This post about how to turn a regular lamp into a 3 way lamp has been sponsored by Cree but all opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links. #CreatewithCree
Have you ever woken up early in the morning, turned on the light and been blinded by it’s brightness? Or, maybe you want to go out at night and leave a light on for safety but hate the idea of using a lot of electricity when you don’t have too. There are many times when you may need just a LITTLE bit of light in a room but your lamp doesn’t have a ‘low’ setting. What can you do about that? Just learn how to turn a regular lamp into a 3 way lamp and stop wasting energy when you don’t have to! Can you use a 3 way lightbulb in a regular lamp? Well, you could… but without an actual 3 way lamp socket, you won’t get 3 settings!
Table of Contents
How to Turn a Regular Lamp into a 3 Way Lamp
The first thing you are going to need before you turn a regular lamp into a 3 way lamp is a tiny little 3 way lamp socket. You can find them at most major hardware type stores.
You will need a lamp (obviously) and if you don’t have one you want to experiment on then you can check out the thrift store. In addition, you will also need a 3 way light bulb to put in the lamp when you are finished. Make sure you purchase eco friendly and energy efficient LED light bulbs like the ones from CREE. The are nice and bright and use significantly less energy than traditional bulbs!
Lamp DIY Supplies:
Lamp
3 way lamp socket
3 way CREE LED Bulb
pliers
screwdriver
wire strippers
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Remove the old light bulb socket
Step one: Make sure the lamp is unplugged! Seriously. Very important step and one that can save your life so check!
Step Two: Unscrew the standard lamp head that is on the lamp and pull it up to expose the wires.
Step Three: Unscrew or cut the wires right below the base of the old lamp socket (I could not figure out how to get the old one open so I just cut!)
Replace the old socket with the three way socket
Step Four: Disassemble the new 3 way lamp socket, following the directions on the back of the package. Read the back of the package! Really! There are awesome directions on there to help you get everything back together again!
Step Five: Remove the OLD lamp base from the lamp and add the new one. Screw on the new base so it is snug on your lamp.
Rewire your lamp socket
Step Six: If you CUT the wires, you will need to strip the protective coating away from the end of the wires before wrapping them. You want to curl the end of each wire around one of the screws (one wire to one screw) and then tighten the screws.
Loop the wires clockwise for the tightest fit (they will tighten more when you tighten the screw) You will need to be careful which wire you connect to which screw. The package will show you exactly. For my lamp, there was one wire with a silver strip running up the insulation and the other did not have this. Make sure you look carefully!
PLEASE NOTE: The photo below shows them the wrong way! I fixed it and forgot to rephotograph!
Fish up and re-assemble your new lamp
Step Seven: Trim the excess wire off as close to the screw as you can.
Step Eight: Gently attach the head of the lamp socket to the new base and screw them together.
Once you have turned your regular lamp into a 3 way lamp, you just put in your 3 way energy efficient CREE LED bulb and you are all set! Now you can control exactly how much light you use in a room on any given day.
Loving this 3 way lamp DIY!
Keep it on low when watching TV or turn it up higher if you are reading a book. Keep the living room light dim when you head out after dark but brighten it up when working on a puzzle with your kids. Less energy usage means lower bills and a smaller carbon footprint!
I must admit, I am not the handiest person when it comes to electrical work. I was frankly shocked that the lamp actually turned on when I was done with this little project! But, the video above shows that YES, I really did turn a regular lamp into a 3 way lamp and have it actually give off light when I was finished with it! Have you tackled any energy savings projects in your home? Check out EnergyStar.gov for more energy saving tips at home.
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
This type of bulb will definitely save money by burning fewer watts when left on for security reasons. I also feel that because they do not get as hot as incandescent lamps, there is a reduced risk of fire if they get knocked over by a pet.
I never thought of that but it is definitely a plus!
My lamp has the “switch” off & on turn wheel on the cord. How can I make this lamp 3 way? Do I change the socket as shown or do I need to do something with the wheel (switch)?
I would suggest looking for a new lamp socket but I am not an expert on this!
If doing this project from scratch, what gauge of wire would be needed for a 200w light bulb? At my local store printed on the box has a high number of 200 instead of the one I usually get of 150.
I am really not sure. You might want to take your project supplies to the hardware store and see if someone there can help.