Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Painting Hardware

Hardware is pricey, especially when you need more than just a few knobs or pulls.  Quite often the best thing to do is to paint the existing hardware.  There are always at least 4 steps to properly paint any hardware.  Rough it up with a 120 sandpaper, prime it with an oil-based primer, paint it, and apply a protective clear coat.

For the red dresser I knew I wanted gold pulls but I have serious issues with metallic spray paint.  I've tried every brand there is to try and it never looks authentic {except for oil-rubbed bronze - it looks alright}.  I finally figured out a  little trick that has helped me when I want a gold-colored finish:  don't buy the gold paint - buy the brass {Rustoleum is best}.  The lids are the same color so you'll have to look on the back to distinguish between the two.  After you spray the hardware you'll notice that it looks flat and oh-so-fake.  To age it a little and to give it some definition, I take brown acrylic paint and lightly dry brush it on making sure to get it in all the grooves.  The result is much more authentic-looking gold hardware.

*Don't over think the brown paint step - it doesn't need to look perfect.  If you enlarge the picture below you'll see the before and after and my brown paint doesn't look great, but on the finished piece it looks awesome.

This is how the hardware looked before.




And after.



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19 comments:

  1. Great tip! Also, try rub n buff!

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  2. Very nice! Thanks for the great info!

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  3. Wow! Wonderful dresser makeover. The red is bright, bold and beautiful, it's just gorgeous, definitely a statement piece. You did a great job!

    Beautiful blog, by the way, following now.

    Jessie
    www.mixandchic.com

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  4. Wow, this project turned out great. The handles work so well with the red dresser. Amazing job and thank you so much for using Rust-Oleum.

    - Rust-Oleum Scott

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  5. My goodness you think of everything.

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  6. This looks fantastic! I want this dresser for my nursery. Nope, not even pregnant yet. But me likey!

    Do you take your furniture to an auto body shop to have it lacquered?

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  7. Erika,
    I paint in my garage. I wish I had a dust free workshop like an autobody place to paint! Here's to dreaming...

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  8. AnonymousMay 04, 2011

    Thanks...I have been scouring over craigslist for hours now, trying to find a faux bamboo dresser!! : )

    There is a spot in my livingroom that just screams for a piece like this!!!

    Thanks for the lovely inspiration!!

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  9. Great tip! Thanks for sharing. I would not have thought to use the brown. Now if you can tell us how to make spray paint look like brushed brass...I have a rusty mail slot that I need to match to the other brushed brass hardware! So far no luck! :)

    I found you from Chic on a Shoestring!

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  10. This is so simple and it makes such a difference! I did it for an old set of drawers and people are always so shocked at how different it looks!

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  11. Hi, found you off Remodelaholic. I've never seen that kilz primer - interesting. Question, if you use an oil based primer do you need to be sure and use oil based spray paint (or are all spray paints oil based?) I've just heard that you don't mix oil and acrylic??? I've also heard about using an metal etching primer (by Rustolium)before painting over metal (or hardware) have you tried that? I would just love to hear any of your trial by error situtions that made you come up with the above formula. Thank you! I love the tutorial! (I'm going to be painting a metal lamp and want to be sure and do it right!)

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  12. Thanks for all of the great information! Those are such beautiful pulls -- glad you kept them but just updated them!

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  13. Selina,
    Anything can go over oil-based primer. Oil can go over latex, latex just can't go over oil. Kind of confusing.

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  14. Great post. Do you have a similar issue with Silver? I'm wondering as I'm about to paint a lamp base with metallic silver. ~Thanks

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  15. AnonymousJune 03, 2011

    so you did not explain what happen between the before and after you applied the brown paint...from the first unfinished but with brown paint to the finished one, what happen and how? thanks

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