Ceiling Fan Makeover

Remove the screen first, then the inside housing and lastly the outer trim (only 9 screws total).  Tried several shades of brown, but finally went with Rust-Oleum Satin Warm Carmel for the three main pieces and Testors "Flat Rust" for the 9 screw heads.

The tricky part is painting the rim around the screen without hitting the screen itself.  I found this tub of shop cloths in the garage.  The yellow lid is just a tad smaller than the screen (by about 1/8").   I used it as a template on some ordinary paper (11 x 17) and simply cut it 1/8" larger.  To keep the paper on the flexible screen without it moving, I placed 12 small magnets on top of the paper and screen near the edge (but not too close to prevent the paint from reaching the inside of the rim). Next, put a large metal washer under each magnet on the underside of the screen.  Masked off the magnets on top and sprayed the rim.  Worked like a charm!
 
Sand the surface and outside edge of the 9 screws and clean thoroughly. Gently hand-tighten each of the 9 screws onto a piece of scrap wood (spread apart so that you can get a small paint brush between each one).  Use the Testors enamel to paint the outside edge and top surface of each screw.  Do not paint the underside of the screws or the threads themselves because as you screw them into the opening, the paint may come off and create some debris around the screw head.  Let the painted screws dry overnight in a warm location (only one coat is needed).  Gently screw them back in so as not to scratch the inside of the Phillips opening with the screwdriver.

I applied several coats of the Warm Carmel over two days then let the painted parts dry for 24 hours before handling.