# Has anyone Painted their own Light Bulbs, for Effect?



## Restless Acres (Apr 21, 2016)

Yes. Just bulbs, never a flood. You can't (really) paint an incandescent as they get too hot. CFL or LED no problem. I do not like the look of a curlycue painted bulb, and incandescent is warmer (and would be better for Halloween, ideal world) but hand painted bulbs have their uses, provided the bulb does not get very hot. Use spray paint, light coats.


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## yoboseiyo (Nov 14, 2015)

i painted a bulb with gallery glass from joanns once. it worked fine. for outdoor stuff i'd go with normal glass paint, though.


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## Restless Acres (Apr 21, 2016)

Oh sorry! I just used latex! There are better paints (I am sure) as pointed out above.


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

For any bulb that gets hot at all, you'd need to get a paint that is okay for high heat - Rustoleum makes a line of high heat spray paints. You'd need to get a blue bulb tho as they seem to only make a red in this type of paint and use a very light mist effect to build up without blocking all the light.

You could also use gels for LED spots. If you have (or can find cheaply) a red spotlight or blue spotlight, then all you need to change them to make purple is a red gel (for a blue light) or a blue gel (for a red light).

I have used cheap transparent plastic folder dividers that you may still be able to find in stores like Walmart (back to school stuff). The only caution is that you must test the light to make sure it does NOT get hot. LEDs don't get super hot, but depending on how long you leave them on and where they're located, making any modifications to something means closer watching is necessary. Warm is fine, but if you can't touch the lens area without it feeling like you need to pull your fingers away fast... may not want to use the plastic gels!









Office Depot Brand Double Pocket Insertable Plastic Divider 5 Tab 9 x 11 Assorted Colors - Office Depot


Rugged polyethylene indexes are wear and tear resistant




www.officedepot.com




^this pack actually has purple dividers, so to get it richer, you'd just cut another gel to cover and layer them together. Very likely any larger office supply store like this will have the basic blue or red ones for sale.










No Gels? Use Spray Paint: Dirt Cheap DIY Lighting Tricks


Lighting can be expensive, especially if you're using professional gear. Luckily, our buddies over at Film Riot have shared a few DIY tricks that'll keep your costs low, light your whole scene, and let you play with spray paint all without a single pro light.




nofilmschool.com


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## kakugori (Aug 26, 2013)

I use outdoor spotlights, either solar or a plug in, with a gel color filter cut to fit and electrical taped on. One gel sheet can do multiple lights. The plastic folder things are a great substitute.

I also have one of these big solar LED flood lights that lets you set a color, and it's great.

I know there have been several recommendations in the past for relatively inexpensive, outdoor LED flood lights with color options. Similar to these or these, there's a lot of them out there.

Here's an LED flood bulb with various color lenses

I would buy something before I tried to paint a light bulb, frankly it kind of scares me that I'd use the wrong thing and either cause a fire or ruin the bulb at 5:30 Halloween night.


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## Nixie (Sep 20, 2011)

I’m using gels in a lot of my lighting this year. I love the nearly limitless variety of colors available.


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## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

Have you checked the dollar stores for regular bulbs? My local stores always have tons of them.


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## Myra Mains Haunters (Jan 1, 2017)

I am not really sure what Gels are?
Where do you find them / buy that at?
I am wanting to do my Flood Lights with either your suggested Gels? or by just painting them.
I was going to go with a Latex Paint on my bulbs, so that I am able to also use the Extra paint on my fencing and on my other props, like coffins etc.
I was just planning on having Home Depot mix me up a perfect Purple color, so that I have a Gallon of it to use, as opposed to buying just one spray can, for $10 ....when I can buy a whole gallon for $20.
Spray cans always seem like such a RIP OFF to me, as you use them once or twice and they just Seal themselves off, or they lose their pressure.
Where as a good old can of Latex paint, will last you, for years ...or till the very last drop.
Am I Cheap......LOL...NO!
But.....Spray Cans are good for just a one time shot, IF that?
How many times have you bought a Spray can of paint, to only get it home to sputter and spurt all over your project.
I'll take a whole can of Latex paint over a spray can, any day!
I'm going to give the latex a try.
If it works.....Great!
If not, I guess I go out and try to find some "Gel" Filters?
By the way.......Who sells that stuff?
Flood lights can get pretty Hot, and I would be more afraid using those Plastic dividers or the Gel Filters than I would be using the paint.
What do you think?
Hey......Thanks for your suggestions and input.


