the space between

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painting door knobs {without removing them}

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That’s right! I found the lazy easy way to do something new. Shocking, I know. 😉
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing them

Tuesday we talked all about front door paint color choices and empty pots, dead trees and lights without light bulbs.

And today we’re talking about painting door knobs … without even removing them.

That’s right!

This was one of those projects that I knew I had to do … and just to refresh your memory on how I knew … unless I wanted to buy a whole new set. Which, ironically, I knew I didn’t want to do. 😉
Hey good lookin’ …

Yeah, she’d seen better days. Actually, I first decided to paint the old brass hardware a brushed nickel finish more than 6 years ago, and it worked out really well for about 5 I guess. 🙂

At the time there weren’t any special products on the market and I didn’t really know of anyone else who had done it (oh to have been blogging before blogging became blogging) so I just grabbed a finish I liked and got to painting. We used the back door primarily so this wasn’t a heavy traffic door. The house has been rented for the last 4 years and the front door has seen a lot more action (ifyaknowwhatimean). I’m not sure I would recommend this option on a door that is used multiple times a day. But only time will tell with this new type of paint.

I used the Krylon Rust Protector paint in the Oil Rubbed Bronze finish and one of the best parts about this paint that it dries to the touch in 8 minutes!!
That feature is seriously awesome. And the paint coverage was amazing. This paint is specifically designed for rust protection when used on metals. The key is to shake the can for at least two minutes … get all the active juices mixed up properly in there and then just go to town.

Once I got started, I decided to do the mailbox too … and then the mailbox at another house … and then the house numbers at that other house. Yeah, it just worked really well.

The picture taking notsomuch. I think I must have gotten wrapped up in what an instant transformation the paint made, and how seriously awesome the dry to the touch in 8 minutes feature was, that I didn’t bother to take any photo breaks.

But, for anyone looking to get to work painting door knobs without having to remove them, here is how I did it.

Supplies:

Step One – Gently sand the area you’re going to be painting to scuff up the surface and, in my case, get rid of any loose paint from the previous paint job.

Step Two – And the most important step of all. Tape plastic wrap around enough surrounding area that you can spray paint in even strokes without having to stop your stroke over the hardware you’re trying to paint.

tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing themThis is one of those check, check, double check steps.  Make sure every possible surface is covered with the plastic wrap, make sure every little seam of tape is securely attached … and then check it all again. 🙂

Another part of this job that worked out really well for me was that I actually thought to do this before I painted the door. So I knew I didn’t need to be super precise with the tape around the actual door hardware because it was just going to get painted over anyway.
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing them

I love when I actually have forethought … that doesn’t happen all the time. 🙂

Just a note here, the mailbox is just hung by 2 screws so I took it down and painted it separately on an a piece of cardboard.

Step Three – Spray paint in smooth, even strokes across your surface. I did about 3 or 4 coats total. I would paint the hardware, the knocker, then paint the mailbox, then go back to the hardware. This is where the 8 minute drying time worked to my advantage.
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing themAnd this what she looked like when I removed the tape.
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing themI somehow managed to get one little oops paint spot on the door frame … did you see it?
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing themI actually just used the sandpaper to lightly scrape it off.

Step Four, if necessary – After I painted the door I sprayed some paint on a paper plate and used a craft paint brush to do a little touch up work.
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing them

And the final product after the fresh coat of paint on the door.
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing themFor the price of a can of spray paint and about an hour of time I’d say this little upgrade has completely transformed the look of that front door.
tips for anyone interested in painting door knobs without removing themIf only spray paint could transform the look of landscaping, too. 😉

What do you think? Not a bad nearly free total transformation, right?

If you want to see how I scored the paint for the door for $2.50 you can see it here. And if you want to see how I learned that plastic wrap is so much easier to work with on these small projects, you can see a plastic wrapped faucet and kitchen sink here.

And if you want to tell me what you think I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Your thoughts on the color change, hardware change, climate change … really anything, they’re all welcome. 🙂


*there are affiliate links in this post for products I know and love
*I was given the Krylon paint to try, but the opinions are always 100% my own. Our full disclosure is here.


Comments

  1. This is awesome, Karah! I never would have thought to paint my door knobs! 😀

  2. Love it! I spray painted the handle on my screen door and went through the same process. I want to paint my door a new colour and I think the knob could use a paint job! How did you keep the paint from going into the lock through the keyhole??

    • Thanks Anne!! I really didn’t do anything special. You could put an old key in there while you painted if you wanted. I just put my key in after every round of spray and wiggled it back and forth … very scientific. 🙂

  3. Karah, you did a beautiful job. Your door and its knobs look awesome! It was so smart of you to paint all the knob hardware before you painted the door itself. Thanks for the tutorial.

    • Thank you so much Lynn!! I love it when I can tape of a project once to get the whole thing done … that thought process often helps me decide what to tackle first. 🙂

  6. Ok, now I AM hitting on your front door! lol! I have the same issue with our front door hardware and was discouraged from spray painting it last summer. But when I think about how much use it actually gets, I think I’ll go for it. The whole world comes and goes through my garage. And that’s an even bigger problem. 🙂
    xo Heidi

    • Go for it!! If it doesn’t get a lot of use and you let the paint cure you should be good to go. 🙂

  7. Great little transformation. I so need to do this to my front door, it looks just like your “before” I would have been so nervous to spray paint while it was on, you really make me feel like I can do it. Thanks for the tips, It looks terrific!

    • It really is an easy way to do it and just the right price and time investment for my liking. 🙂

  10. Fabulous job, Karah! Love that you didn’t take them off the door! lol! But what a huge difference it made! I’ve used Rub N Buff on handles before – and that works great, too! 🙂

  11. It looks amazing! Plus, I’ve recently decided that laziness is just the opposite side of the efficiency coin, so anything that saves time and lets me read US Weekly more, is good to go!

  12. I really like the transformation. And, it’s really hard for me to believe it’s a spray job on the hardware. I believe it, because you did it – but, I never would have guessed. )

    • It really is super simple, the most important part is making sure you tape enough plastic wrap securely around so you can do a thorough spray paint job!

  16. That’s exactly how I do my inside door knobs. Except I hang and lay a lot of sheets around since there is no wind indoors to take away the over spray. Your doorknob looks really great. Who wants to replace when you can paint? Those dang things are expensive! I really like that color – of the door.

    • Never mind. I found the answer. I love this color and want to find something similar.

      • Sorry about that, I wish I knew, it is a great shade, very similar to that Valspar tester in green.

  22. How long after you spray your door knobs should you wait to tape it, so you can paint the door?

    • Hi Marcus, I would wait at least as long as the cure time says on your spray paint. But you could also not tape and use a small craft brush to cut in around the knobs and paint it that way. Have fun with your project!

  23. I was wondering how you spray painted underneath the handle, without getting to close it ran? Thanks yours looks great!

    • Hi Andre, for the spots I felt like I couldn’t do I just spray painted some of the paint on a paper plate and used a small craft paint brush to finish it off. Any place I had to get really close I just painted in short, quick passes so the paint wouldn’t accumulate too much and drip. Sometimes it can take 4 or 5 of the quick passes to get full coverage. Have fun with your project!

  25. How do you keep the overspray from blowing on the rest of your house? When I paint I find dots of it in a large area where I am spraying.

Trackbacks

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