescape with Rustic Turkey Centerpiece and Turkey Tureens

Back to the candle covers…below you’ll see the yellowed, darkened, 15-year-old plastic candle covers.  That’s what I just replaced today.   To capture these pics for the post, I left the chandelier off and brought in some additional lighting.  Hopefully there’s enough light for you to get a good comparison.  See how badly the plastic covers had aged.  I love aged furniture, but not so much aged plastic.

Here’s the lone, wax-covered candle cover I bought from a lighting store in Atlanta before I knew about some of the drawbacks of using wax covers.  This one is a tad too tall and fat, but it was all they had in stock at the time.  I bought it so I could see/test how this style would look on the chandelier.  It was pretty pricey at $10.50 each.

And here is one of the new resin covers that arrived today.  It was cut to the exact height I specified, which was the same as the yellowed, plastic covers.

Here’s a view of all three styles on the chandelier.  I ordered the resin covers in “ivory” from a company called Lumiere Candles Inc.  They also carry wax candle covers.  The resin candle covers were $5.45 each + an additional .50 cents for a custom cut size.  That’s much less than then the cost of the wax covers.

Update: Lumiere Candles saw this post and emailed to say, when ordering from them, if you use the code BNOTP at checkout, you’ll receive 10% off your order. (I’m not affiliated with Lumiere Candles, just sharing the link in case it’s helpful.)

They also told me the covers looked a tad too tall in the photo. I guess the height of the plastic covers wasn’t the ideal height for the new covers, probably because the resin covers are thicker. So I sent all the covers back to Lumiere and they cut a tiny bit off and sent them back.  They look great! I’m thrilled with them and wish I had known about the resin covers years ago! So, the pics in this post were taken prior to the covers being shortened a tiny bit.

I was hoping the resin candle covers wouldn’t look yellow against the silk-wrapped bulbs and they don’t.   I’m very  happy with the color.  Notice how you can see the “drips” on the resin cover much better than you can on the wax cover.  Love that!

Here’s the chandelier with all the plastic covers replaced and the new resin covers in place.  All the bulbs have been replaced with the silk/satin-wrapped bulbs.  These photos were taken tonight after dark.  I’ll add a picture tomorrow so you can see how the chandelier looks in daylight.  It feels soooo romantic!  In this photo, a few of the covers look darker, but they are really all the same color.   Not sure why they came out looking darker in the pic.

Chandelier with Resin Candle Covers

David said the resin covers would take a chandelier to a whole new level in appearance.   He was right!  I can’t believe it has taken me this long to discover resin candle covers!   I’m really enjoying the silk-wrapped bulbs, too.  They are so much easier on the eyes than the regular chandelier bulbs.

Chandelier with Resin Candle Covers

Update:  Tried to capture a pic this morning with it lit up.  It’s hard to take a picture of a lit light fixture! lol  Hopefully this will give you a little idea of how it looks when blazing away.  Excuse the ladder that’s reflected in the mirror.  I’ve been working on another little project here in the dining room…hope to share it soon.  (Update: You’ll find the other dining room project here:  Dining Room Addition:  French-Pleated Check Draperies)

Dining Room Chandelier with Resin Candle Covers and Silk-Wrapped Bulbs

If you would like to read the story about where I found this chandelier, additional info about silk-wrapped bulbs and “wax vs resin” candle covers, you’ll find more information in this previous post:  Beeswax Candle Covers and Satin-Wrapped Bulbs for Chandeliers.

Happy Weekend, sweet friends!

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Comments

  1. Those are really pretty, and that chandy is just gorgeous. I had never heard of silk wrapped bulbs until I read your previous post, now I want to get some. I think you made the right decision, I bet those wax ones would be horrible to try to clean. And I shutter to think of the damage that could be caused if they actually do melt, even a little wax could start a fire, I would think.

  2. I’ve reached the point where I need to change my candle covers on two chandliers. Your post arrived at just the right time. Thanks so much for doing all the research. We have several excellent lighting stores that I’ll check to see if I can buy them locally. If not, I appreciate the web addresses. Happy Thanksgiving! Cherry Kay

  3. Very enlightening !! I got a “supply” of the silk wrapped bulbs LONG ago and my stash is almost depleted. I have lights from an old railroad car (with the chimney, etc) that I use those “wrapped” bulbs in and they are “just right!” Thanks for the new outlet… franki

    • Oh, that sounds so neat Frankie! Where do you buy your bulbs? I need to find the receipt for where I bought mine online, in case I need more sometime soon. I’m thinking about adding these to my bedroom chandy, too.