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## HauntedWyo (Apr 13, 2017)

The thing about using latex paint on bulbs that can get hot is, it could burn the latex paint and then change the color. Not only that, but the paint will actually make the light extremely dim if it doesn't block out the light completely as latex paint is not translucent. 

If you really want to paint your bulbs, you would be better off getting glass paint that you should be able to find at any craft store or in the craft section at places like Walmart.


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## Industen (Oct 12, 2006)

Why don't you just pick up some color change led floodlights? You get a remote controller and some let you change them through android via bluetooth. You have a ton of different colors with the bluetooth versions while you get around 16 colors with the remote one.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Personally I would never paint a bulb. There can be an overheating issue. And we’ve seen a few instances from haunters here who had string lighting that was apparently covered and not able to stay at a proper operating temperature and resulted in a fire. I’ll always air on the side of safety for this electrical stuff.

Normal flood lights can get way too hot to cover with anything. I had one outdoor rated floodlight fixture with appropriate rated bulb shatter on a cold halloween night with some light rain on it. Not fun and at least didn’t explode with anyone nearby.

I have used lighting gels over white LED lights and been happy. The gels will provide a consistent color when lit unlike cellophane for example. Some LED strobe lights will come with different gels. I’m using a blue gel this year to colorize the light given off by some pathway lights that are part of my fence set up. Bought it from Adorama. Thought the pricing was pretty good and would recommend them as a source. Bought a decent size sheet (20x24" for 6.95) that will be cut into sections and placed in the lamp covers. Used a red gel a few years ago on a white LED spotlight to add a red glow to my gargoyles. Much safer approach IMO.

Here's the link to Adorama's gels. I have bought the Roscolux brand sheets. I have a swatch book of all their colors from a few years back which I got for free with paying for the shipping, but any photography store would have sample books too if you really want to see the actual colors ahead of time. Different levels of tint.



https://www.adorama.com/l/?searchinfo=roscolux



Don't know if I got the swatch book from Adorama, but they sell one for $1.50 and nice to have on hand. https://www.adorama.com/rosb.html


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

I'm kind of worried about your updated plans. Please be careful! Would hate for you to hurt yourself, damage something you worked hard on, or throw away $ going down a path that may be messy and unsucessful for what you're envisioning.

Gels are a traditional theater light modification, used to change the color of a light for a production. They used to be highly tempered, colored glass plates, and now they offer them as sheets of plastic. You change the color or a light by cutting the gel sheet to fit and then place it or attach to the light. You can use colored plastic file folders like what I had in my post for LED lights that don't get super hot as an easily available cheap alternative to ordering actual theatrical gels. Obviously you would not use a piece of plastic on or near the surface of a hot light, so that's why everyone has been suggesting LED lights. They are cheap to operate since they don't pull as much electricity, easy to find, and should be easy to modify without messy paint involved if you go the gel route. Bonus is you can change the colors out if you find other gel/gel substitutes.

Or just buy the LEDs that have the nice color change option. They'll last for years, low electrical use, dozens of color options at the push of a little button.

Are you unable to purchase actual purple LED lights online or go buy LED lights available at the big box stores (like Home Depot/Lowes) and use gels? Is that the issue? You don't want to buy online it appears by the original post mentioning "driving all over" looking for things. It is safe and easy now to purchase things from known retailers like Amazon like some of the other suggestions. Even Walmart has some nice options. It is getting close to time now where you may not get an order in time if they don't have it in stock but advances in lights - especially LEDs - are such that you could easily purchase LEDs that don't get crazy hot, can be purchased in a color changing option to get your purple or modified using gels if you find a cheap one in an blue or red.


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## FogMaster (Jul 4, 2018)

@ Myra Mains,what exactly are you trying to accomplish? I definitely would get away from the incandescent bulbs, they create too much heat, and if your trying to go with some sort of black light effect, it would be the worst option for any type of UV light. Rosco used to make a dye for light bulbs called Colorine, but that has been discontinued. I still have a can of it and I haven't used it in years due the availability of RGB products.


