| Before you buy a floor lamp there are certain things | | | | was attached to the shade itself. This style of clamp |
| that you might want to keep in mind. First of all you | | | | for attaching light bulbs is also obsolete. |
| need to know that floor lamps were considered to | | | | However if you do find the floor lamp of your |
| be more dangerous than other lamps until the last | | | | dreams there is no reason why you can't take it to |
| decade or so when technology and good design | | | | an electrician or antique dealer to see what can be |
| helped fix some of the problems that made this style | | | | done to refurbish it. This is done all of the time to |
| of lamp flawed in the first place. | | | | recycle old floor lamps. It is probably a good idea not |
| For instance, historically, floor lamps have always | | | | to try and rewire an old lamp yourself unless youare |
| been known to tip over. Nowadays there is a | | | | an experienced electrician. |
| standard that contemporary floor lamps must meet | | | | Although rewiring an old floor lamp is easy, making |
| call the UL "tipability" standard. This means that the | | | | sure the base is stable is not. All it takes is one wild |
| floor lamp you are buying has a much heavier base | | | | child or unruly dog to tip it over and you could have a |
| and there is less danger of it falling over and landing, | | | | fire on your hands. |
| say, on a sofa cushion and setting it on fire. | | | | Floor lamps come in an incredible number of styles |
| Yet another feature of floor lamps that made them | | | | nowadays including all of the retro looks that you |
| dangerous for years was the cords. The cords were | | | | would find in an antique store and all of the more |
| made of cloth and easily caught fire with the slightest | | | | contemporary styles. As you browse online to shop |
| of power surges. Nowadays floor lamps are made | | | | for floor lamps it is quite common to find them in |
| with a plastic zip cord rather than the old cloth cords. | | | | every style imaginable including Mission, Seventies |
| The old cloth cords also used to fray and it was | | | | Retro, Tiffany, Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, Country, |
| much easier for an animal or child to chew through | | | | Late Victorian and Gas. You can also find modern |
| them or get accidentally shocked just by touching it. | | | | Swedishstyles that include shades shaped like upside |
| The fact that most antique lamps do not have a | | | | down frying pans and large metallic mixing bowls. |
| standardized non-tippable base or a safe electrical | | | | Nowadays floor lamps come in every type of finish |
| cord is why you are probably better off to buy a | | | | and shade including glass, porcelain and brushed metal |
| new floor lamp then one from an antique store. It is | | | | and there are some very unique, beautiful and |
| just safer. | | | | interesting contemporary floor lamps, as well as the |
| Yet another reason is that the very old floor lamps | | | | more traditional styles, around. |
| attached their lampshades through a wire clamp that | | | | |