  4. Your blog is always delightful to read and full of information that I generally take advantage of.
    Thank you and have a delicious (and beautifully lit) Thanksgiving.

  5. Susan, I was introduced to resin covers by Joan from the blog For the Love of a House, but I had never heard of the spun-silk bulbs till I read your previous post about them. They look gorgeous on your chandelier, along with your covers. No wonder you couldn’t wait to share!

  6. Awesome Susan! I’m glad to see how they look! Both the new resin wax covers and the wrapped bulbs look wonderful!

  7. I don’t have a chandelier 🙁 but if I did this would be one of your – always – amazing tip I’d follow suit.
    Your home, it goes without saying, always look that nothing could improve it but when you do it really makes a difference.
    You’re an Inspiration! And very kind to share with us.
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Teresa

    • Awww, thanks Teresa. Remember, we bloggers mostly just show the “pretty” stuff. I have lots of areas that still need some serious DIYing! I keep chipping away it all though…little by little. 🙂

  8. Great post Susan … you have inspired many many readers today!!!

  9. Northshoremimi says

    I have loved everything you do and look forward to everyone of your posts. This is terrific. I’ll have to send you a shot of my chandelier. Everyone who enters our dining room comments on it. I have to be honest with each of them although I too think its beautiful I didn’t really warn it. The reason, I didn’t want to later clean it. When we did a major remodel the Mr. (who actually is awesome at picking out most so the decorating, people can’t believe it) and I do give him the credit! He just had to have it, I told him its just really gorgeous but if we get it I promise you I WILL NEVER BE THE ONE TO CLEAN IT. When it was being installed and I saw the guys up on the ladder with little white cotton gloves on I knew my gut feeling about the cleaning was right.
    Your chandelier and cover and the silk wrapped bulbs are absolutely exquisite. Our chandelier is only 2 years old and the covers are meant to look antique I love the drippy wax look and will contact the company to see if they have that old world color with the drippy. But no matter what I’m definitely getting him to change to the silk wrapped bulbs. We have quite a few on this baby 18. Hugs, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all !

    • Your’s sounds beautiful! I love the antique-looking candle covers…they are beautiful! You’ll love the silk-wrapped bulbs! They are a little more expensive but I’ve been told they last longer. I only clean mine about twice a year…takes about 15 minutes to just wipe it down with a soft cloth.

  10. Dorinda Selke says

    Hi Susan – well that was a change well worth doing! Your chandy looks fabulous! I’ve never heard of silk wrapped buibs either, but I am going to look into getting some. So beautiful ! I’m up to some cleaning and getting my serving dishes out, washed and labeled with what dish is being served in it. Makes it easier when people want to help get things out onto the buffet! Have a great weekend! Hugs, Dorinda

  11. Thanks for all the super info, Susan! I bought new lighting recently, but will keep this post handy if I’m looking for replacements in future. All good to know and share…Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
    Linda at Beautiful Ideas

  12. Love the silk wrapped bulbs and covers! Absolutely beautiful!!!

  13. The change is just beautiful!!! I was also wondering about the dust clinging to the wax covers………and I am getting those silk wrapped bulbs right away!!!!

  14. I love how you research everything for us. While I don’t have a chandelier, I will file this away for the future, you never know. I did have the thought, I wonder who woke up one morning and said, “Lets wrap silk around that bulb.”

    • lol I think it was someone who didn’t like the awful blinding glare you get from the regular chandelier bulbs. It really casts such a pretty glow in the room compared to the regular clear bulbs. I think the frosted bulbs probably come about the closest to the silk wrap.

  15. Linda Bettinger says

    I never noticed how awful those old plastic covers were on my own chandelier. Thanks! (LOL) I might have to order those new ones like you have. They are much better looking. May I ask their cost?

    • Linda, they were $5.95 each + .50 cents to have them cut to a custom size, which I did. Shipping was $7.20 so my total cost was $64.50 for 10. If you don’t need a custom size, that would cut the cost a bit. I do think it was worth it for the huge difference it made in the appearance of the chanderlier. I’m guessing they will last a very, very long time, maybe indefinitely…so def. worth it…in my humble opinion. 🙂

  16. Fabulous!!! You’re the best!!!!!

  17. That really does look SO incredibly beautiful!
    I may have to make a switch of my own!
    Catherine

  18. Thanks for the info! It certainly looks fabulous on yours. I have one in the garage I bought in a yardsale which is on my agenda for the New Year.