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## Night Gardener (Aug 3, 2018)

You can get warm 3000k or cool 5000k spectrum LED bulbs, if you need to be that specific with your colors. They just don't get that hot compared to CFL and old-school incandescents. Even the LED floodlights do not get too hot.

But, I'm wondering why you can't find purple anywhere? I got mine from Walmart a while ago. Purple light, not UV black-light. 

When I painted bulbs, I used fabric puff paint (I don't know what it's called now, but it's sold in craft stores and it's not terribly expensive.) The puff paint is great because it can really take the heat (you set it with a screaming hot iron on clothing), stays flexible, is very blendable for custom colors, is water-proof, can be laundered, and sticks very well to the glass. And, it's soap and water clean up. A fairly light coat was sufficient. One tube did all my bulbs and I still had paint leftover. I think I was using CFL curly bulbs because I changed up my lighting scheme last minute and the colors I needed were sold out. I still use them indoors and outdoors years later, no issues. But I've been replacing them with colored LEDS as the CFLs die. 

And I have to say that, aside from the wide angle beam of a floodlight-shaped lamp that throws a broader pool of light, I simply did not need high-wattage bulbs. So, more wattage (and more bulb heat) may not be necessary for your desired lighting effects. Some of my bulbs are as low as 5 watts, and they throw a surprisingly far pool and spots of colored light in the darkness. 

You can buy standard base LEDS bulbs rated for outdoor use, and use lamp socket bases with a silicone gasket to really hedge your bets against the weather because... you know... electricity and the elements shouldn't play together... but as far as the paint? No worries.


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## Myra Mains Haunters (Jan 1, 2017)

I guess I should have explained a little better as to what I am doing.
Doh!
Well.....I already have a lot of Flood Lights....."Clear" Flood lights.
The ones that are shaped like the Old NASA Gemini capsules.
Since I have them, I am wanting to use them.
They are all being used Outside.....away from any Buildings and exposed to the Great Outdoors.
Over heating issues, if any....will only result in Tripping a Breaker, if it gets to that point.
There will be no danger to either props, Human Lives or to the general public....its just a light bulb folks. lol
I am wanting to use Purple to illuminate a few Trees.
The Flood light will be pointing up from the Base.....and lighting up all of its Leaves and Branches above.
I am not really wanting to spend money on Lights, when I already have the Lights, but unfortunately, they just happen to be the wrong colour.
I know that I can now buy the Glass paint at Walmart or such a place.
Where do I buy the Gel sheets from?
I just figured that Painting the Flood Light would be the quickest and easiest way to go?
So far, the Glass paint sounds like the easiest way to go.....what do you think?


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Ah, so modify existing old school clear flood lights. I get it, because I have several old school floodlights - they just won't die! 

No to using any gels at all then. Too hot, will melt easily near the old flood lights.

Could try the puff paint that Night Gardner mentioned as they are likely to have purple. I'd get a bottle and see how it works. Looks like Joann Fabrics has a purple: 





Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint 4oz Slick | JOANN


Tulip® Dimensional Fabric Paint helps you get creative in 3D! available in a variety of colors and finishes, this nontoxic paint is formulated for lasting adhesion to fabric so your designs stay dimensional and intact wash after wash. Each easy-squeeze bottle is equipped with a fine-point tip...




www.joann.com


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Myra Mains Haunters said:


> ....Where do I buy the Gel sheets from?



See my post #12 above with the Adorama link. That's where I bought mine from.


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

Myra Mains Haunters said:


> I guess I should have explained a little better as to what I am doing.
> Doh!
> Well.....I already have a lot of Flood Lights....."Clear" Flood lights.
> The ones that are shaped like the Old NASA Gemini capsules.
> ...


Outdoor floods get really hot. I know you think there won't be problems but if you have the wrong paint the paint can catch fire or even just cause nasty fumes. 

Also any kind of opaque paint is not going to give even results and will block a lot of the light. You can get some interesting effects that way but if you just want to light something a specific color it may not be optimal.

Go to an automotive store like auto zone and see if they have any High Temp translucent spray paints meant for use on cars like on tail pipes and other parts that get hot. They might not have any on hand but I know they exist and that will give you the best effect. 

