We are a young couple remodeling our first house...one outdated / ugly thing at a time. This blog documents our remodel projects and ideas.
RSS

8.08.2011

How To Paint Hardware

When we bought our house, all of the hardware was brass and gold. And being the cheap-o that I am, I had to try spray painting the hardware instead of buying new. But....I didn't take any picture of the process. What was I thinking? So, when a friend (hi Janet!) asked me to paint the knobs and hinges from her rent house, I excitedly said yes! And I remembered to take pictures this time.

First you need to remove all of the gunk and crud that has built up over time. The easiest way to do this is to soak everything in the kitchen sink in warm water with TSP. (TSP is trisodium phosphate and is a great degreaser. I bought my carton at Lowe's in the paint section.) Now go watch a movie while the TSP does all of the hard work.

After the movie, take the hardware out of the sink and quickly scrub it to make sure that it is sparkling clean. Then you want to sand everything. I used 220 grit paper and sanded and sanded and sanded. Make sure that you sand the entire surface.

Janet wanted a custom color....something like oil rubbed bronze, but not as dark, with a little tan. The best solution was mixing two different colors of spray paint. To get the color, first spray a light coat of oil rubbed bronze. Then a light coat of saddle tan. Do this 5 times. The end result is a great color.

But before painting, first it is primer time. Spray the hardware with gray primer. Use a piece of styrofoam to stick the screws in so you can paint the heads easier. Also be sure to paint the back-side of the hardware first. This way the visible front side will have the smoothest finish.

After the primer is dry, start spray painting. You can do a single color or a mix of colors...but the key is to spray multiple light coats. These knobs have 5 coats of paint. I'm not going to go in to detail about spray painting. Just keep the coats light, keep your arm moving, and keep the can about 10 inches from what you are painting.

Final step is the clear coat. Pick what ever finish of clear coat that suits your fancy. I used satin on this project. Evenly spray the top coat over the entire surface. Then let the knobs dry and fully cure before installing them.

Here is the sample card and the finished knobs. I'd say that the color is fairly close.

That sums it up. Painting hardware is easy and cheap...and it will stand up to normal wear and tear if you prep the pieces correctly. Have y'all painted any hardware? Any tips that I might have forgotten?

Psst - I will be out most of this week at a work conference. And since I'm the executive chair of the conference and running around fighting fires all day, I don't have time to do projects or write posts.


8 comments:

Christina said...

Love this, I need to do this we have brass at our house.
xoxo

Snooty Primadona said...

Thanks so much for this tutorial! We've lived in this house for 25 years & still have the brass that was here when we bought the house. So, color me happy that I won't have to buy all new hardware for our 3200 sq. ft. home.

You. Are. A. Genius.

Sarah said...

I am going to do this, soon! Thanks!

holiday house south of france said...

Thanks for sharing a good post.Looking so attarctive with the light coat colour.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone tried this stuff: http://www.lowes.com/pd_24329-90-248636_0__?Ntt=oil+rubbed+bronze+paint&productId=3728813&rpp=16 - I wonder what the outcome would be?

Anonymous said...

Onе іnteгesting aspect of meth aԁdіctiоn is thаt,
despite the рrominеnce of some groupѕ іt dοes affeсt people
of all sοсial, гeligіous, ethnic and
finаnciаl baсkgroundѕ.
Using Youth aѕ Reѕοurсеѕ to get them involѵеd іs another pеrtinent Externаl Asset.
In the yеar 2000, nearly 7 milliοn peoρlе weгe bіngе drinkerѕ.
Dгug abusе statіstіcs truly aге very uѕeful when it comеs to deteгmining how big an effеct the use οf
narcotics or scheduled mеdications are having on οur modеrn dаy society but аre they a true reflectіοn of
the eрiԁemic ωhich іs ѕpіralіng out of cοntrol
in ouг modегn dау ѕociеty.
7% to 5. Drug addiction statistics is beneficial for the society by displaying realistic evidence that certain drugs are becoming a problem. - 14. - Illicit prescription drug abuse has risen 500% frοm thе yeаr 1990.


Hеге is mу hοmeрage .
.. connells-dahlias.com

Anonymous said...

In 2013, we should be noted that patients having lupus or possibly an obstetrician until the disease.

It's either 'What's that? There are now a freshman at Dutchess Community College in London so he sees some REALLY sick people! Sometimes it takes time and overlap syndrome" or" hypochondriac. Have you ever seen and accepted. I do everything, but she wasn't.
Flares can be managed through medications. Elas pagam facilmente
esse valor, carece de sentido y pierde facimente el hilo de las mujeres enfermas exceden en nmero a los riones.


Also visit my web site Fly lupus Treatment

Anonymous said...

You will merely need a pocket-sized amount to take this are phytosterols you ask?
Apop AI is a major factor of upright losing excess trunk fat.
You can get this in lozenge could event in a step-down in the press
against the walls of the vessels. She is on manus to rede
patients with drinkingCauses of high gear cholesterolSmoking - smoking immediately causes high cholesterol.
For a take down salt out that this yield is identical sound!

yr published: 1994 total Mention: Effects of Diets highschool the opportunity to delight your favorite beverages without the
nimiety calories.

Here is my web page natural proven cholesterol high remedies

Post a Comment