I have a confession to make: DIY is not my thing. As a child I tried to sew. I finally gave up. I tried to knit. Again, not very successful. So when I was given a challenge by Cree to convert a regular lamp into a 3-way lamp I have to admit I was intimidated. Dealing with wires and screws was definitely not within my comfort zone. After some thought I decided to step outside the box and give it a shot. Surprisingly the challenge turned out to be fairly simple.
I clicked around online and found several sites with step-by-step instructions.
What you need to turn a regular lamp into a 3 way lamp:
- 3-Way Lamp Socket
(costs about $5).
- 3-way bulb (preferably a Cree 3-Way LED bulb)
- Phillips screw driver
- Standard lamp
I’m a big fan of LED bulbs and recently switched out most bulbs in my home to Cree LED bulbs. They actually look like an incandescent, light like an incandescent, uses a fraction of the energy, and last for years at a great price point (the 3-way bulb cost $19).
Instructions for upgrading a regular lamp to a 3-way lamp
- Unplug the lamp.
- Remove the lamp shade, light bulb and light harp. The light harp looks like this:
Remove existing outer shell of the lamp socket and the insulating sleeve (cardboard). Squeeze and pull up to do this. Pull out the socket leaving the shell behind (wires still attached). Two wires will be exposed and connected.
Unscrew the wires. You’ll see two small screws (silver and brass) once the outer shell is removed from the socket. I used a Phillips screw driver.- Once the screws have been loosened disconnect the two wires and remember where they go. Generally the smooth wire attaches to the brass screw and the ribbed wire attaches to the silver screw.
- Time to put in the new lamp socket. Thread the two wires through the hole in the top of the new socket There will probably be an existing knot in the wire. Try to keep it intact for safety reasons.
- Screw the same wires into the screws (silver and brass). Brass should be matched with the smooth wire and silver with the ribbed wire.
- Make sure to reinsert the cardboard insulating sleeve once the wiring is intact.
- Add a Cree LED bulb, put the harp and lamp shade in place and you should be all set!
Have you converted a regular lamp into a 3-way lamp?
Disclosure: I’m a brand ambassador for Cree LED Bulbs, I am compensated and receive product samples. All opinions are always my own.
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photo credit: via photopin (license)
This is great. I had no idea that converting a regular lamp to 3-way lamp was possible. Might have to give it a try someday. It would make a light so much more useful. Thanks for including the instructions here.
Let me know if you give it a try Marsha. If I can do it anyone can!
Awesome idea! Love this hack/tip. Will try to do this at my bedroom lamp :)!
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Technically any lamp can become a 3-way lamp using a 3-way bulb; but I love pairing the LED to make it an efficient solution!
Norman Brown recently posted..How to Teach Children to Be Green.
Well, it’s 3 years later and I’m wishing I had seen this in 2015! I bought 2 lamps that I loved at clearance price. Tag said they were 3-way,, but when I got them home I learned they were not. If I had realized how easy it would be to fix that, I would have done it years ago. Off to the hardware store to get the parts I need! Thank you!