  19. Hi Susan! I just learn so much from you. I’ve never heard of resin covers for a chandy and not the silk wrapped bulbs either. Your chandy looks wonderful. I probably should get some. I used the frosty bulbs in mine and it looks nice but I really like yours. I covet a lot! 🙂 Now for the life of me, I don’t see a ladder.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia 😉

  20. I had no idea about resin covers or silk-wrapped light bulbs–they look gorgeous on your pretty chandelier, Susan. Very informative post!

  21. merle turner says

    Everyone is talking about lights lately, I have never heard of silk-wrapped lights but they do look good, I will see if they are available here.
    Merle….

  22. Hi, Susan!
    I’m glad you are happy now with your chandelier. 🙂
    (Ok, it’s no wonder: it looks fantastic! I’d worry about you if you would NOT be happy! 😉 )
    Last week I told you, I have two chandeliers that look similar to yours. Mine are just smaller and are in gold where yours is in chrome/silver and they have dimmable, “twisted” bulbs. Their style is called “Marie Therese style”. They have those resin candle covers, too, and I have to say they are still as beautiful (and white!) as they were 15 years ago, when I purchased them. You will see, they will not become yellowish!
    Oh, and those new silk wrapped bulbs you bought, just give an additional touch of class and elegance to your chandelier! Now, it isn’t beautiful… it is PERFECTLY beautiful! 🙂 Love it!
    ~Hugs to you~
    Cecilia

  23. Thank you so much for such an informative – and beautiful post, Susan! I, too, have never heard of silk wrapped bulbs, but they sure are gorgeous! Your chandy is truly amazing!!!!

    xoxo laurie

  24. Susan,
    I am new to youyr site and am “catching” up. So much to see.
    I love your chandelier. The perfect “eye catcher” made even better with the new candle covers and bulbs.
    My wife and I have an antique brass “Williamsburg” style fixture with 10 lights like yours. The resin candle covers and silk wrapped bulbs would make it stand out. Ours is on a dimmer so it is easy to bring it down to very low candle light.
    I think some of your candles seem to be darker than others is the darker ones are closer to you an not getting light on them from all sides. The dark ones are in the “shade” on outside.
    rick

    • Hi Rick, Welcome! I noticed they looked like that in the pictures. It must have been the way the light was hitting them and the way the camera perceived it because thankfully, they don’t look like that in person. 🙂

  25. What a beautiful change! I’ve always hated the way those “candlesticks” look on chandeliers; now I know they can be fixed. On another note, I’ve been following your blog for a couple of weeks now and am impressed with your photos. What do you use when taking your tablescape photos? Tripod, ladder, lenses?

    • Hi Jennie,
      I should be using my tripod but I find them so restricting. 99.9 % of the time I don’t use a tripod and just brace my hand or elbow or body against the back of chair or the wall or whatever I can find. I do have a big light I bring in and turn on in a corner to give extra light if I’m in a room that tends to be dark. It really helped when I started taking all my pics in manual because I could dial up the ISO and lower the aperture to let in more light. That helps a lot. I don’t stand on a ladder but I have been know to stand on a chair to get an overhead shot. 🙂 I shoot with a Nikon D7000 and the lenses I mainly use are a Nikon 18-200 zoom lens and a Nikon 35 mm lens. I occasionally use the kit lens that came with my D40 which is an 18-55 lens. Thanks so much for your kind words…appreciate them so much!
      XO

  26. Hi, Susan, Funny you should do a post on this. About a month ago I noticed how awful yellow and dark the covers to my chandelier were looking. I did a Fall Chandelier with faux (fake = haha) leaves and a few black birds and there was no way that I could take pictures the way those covers looked so I painted them. They came out terrible but at least they were white. I took pictures in such a way to hide the worst of them – they came out kinda streaky, you know? Anyway, thanks for this. I’m going to look them up right now. Have a happy Thanksgiving. Linda

    • I never thought about painting them. That was a good try for a fix! 🙂 I hadn’t noticed how awful mine were either until I read about the wax covers. I couldn’t believe the difference the resin ones made. You’ll love ’em!

  27. HI – I have bought a few antique fixtures but one in particular is in desperate need of the decorative candle cover replacements (currently plastic). Stubborn – having a hard time removing the plastic sleeve – any suggestions?

