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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Chris says
Thanks for this info. I actually googled whether or not to finish with a sealer and after reading about your experience, I think I will go to the extra trouble since it’s already off. (I started with just one to see how it would turn out) Thanks for sharing!
Chris
Lori says
I wonder if they would hold up better with a clear coat on top of the black / bronze. I might just try that because I am replacing a lot of knobs and don’t want to put out the money 🙂
Lynda says
Thank goodness someone finally posted results after a couple of years of use. My husband has been very skeptical of my idea to try this on our brass cabinet and door knobs and i was on my to Lowe’s when I thought I would double check my shopping list and saw your pintest. Please keep them coming. I have also seen where people have done their faucets and even shower surrounds–much more ambitious, but we have NO BUDGET and need to update our house to sell it. If anyone has some wear results for faucets and such, I would love to know.
Vic says
I want to try this but maybe going an extra step and using some sort of sealer to protect the paint.
Nesie says
I found this really helpful. I’m thinking of doing this to mine. I think I might use the steel wool and clear coat after. I also have a glass door trim around a fireplace I’m thinking of doing. Of course I will need high heat black for that. Haven’t seen high heat paint in any other colors. Have you?
Erin says
So glad I came across this! Thanks for sharing-gave me some things to think about.
Friendpop says
We painted ours as well…wipe with soap and water, two coats of metal primer, two oats of Rustolem bronze and two coats of matte sealer. They look great! You can buy the matching hinges on eBay for about a dollar each!
Billy Reeves says
I love spray paint!! I do wish there were a wider range of colors. I’ve learned to do several very light coats to avoid drips.
Joe says
You need to remove the lacquer from the handles.. Acetone or old fashioned oven cleaner will do the trick .. Then prime and paint
Shelley Agrey says
The previous homeowner painted some of our door knobs with the same oil-rubbed bronze paint as you used. I plan to finish the rest of the door knobs, and this post inspired me to get it done. We’ve only owned the house for 1 year and I’m not sure how long ago the knobs were painted, but I hope they continue to look great.