Home | Home & Family | Interior Design
By: Nelson Montana
What in the world are you talking about? That might be the question that occurs to you when ordering western rawhide lamp shades or replacement lamp shades. It can be very frustrating because various companies fit lampshades differently. The whole matter is made more difficult by telephone calls and world wide web ordering. If you understand how you can best measure a lampshade to get the correct fit and also communicate the correct size, you’re going to prevent problems and get the lamp shade you really want. If the shade is rawhide or not isn't important, there are a few tips you should understand to correctly measure and order a lamp shade and also the proper description that will allow you to insure that the person receiving your order is getting the correct information. We make custom rawhide lamp shades for rustic western lamps and southwestern home furnishings. Because we encounter this situation nearly everyday we have some tips that you can use to guarantee the correct look for a lamp, even beforeseeing the lamp and shade and lamp together. The proper way to measure: 1. You will need to obtain three different measurements, the bottom diameter, top diameter and height. The bottom diameter is measured across the bottom opening of the lamp shade. The top diameter is the distance across the top of the lamp shade. The height of a lampshade should be measured straight up and down vertically, never along the slant. About now is where the problem starts. When relaying the measurements various individuals and stores will place the three dimensions in varying order, it's not organized, so be careful that you are not mixing up the bottom and height measurements for example. 2. The height always must be measured straight up and down, but some people will measure along the slant. These two measurements can vary or be quite different and may make the finished shade to be incorrect if confused. You have to clarify how the height was measured. We have found that many people who measure the slant of the shade refer to it as the lampshade length rather than height. An important Measuring Height Tip: The reason you should measure height up and down, vertically, is that the height measurement of your lamp from bulb socket base to top of harp is usually the minimum vertical height you will want to cover the bulb socket with the shade. An important Tip On Height Adjustment: If you are thinking about a stock replacement shade, your lamp's overall height and look can be adjusted. The wire harp that holds the shade above the bulb is easily changed. That is great news if a standard shade is say an inch to short. Rather than having to order a custom shade you are able to change the harp causing the shade to sit lower on the lamp to give you the desired look. Shade Mounting Type: The most common shade mount has a bar across the top with a center hole for the harp mount or a washer held in place by three supports that attach to the top rim of the shade. Both variations allow the shade to be attached to the harp. Some smaller lamps and chandeliers don't use a harp but instead use a bulb adapter clip to attach directly to the bulb. A bulb clip is simply two wire loops that are attached to the shade's center bar and grip the bulb. It’s easy to add a clip to any stock shade to allow it to be placed over the bulb. Chandelier lamp shades almost always have built-in bulb clips made for the small torpedo or candelabra shaped bulbs. Lamp shades used as hanging lamps may use an uno mount which has a center ring large enough for the bulb socket to pass through. These also can be found on some table lamps. You can use a bulb clip on a replacement shade instead of an uno mount. These tips will make a difference on your future rawhide lamp shade or replacement lampshade project and you will be sure to measure, order and receive the right size lamp shade the first time for fabric or rawhide lamp shades.
Niche Article Directory: http://www.thatsmyniche.com
Craig Chambers is a table lamp designer who creates rustic western leather and southwestern rawhide lamp shades. He also makes available extensive free home lighting tips and articles on his website www.missiondelrey.com
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