  28. Great idea I love chandeliers and would love to have one in every room.

  29. Selma Kessler says

    I read this post and decided to try the bulbs on our chandelier. Our chandelier already had the resin covers, but the bulbs were pretty basic, so I had put some shades on them. The shades were never quiiiiiite level, and they just looked wonky. When I replaced the shades and clear bulbs with the silk covered bulbs, the difference was remarkable! My husband even commented on how nice they look! (For a moment I thought I was in the wrong house! 😀 )

    Thanks for the great post Susan! 🙂

    • That’s too cute, what your hubby said. 🙂 I love the silk-wrapped bulbs, too. They are so easy on the eyes. So glad they worked for your chandelier, Selma!

  30. Thank you, Thank you!!! I just purchased a very similar chandelier at an estate auction for our kitchen remodel. I too did not like the covers, I am going to follow you lead and do the same.

  31. I bought a black pinapple chandelier from a local Good Will shop for $50.00 brand new. I didn’t like the cover’s that came with it. I ordered these, and I love them. It looks wonderful.. The man was so helpful on the phone for size, etc. I even took a picture of it and sent it to him.. Thanks so much Susan!

    p.s. I just love your home! Your blog is my favorite 🙂

    ellen

    • Thanks so much, Ellen! I loved how they looked when I put them on my chandelier…such a difference! Just takes it up to a new level, doesn’t it? They really are nice folks that run that company, my experience was good, too. 🙂 Tjamls again for your lovely comment!

  32. Chris Gonzales says

    Hello there,

    I just noticed your posting about sleeves and bulb selection. Both are a good idea. One suggestion though, make sure to leave a little gap at the top of the sleeve so that the bulb does not make direct contact. Ventilation is required to slow degradation of the socket, sleeve and will help bulb last a little longer.

    Thank you for the opportunity to contact you..
    Best Regards,

    • Thanks! After I took those pics, the company where I purchased my sleeves told me they looked a little tall and he cut them all down just a little. So they are shorter now. Good advice! 🙂

  33. Thanks my candle covers are 26 years old and in need of a refresh. I love your dining room. About the same color as mine and you have the same chairs! If you ever decide to change them let me know.

  34. Thank you … I also need a refresh – what a difference the new covers make.

  35. Good information, I have to replace some covers and the resins look nice. I also have two kitchen island lights that are clear glass, I use Sylvania 13741, they’re a crystal cut torpedo bulbs 40W (2 bulbs per fixture on dimmers), look nice, they cut the glare of a clear and frosted didn’t look right.

  36. Kathy T. says

    This is an old post but I had to respond. I have a beautiful chandelier, that looks a lot like yours, but the backstory for mine isn’t nearly as wonderful. The Craigslist seller bought it 20 years ago for nearly 4K (you got a great deal at 1K). She gave me the receipt and other paper worker. She let it go for 400 dollars but while my excellent husband was trying to take the chandelier down (part of the deal) the she kept accidentally tripping the power back to live. Instead of cutting on and off one circuit at a time she was cutting them all off and then going back and turning them back on not remembering which one was which, causing her to accidentally hitting the circuit where my husband was working . Well when my husband said to the adult daughter, ‘Will you handle the circuit box? I don’t think she can hear us.” she said, “Her hearing is fine. Don’t be an @$$b0I{! You are getting a great deal on a really nice chandelier. ” Figuring it wasn’t meant we packed up our stuff and left which angered the potty mouth daughter who yelled insults from the porch of the McMansion as we were getting in our car. She even made barbs at our religion and I never made one reference to Christianity or even God. So that was out of left field. In the daughter’s defense tempers were heighten because the sellers were retiring and selling their family home to move to a luxury condo; first world problems but still. We got a mile or so down the road and the seller called us on the phone apologized and begged us to come back promising her daughter had vacated the premises. So we ended up getting the chandelier after all. On top of all that we were waiting on news on an “urgent emergency” text from one of our adult children. Later we got good news- the very best news which kept the importance of a chandelier into perspective. Anyway, the chandelier is up in our new home and I love it. The candle covers aren’t yellowed but I want longer candles and resin candle covers. I like the silk covered bulbs. We had them on sconces in our powder room (eBay find that time) but I didn’t know I could buy them or what they were even called. Anyway, Great story, beautiful chandelier too!

    • What an interesting story, Kathy! That daughter sounded like she had some serious issues! I’m so glad you were able to end up with the chandelier in the end, that’s wonderful…it was meant to be yours! Glad you got good news later on the emergency issue, too. What a stressful day but all turned out well in the end.

      It’s truly amazing the different the candle covers and bulbs do make, I was shocked how much it added to my chandeliers. I’ve put them on all three of the chandeliers in my home now…really love them! Hope they work out well for your chandelier, too.

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