That being said, getting the multi colored LEDS may prove to not only be less work but also more cost effective in the long run. LEDs also use less power since they waste less energy as heat so you are less likely to pop a breaker using them.


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## Night Gardener (Aug 3, 2018)

Ok, if you're wanting to use the old school incandescent (hot) monster floodlights, I think I solved your problem: find a clear glass vase, bowl, dish, anything- and paint the glassware with glass or puff paint. Install the painted glassware over bulb. Glass is inflammable, and won't melt like a plastic gel lens. Don't paint the side that is going to be close to the bulb, and the glass should act like an insulator. You could secure it to the lamp housing with HVAC foil tape or a few blobs of high heat silicone.

And, speaking of silicone: I vaguely remember when incandescent bulbs were dipped in silicone to look like little flames... maybe tint the silicone purple with a few drops of dye and smear/paint it on the bulb?


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## Chef4130 (Sep 29, 2019)

Going for a purple effect... can I make a suggestion? Use blacklight bulbs instead. You'll get an eery purple tint with the added benefit of being able to light up glow paint or brighten up lighter colors. I use several blacklight LED's every year in my haunt, and you would be amazed how well they work with glow elements, fog machines and strobes/lasers. You can use a good quality blacklight bulb to create some disorienting features (keeps people on heightened alert). They are definitely a bit more pricey than traditional bulbs, but the LED's last forever and throw off a lot of good purple light. 
As far as painting bulbs, I really don't recommend it at all. Some paints can interfere with a bulb's natural cooling ability and can be a fire hazard (like other posters have mentioned). Also, the few times I've painted bulbs, it blocks the amount of light they throw off.If you're going for a darkened effect, this might be okay but you will lose a lot of visibility. One other thing I would recommend is using a hurricane style lamp and then dusting the glass with your paint to achieve the purple light effect. Good luck!


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## HauntedWyo (Apr 13, 2017)

What kind of fixture will you be using for these flood lights? Maybe there is some way that you could make or add something that will sit in front of your light and not directly on the bulb itself that will still give you the color that you want but will be safer. For example, if you are using a fixture like this:









Bayco 300-Watt 10-1/2 in. Brooder Clamp Work Light BA-302PDQ4 - The Home Depot


Shine a light wherever you need it with the versatile and multipurpose Brooder Clamp Light from Bayco. Lighting up to 50% more than standard clamp lights, it allows for incandescent, fluorescent or LED



www.homedepot.com





Maybe you could put a glass bowl painted with puff paint of glass paint and put it over the front of the fixture. You would have to drill some holes in the metal bowl shaped shield so that heat can escape. 

Or maybe you could build some type of box that will fit over the entire fixture that sits off the bulb at least few inches you could use the gels. Again you will have to make sure that heat can escape.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Frankie's Girl said:


> Ah, so modify existing old school clear flood lights. I get it, because I have several old school floodlights - they just won't die!
> 
> No to using any gels at all then. Too hot, will melt easily near the old flood lights.
> 
> ...


I used to just make par cans in that situation to separate the gels a bit. 

Similar to this: 








Outdoor PAR Flood Light Cans


Outdoor PAR Flood Light Cans: Don't you hate it when your outdoor color flood lights loose their color coatings. Once the coatings get hot and start to flake off, they are pretty much useless. Depending on where you buy them, they cost around $6 each to replace. …




www.instructables.com


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## FogMaster (Jul 4, 2018)

Gels are okay to use just as long as they are true theatrical gels, but make sure there is no direct contact with the lamp or lens, that would destroy them and potentially cause a huge mess. Some guys even used a tracing wheel to poke small holes in the gels. The theory was that more heat would escape from them making the gels last longer, but I never pierced holes in them. Rosco and Lee are the more common companies that manufacture the gels. You can pick them up from any theatrical supply house. They also have swatch books that they usually give out for free that will show you all the colors.


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## HauntedWyo (Apr 13, 2017)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I used to just make par cans in that situation to separate the gels a bit.
> 
> Similar to this:
> 
> ...


That is what I was thinking and picturing in my head as far as keeping the gels up and away from the lens of the bulb. 
Is there a worry though about heat from the bulb not being able to escape with that set up? I know it's not a good idea to have higher wattage light bulbs totally enclosed without some way for the heat to escape.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

HauntedWyo said:


> That is what I was thinking and picturing in my head as far as keeping the gels up and away from the lens of the bulb.
> Is there a worry though about heat from the bulb not being able to escape with that set up? I know it's not a good idea to have higher wattage light bulbs totally enclosed without some way for the heat to escape.


