How To Add Copper Accent To Exterior Lighting

Plain to pizazz! Let me show you how to easily add a copper accent to exterior lighting that will take those lights of yours to the next level.

All you need is a little hammered copper paint.

Any copper paint would probably do, but I’ve been using a quart of Rust-oleum’s hammered copper paint on everything I can get my hands on. It has a gorgeous finished texture courtesy of some magic I don’t quite understand the hammered effect. Plus, I tend to think brushed-on paint lasts longer than spray paint when it comes to outdoor applications.

Here’s how the porch light on our Carriage House started. I bought it, so I did like it as is. It was perfectly fine.

Here it is now.

Hello, pop of copper! I like your pizazz.

But if you’re wondering if this copper accent makes a difference from a distance, let’s check it out.

Here’s a straight-on view of the Carriage House porch light before the paintbrush came out.

Again, perfectly fine.

And here it is now.

I love it so much! It makes my exterior lights look way more expensive than they were.

Also, I am mid-way through adding stone to the porch. There’s nothing like sharing an unfinished project on the internet to keep me humble. It might even motivate me to finish it.

Adding the copper accent to our exterior lighting has also helped tie together two mismatched sconces on our property.

Below is the lantern-style sconce I picked for the front of our garage.

Ignore the gigantic lightbulb. My husband doesn’t ask for much – just lightbulbs that can connect to our wifi so he can program them when to come off and on. Don’t tell him but it’s not much of a sacrifice on my part.

Here’s how that sconce looks now with the painted copper accent.

You better believe that I spit-cleaned the dust off the light for this picture. Only the best for this blog.

If you’re going to paint a copper accent on exterior lighting, I would recommend using a light that has a natural break in the design.

You want the illusion that a small piece or fitting of the light’s design is actually copper.

Also, for the love of clean lines, this is one of those times when you really need to tape off your work. Don’t freehand it like you do everything else. Your paintbrush is not going to easily reach around to the back of the light. Just take the extra 45 seconds to tape the light off so that you don’t mess up.

In addition, please use a tiny artist’s paintbrush for this sort of detail work. Don’t go shoving a big honkin’ 3-inch brush into an itty bitty crevice and expect things to be fine. They will not be fine.

The other advantage of using a brush-on paint instead of spray paint is that the prep work is minimal. You don’t have to protect the entire wall from overspray. No one has time for that.

Do you want to know the best part about adding a copper accent to exterior lighting?

It’s just paint!

If I change my mind and want to go back to plain and boring, I can. I will. It could happen.

What do you think of my copper accents on these exterior lights? Would you try it? Let me know. Please leave a comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Happy painting!

Product Sources:

Rust-oleum Hammered Copper Paint

Barn Light Sconce Used On Our Carriage House

Lantern Sconce Used On Our Garage

Wicker Sofa With Blue Cushions

Thanks for hanging out with me today. I appreciate you. My love of copper accents runs deep. If you want to know how deep, check out these blog posts.

4 Places to Use Brush-On Hammered Copper Paint

DIY Copper Christmas Tree Using a Safety Cone

Faux Copper Metal Awning

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