'New' Oil Rubbed Bronze Door Handles- I Love Spray Paint

 How many of you have lovely shiny brass door handles all over your house? Can you read the sarcasm in typing? Well, I was right there with you until I decided I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

I priced out the cost to replace all the handles and let me tell you, this was not something I could easily justify.  We have almost 30 doors in my house (lots of double doors into rooms) and since this was not considered to be a necessity, I had to find a way to do it economically or live with them. 

 

So after much research and staring at these shiny, slap me in the face bright handles for almost a year, I decided I was going to try to spray paint them with this wonderful spray paint.  

NOTE: This is not a project you can rush! Be sure to take your time because it will be worth it in the end when you don’t have paint drips or chips. This was the hardest part of the project for me...taking my time :)

Materials needed:

Sand paper

Primer spray paint in gray (Krylon)

Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint (Krylon in Satin)

Method:

I decided to break the project down into two phases…main floor and then upper floor (we don’t have a finished basement).  

I took the handles apart into two pieces and made separated piles for:

• each side of the door knob
• the screws
• the door plates (not sure what they are called)
• door stops.  

I started by lightly sanding each and every piece with scrap sandpaper I had laying around.  Don’t use too rough a grit or you will see the scratches through the spray paint. Be sure to sand the entire knob! This is essential in order for the paint to adhere.

I then wiped down every piece with a damp cloth to remove the dust and then let them dry completely.

I was not able to remove the white plastic stopper on the end of the door stop so I taped it with painters green tape to prevent it from being painted.

I then primed everything (door handles, stops, plates and screws) with a gray color primer (use the same brand of primer as spray paint). I started with the handles upside down on the cardboard to get the underside first.  I found this the easiest way with the best results. 

I found the easiest way to get a good coverage over the entire piece without them rolling around was to stick them into a piece of cardboard. I raised a large piece of cardboard off the ground by placing them on recycling bins and using a screw driver, I punched lots of holes in it. The one half of the handle with the post attached to it, I stuck them through holes in the cardboard so stood up.  I stuck every screw through a small hole and had them stick up half an inch.  The other half of the knob and the plates were placed directly on the cardboard. 

Let this dry for the recommended time.

Next and most exciting step is spray painting. Again, I started with the knobs upside down to get the underside, then they were flipped over and stuck into the cardboard. Remember to do many light coats of paint.  I cannot stress this enough.  It is very easy to get drips of paint on these so do not use much paint.  The coats dry in about 10 minutes so there is no point in putting a lot on at one time.  I think I ended up putting 4 or 5 light coats on these before I was happy with them.   

 Note: If you do get a drip, wipe it off immediately. Chances are, all the paint will wipe off but you can just start over. If you find a drip that has dried, sand it off and start over painting.

 

I did not do a top coat but this is something you can definitely do for added durability.

I let the knobs dry overnight and then I installed them back onto the doors.  When I installed them, I only tightened the screws with my fingers and waited a week until the paint was really cured before I used a screwdriver to tighten them.  If you are anxious to get them back on, you can wrap a towel around the knob to prevent it being rubbed by the screwdriver (which will chip it at this stage).

 Before:

After:

It has been over 6 months since I did this and we have not had a single chip or scratch. I was worried about doors that are the most commonly used i.e. main floor powder room, but we have had no problems.

In total it took me only two days to do every door handle in the entire house (maybe 4 hours of dedicated work from start to finish), 2 cans of primer ($10) and 3 cans of spray paint ($15).  So for approximately $25 I have had the most dramatic change to my house to date.  Almost everyone who comes over notices the change. 

This was extremely easy and has dramatic result but as I said, you must be patient!

Be sure to see the next project I spray painted...My rusty white vent covers! These are just as amazing!!!

Be sure to see my 'Parties I've Linked To' page to the see some of the amazing linked parties I have participated in. 

UPDATE: It has been a year since I did this project and we have not had a single chip, scratch or any signs of wear! For those of you worried about the durability, I have not had any issues even on our most used handles.