You asked… I answered. One of the most popular pins on Pinterest is spray painting ugly brass door knobs to an oil rubbed bronze or brushed nickel finish. How did I like it and how did it hold up over two years, all the details below!
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We used to do quite a few pin tests but as time has gone by, it seems like they have become fewer and more far between. Do you like seeing the pin tests here on The Pinning Mama? Let me know in the comments so I know if I should be doing more! Today I am back with a pin test, and it is one I really like! About two and a half years ago we moved into our current home. To say it needed updating was an understatement. There was so much to do and we of course as always were on a budget, so we had to sort through our list of projects and see what our priorities were and which ones we could find a way to do more affordably.
One of the first things on our list were getting rid of the ugly brass door knobs. They were quite the eye sore in EVERY room and really dated the home back to 1998 when it was built. Over 15 years later we aren’t really feeling the brass, so when I came across this pin on spray painting your door knobs to make them over from ugly to pretty I was intrigued. Now back then there was no pin testers! Heck Pinterest had really just started! So not knowing how the knobs would hold up over time, I figured we would give it a try. It meant changing out our door knobs for pennies each rather than $15-20 each!
So we got to work. We removed all of the door knobs and hardware. We set up shop in the garage. We found the best way to paint them was to use a big piece of cardboard because then you can stick the backs of the knobs through the cardboard and they stay nice and sturdy rather than rolling around and messing up the paint on the edges. We used Rust-Oleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint with Primer.
It was pretty quick and after a couple of coats to make sure we got all of the angles, they were ready to be reinstalled.
So here is the good, the bad, and the ugly. Was I happy with this project? For the most part yes. Like I said, this was a hack that allowed me to save hundreds of dollars over replacing all of the knobs with new ones. However, it does take some upkeep. The first thing to go was the hardware where the door knob lever slides in the other side of the door (pardon my terminology… I am not really a door knob expert!) You can see what pretty much every door knob accessory looks like in the picture below. This happened fast and to all of the door knobs.
The door knobs themselves held up much better, but at varying levels depending on how much that knob gets used. You can see in the next photo my bedroom door handle. This door stays open pretty much all the time so it doesn’t get used or touched much. So as you can probably guess, it still looks pretty darn good!
The next knob I am going to show you is on the opposite end of the spectrum! It is the knob of our guest bath. It was one of the first knobs to get scratched and it is used by pretty much anyone and everyone that spends time in our home. I think that it takes it especially hard from women’s rings. It is my guess that many of the scratches come from there. You will also see some scratching on the base of the knob that screws into the door. I think that this happens from fingernails scratching as they grab the knob. So in this case the best candidate to open knobs is kids with no rings and short fingernails.
The last knob I photographed for you is our laundry room door. This is one that is used often but mostly just by our family. I think this one shows normal wear pretty well because it is wearing mostly in the places where you make contact when you grab the knob. Even though this knob does show quite a bit of wear it looks more naturally distressed to me and I actually kind of like it! If they all looked like this I might just keep them like they are!
So was it a winner or a loser? I think that is up to you to decide! I would say PIN WIN for me because I still think this was a worthwhile fix and would do it again in a heart beat! We don’t mind taking a knob down and repainting it as needed though. If you are looking for something to fix it and forget it forever more, than you might just be better off buying new knobs. Also, they might also last a bit longer if you clear coated them after finishing with the oil rubbed bronze spray. I haven’t tried this, but I think it is a pretty valid idea! Have you tried updating your door knobs? What was your experience?
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Chione says
We tried it and it ended up being a big fail on our part. We spray painted with the Rustoleum brushed nickle finish on our bathroom door knob. Within probably two months 30% of the finish had rubbed off on the knob. Granted, this is a high use knob and gets a lot of turns every day. And it is in the bathroom, which periodic humidity from the shower and bath. It did not work for us, as much as I wish it had. We have lovely brass knobs from 1965, which are beyond dated.
Kimber says
I’m sorry that it didn’t work so well for you! I wonder if different finished up differently?
Jen says
Wow! After two years, those still look great. I have brassy knobs in this house and it drives me CRAZY. I may have to give this a try…
Kimber says
Definitely give it a try! Then post a tutorial and I will link to you!
Haley Campbell says
We were just talking about doing this as we’re updating the nursery and putting together E’s big girl room! Thanks for the test 🙂
Kati says
Great pin test!!! I love seeing these…keep them coming 🙂
Windy says
Thanks for this pin test. I’ve wondered if this really works.
marcee says
Love reading your pin tests. Keep on keepin on.
Angela says
We built a house and put actual bronze knobs in. However, we’ve lived here a year and our very used knobs look about like your laundry room door knob. So I think if you got 2 years out of it, it’s definitely a win!
Laura says
I have been thinking about doing this with ours. Did you also do the hinges on the doors? Did it hold up if you did?
cori warner says
Hi, I love pin test!
I wonder if a little prep wouldn’t help the paint stick better? Most hardware has some sort of coating to protect the finish, so maybe a deglosser or light sanding? I dont know if it would help. I would probably put a spray poly coat over the spray paint if I did knobs.
Stephanie says
We did this about 2 years ago and on the first go we noticed scratches and such real quick. So we did them again and this time sprayed them with a valspar clear sealant in Satin finish. Hold up great. You can wipe them as much as you want and the sings and such haven’t broken through. Some people say to lightly sand the hardware before you spray paint them but I don’t think it’s necessary. Ido think you should give them a good wipedown with a mild soap and water and rinse. If they have any grease or natural oils from hands and such you’ll probably have problems with the spray paint. 🙂 hope this was helpful!
Sara says
I’m getting ready to do this with our new (old) home and was wondering exactly that! I’ll try giving them a good wash, no sanding, and adding a valspar clear sealant. Thanks for commenting!