Can you spray paint door knobs? The answer is a definite YES! It’s one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve ever done. A few months ago I spray painted our old brass door handles matte black and I cannot tell you enough how much of a difference the fresh coat of paint has made!
Purchasing all new door interior door knobs is an instant way to elevate a space, but isn’t a very budget friendly option when looking for ways to update the look of your doors throughout your entire house. However, spray painting door handles & hinges is a simple way to update the look of your home and interior door hardware!
Supplies You’ll Need to Spray Paint Door Handles
- Painters tape
- Screw Driver
- Pen or Marker
- Degreasing Cleaning Agent (I used KrudKutter)
- Vinegar (if you have paint on your hardware)
- Water
- Toothbrush
- Fine steel wool
- Drop cloth or cardboard boxes
- 220 Sanding Pad
- Matte Black Spray Paint
Step by Step
1) Remove and label knobs, hinges & screws
First thing’s first, you’ll need to remove the existing knobs and hinges. You’ll just need a screw driver for this step. I always thought the mechanism of door handles and locks was so complex, but I promise it’s really not! They are very easy to remove and reattach.
Trust me when I tell you to LABEL EVERYTHING! I mean everything down to the screws used in each hinge. If you have any experience with replacing or rehanging doors you know… even the slightest change of angles can totally throw off how to a door closes. Don’t take any chances just because you’re in a hurry to get your door handles painted.
Before removing the old door handles, I took a piece of painter’s tape and labeled each hinge. For the primary bedroom entry door top hinge, for example, I labeled it “P BED T). Come up with a system that works for you and that you’ll remember when you go to reattach the door hardware.
For the screws, I grouped them in a strip of painters tape for each hinge, folded the tape over with a little sticky tail left and taped them directly to the trim adjacent to the hinge they came from. This way I can easily locate them for reattaching and there is no question where they came from.
2) Clean door handles and hinges
Now this is the probably the most challenging step of the entire project. (Don’t pull your hair out or throw in the towel, yet. I promise this project is worth it!) You’ll want to clean all the hardware without losing track of your labels.
To clean, I used Krud Kutter, a tooth brush and fine steel wool to scrub them up nice and clean. Prep work is key!
Just take it slow and only clean a few pieces at at time. As they are drying you can stick the tape label next to each hinge. Don’t worry about labeling your door knobs, where to reattach will be intuitive later.
As you can see with my hinges, they previous owners were maybe a little sloppy when it came to painting. If you also have painted hinges, just boil them in 50/50 water to vinegar for about 10 mins and follow up with a fine steel wool scrub. This will leave you with a squeaky clean surface.
3) Scuff sand door hardware
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! For the love of adhesion, this step is essential! Even for metal surfaces, sanding is the best way to ensure your paint sticks. Without a little tooth, spray paint will not want to stick to shiny brass door knob.
Using a 220 grit sand paper, give every surface a little scuff sand. You’ll want the surface scratched up just enough so that all hardware is dull when you are done.
4) Spray Paint Door Knobs & Hardware
After properly prepping your door knobs, it’s time for the most obvious step of this project… SPRAY PAINT! Lay everything on your drop cloth or within a big cardboard box to prevent getting spray paint on your surrounding area. I used Krylon all-in-one paint and primer. I’m sure any spray paint from Home Depot or other hardware store will do.
I didn’t end up doing a clear coat / topcoat and would be interested in the durability of different types of paint.
Give all the hardware 2-3 light coats of paint. Don’t go too heavy or you’ll battle drip. Thin coats of spray paint in a sweeping fashion seems to be the best spray paint method.
To coat all surfaces of the knobs, you can see in the photo below that I poked some holes in a box and propped them up in a cardboard box seam so I could easily spray each side.
This step is totally optional: I used this time to paint the doors as well. I figured, since I already had done the hard job of removing the interior doors and hardware I might as well. I found these StakRacks to be FANTASTIC for the job, especially in my small garage! They allow you to stack doors as they are drying and even flip them over to coat both sides without disturbing the wet paint. Genius!
5) Reattach Doors
After your freshly painted door knobs and hinges are dry it’s time to reattach your doors. I don’t want to insult you for saying this.. but make sure you are attaching the correct door to the correct door frame. In the photo below I’m actually attaching the bedroom door to the bathroom. And wouldn’t you figure, it was about 4inches too big.
If you are soloing this project (props to you), you might find propping to the door edge up on a piece of wood like a 1×3 helpful. This gave the door the perfect amount of lift so that my hinges and nail holes aligned more closely.
6) Reattach Knobs
Lastly, after waiting the recommended dry time, you’ll reattach the painted door handles using your screw driver.
You’ll learn in this process the difference between dummy, passage and privacy door knobs. This probably goes without saying, but save yourself my mistakes and take the time to focus on which handle your attaching and in what direction you’ll want the lock and the latch.
If you need a quick, down and dirty lesson on types of door knob functions, this article by Nostalgic Hardware breaks it down very simply.
There you have it! All the details how you can spray paint your outdated door knobs. This project only cost me the can of spray paint and some sand paper for a totally elevated and more modern look. Don’t they look a million times better?
Now I know, spray painted handles probably are not a forever fix to my ugly brass door knobs, builder grade knobs, but dang it they look good and are way more affordable than new door handles! Its a very creative way to get a new look, but won’t last years. This will at least buy me some time to save up for all new door knobs that I love instead of buying cheap new hardware as a quick fix.
8 MONTH REVIEW: They have held up better than expected. Only now are they showing some slight wear in our highest traffic areas. Keep in mind … I’m kidless. The lower traffic areas still look perfect! I still think this a fantastic solution for 6-9 month timeframes. I would be interested if finishing them off with a top clear coat improved their longterm durability. For lower traffic areas, this inexpensive fix could hold up for years!
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Girl Behind the Blog
I’m Jess, the creator of Oak & Grain. A mid-west girl at heart who now resides in Raleigh, NC. I love finding old things and giving them new purpose by way of refinishing or incorporating unexpected, overlooked thrift store finds in the modern home. I work full-time in medicine and I love dipping into my creative side and in the process, keeping my sanity. Follow me on Instagram and YouTube to see more behind the scenes action.
One response to “Spray Paint Outdated Door Knobs for a Huge Impact”
[…] also notice that I painted the bifold laundry doors black for some contrast, updated the door knobs and beefed up the upper door frame. If you are interested in more easy trim update ideas, […]