Black is the new "Black"

The coffee cup is full and it may or may not be my second cup ;) .... So let's get this party started with a simple tutorial today on updating your track lighting!

First of all, if I'm being totally honest, these things were BEYOND nasty. The lights are positioned over the peninsula that houses the stove and microwave. I imagine that 20 years of kitchen funk and dust has built up to create a pretty awesome patina.... gross. After some scrubbing and cleaning they were good as new, except, almond colored. :( Not quite the look i was going for so I logged onto ole' reliable (AKA Pinterest) and found a few tutorials from (linked here) Reinvented and Mavis Butterfield that helped me create a game plan.

Brace yourselves because I'm about to show you the ugly truth here......

After these babies got a nice scrub down with cleaner, about a million paper towels, and my trusty Mr. Clean Magic Erasers we were ready to get started.

The first step was to lightly scuff their surfaces with my fine grit sanding block.

You want to give the surface enough "tooth" to hold the paint but not so much that you get an uneven paint job.

To prepare for paint I simply taped off the metal "prong" areas and stuffed a little paper into the light bulb socket to protect it from the spray paint. Now these bad boys were ready for a light coat of paint.

I used Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2x in Matte Black.

I followed the manufactures instructions and gave it 3 light coats to avoid drips. It took every ounce of my being to not touch them! I was so excited to see this first small change in our home but I refrained and waited 24 hours for them to cure. I deserve a cookie or something now...

I purchased a new black track for around $10 at my local Home Depot and simply changed out the track with the provided butterfly clips. The lights just twist and lock into place on the track and can be moved and tilted any way you need which is great for such a large kitchen area. After screwing fresh light bulbs in, Voila! New-ish track lighting for under $20. It may seem like a simple change but it packed some major punch since it can be seen from every angle of the main living space. #JustSayNoToAlmondLighting (unless you're into it! In which case #YouDoYou)