That design has a vent out the back. I used binder clips on the front to hold the gels so it wasn't so sealed, myself.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Gels do produce a very deep rich color and it will be uniform without any hot spot.


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

But good real theatrical gels aren't cheap.


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## [email protected] (Jun 23, 2018)

Myra Mains Haunters said:


> I had this idea, and not sure of the pros and cons of it, BUT....has anyone actually put paint onto Light Bulbs to get a certain effect?
> I am needing a few Purple Flood lights and also Purple Light Bulbs, and can't find any, at Lowes or Home Depot?
> I was just thinking of, Painting my Clear Flood Lights and my Clear Light Bulbs, to use in our Haunt.
> I really can't see an issue with it, besides the paint will eventually Flake Off in time....but....that might add to the look as well.
> ...





Myra Mains Haunters said:


> I had this idea, and not sure of the pros and cons of it, BUT....has anyone actually put paint onto Light Bulbs to get a certain effect?
> I am needing a few Purple Flood lights and also Purple Light Bulbs, and can't find any, at Lowes or Home Depot?
> I was just thinking of, Painting my Clear Flood Lights and my Clear Light Bulbs, to use in our Haunt.
> I really can't see an issue with it, besides the paint will eventually Flake Off in time....but....that might add to the look as well.
> ...


Try using purple lights available on Amazon, designed for gardening indoors.


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## Judge (Aug 10, 2012)

Dont waste your time. Purple floods do not exist. Ut Bule led spots. They look purplish at night


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## trachcanman (Dec 17, 2015)

those old spot or flood lights run very hot, you are changing the design parameters on how they were meant to be used. I suggest going on line at home depot or lowes and order the color bulbs you want, cheaper than burning up everything if the bulb seriously over heats or shatters throwing sharp pieces of glass everywhere. of course you could build a box to hold it, put a glass panel in front of it and colored plastic over the glass and add a small computer fan to pull cooler air across the light but that would cost more than a few new bulbs. If your local store doesn't carry them, go on line order what you want and the bulbs will be delivered to the store in short order or in some cases directly to your house. https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lightin...e+light+bulbs?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5


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## Berksmaw (Sep 23, 2016)

Myra Mains Haunters said:


> I had this idea, and not sure of the pros and cons of it, BUT....has anyone actually put paint onto Light Bulbs to get a certain effect?
> I am needing a few Purple Flood lights and also Purple Light Bulbs, and can't find any, at Lowes or Home Depot?
> I was just thinking of, Painting my Clear Flood Lights and my Clear Light Bulbs, to use in our Haunt.
> I really can't see an issue with it, besides the paint will eventually Flake Off in time....but....that might add to the look as well.
> ...


Go to Amazon (big spotlights and smaller ones) to buy Purple Spotlights and bulbs but as far as painting one you can buy at any store lightbulbs that do not get hot at all. I love them.
You could paint with ANY paint ?
???
Sleeklighting LED A19 Purple Light Bulb, 120 Volt - 3-Watt Energy Saving - Medium Base - UL-Listed LED Bulb - Lasts More Than 20,000 Hours (Amazon)


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## Berksmaw (Sep 23, 2016)

Judge said:


> Dont waste your time. Purple floods do not exist. Ut Bule led spots. They look purplish at night


They DO EXIST. AMAZON has many and awesome hues.


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## Haunted Scott (Sep 1, 2019)

Myra Mains Haunters said:


> I had this idea, and not sure of the pros and cons of it, BUT....has anyone actually put paint onto Light Bulbs to get a certain effect?
> I am needing a few Purple Flood lights and also Purple Light Bulbs, and can't find any, at Lowes or Home Depot?
> I was just thinking of, Painting my Clear Flood Lights and my Clear Light Bulbs, to use in our Haunt.
> I really can't see an issue with it, besides the paint will eventually Flake Off in time....but....that might add to the look as well.
> ...


I painted two incandescent bulbs with red spray paint - it discolored with the heat but looked even better. They lasted several years.


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