Right before we installed the hardwood floors upstairs, we mentioned how we sprayed all of the blue trim and doors upstairs here…
… but they’re now naked when it comes to knobs.
We’re no strangers to ORBing things like we did here, but a lot of the doors here were rusted and pitted and some were even jammed/didn’t turn/didn’t lock.
So in this case, it really makes sense for us to replace them with something befitting of our freshly painted six panel doors. On one hand, it was a bummer to have to shell out loot for new knobs, but on the other hand the doors are in awesome shape and look like new with glossy white paint on them- so it’s a lot easier on the budget to just get new knobs (and hinges, which Home Depot sells in bulk “contractor packs”) than to replace all of the doors themselves.
I think we were aiming for two things when it came to our knob hunt: something classic (to work with our house’s style) and something special (we thought it was a fun opportunity to choose something you don’t see every day). So here are a few of the knobs that we courted, so to speak:
- This $56 white porcelain knob with a pewter stem
- This dark-toned $108 antique-ish knob
- This $73 chrome knob with a square plate
- This $35 oil-rubbed bronze knob with a rectangular plate behind it
- This $90 oil rubbed bronze & crystal one
- This $109 plated knob
- This $105 egg-knob in polished chrome
- This $28 oblong ORBed one
- This $24 chrome knob
- This $30 satin nickel egg-knob
- This blinged out $97 crystal and satin nickel one
- This $16 classic oil-rubbed bronze knob
- This interestingly shaped $43 satin-nickel knob
- This dark-toned $30 lever knob
It definitely wasn’t an easy decision – we honestly thought almost any of them would work nicely – but in the end it came down to what we were drawn to most, and our budget of course (some of the pricier ones would have been 1K worth of knobs just for the upstairs!). We’ve been in love with the idea of rich mocha hardwood floors, white trim and doors, and dark knobs for a while – just because that classic high contrast look seems so perfect for this house. So that helped us eliminate a few. And when we came across inspiring photos like this one and this one, it was pretty clear to us that we loved the look of a rectangular plate behind the knob – just for the added interest that it brought.
In the end, we chose these $35 guys (#4 above) for the four bedrooms and these $24 ones for the two bathrooms (they’re similar to #12 but without a hole in the middle and in the same finish as the other knobs since they’re the same maker, so we thought that was worth it). Then we got the cheaper closet versions of those for the closets (many of which could be dummy knobs like this).
Oh and before checking out I googled around for a coupon code that took 10% off of our order and gave us free shipping. So that saved us some cash.
We hope the new knobs will add up to an entire upstairs floor with a fresh-yet-classic feeling. We already have the dark hinges up, so we’re just waiting on our doorknobs…
It’s crazy to think a few short weeks ago the upstairs hallway looked like this.
As much as I thought the old carpet and blue trim were burned into my mind, they’re like a distant memory now that we’re all moved in. It’s funny how quickly your brain adjusts when you update things. Maybe that explains my love of before pictures. They save the starting point forever so you can always look back and say “dude, remember that?!”
*Update: none of the links in this post are affiliate links (got a question about it, so I thought I’d add a little note for ya).
Update – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Andrea says
Holy balls! What a transformation! It almost makes me want to do some updates on our home (totally liveable and clean slate-ish, but things could be done to update).. almost. You guys rock. Exactly how much coffee do you guys drink to get ‘er done everyday?!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! None! Both of our parents drank it but we can’t stand the taste. I do like chai and John loves Dr Pepper though…
xo
s
Amy says
Sherry have you tried the Vanilla Chai Ice Frappes at McDonald’s? They are AMAZING.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh haven’t tried those!
xo
s
Kim says
Very pretty! Still, this is one of those “adult” purchases that just makes me sad. Who wants to spend hundreds of dollars on doorknobs?! I’d much rather buy a snow cone machine or something.
#thisiswhyirent
#27goingon9
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha! Or a pair of moon boots.
xo
s
Sarah says
The after not only looks better, it looks like it smells better too! Something about old carpet screams “it smells funky” to me.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh heck yeah!
xo
s
sarah says
your home depot links looked weird to me – are they affiliate links? i love your blog and think that it’s more than fine if you make a few bucks through click throughs, but i think you should disclose them if that’s the case.
YoungHouseLove says
Nope! They’re definitely not affiliate links. I just searched for things by name, so they’re the long “search result” links! Hope that helps! By law bloggers have to disclose those things, so we definitely would have a giant note if they were. In fact, I just added an update to clarify that they’re not. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Joseph says
Haha, even with the overspray from the trim the after still looks better than the before.
Angela says
Love the knob choice and the hallway looks so good with just those few simple changes.
I have one question, we had to buy new door because ours were those cheap doors that were brown wood “looking” that had no panels or anything. The new doors came with gold hinges. I am not a gold person so I wanted to change the hinges but was afraid that if I take the screws out that re-screwing them in the same holes might not be as tight or can you re-screw into the same hole a few times before having issues? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no, we haven’t had any issues. The screws are pretty long so they sink into the doorframe and seem to grab it well. I wouldn’t do it a million times or anything, but I think switching them out should work. Hope it helps!
xo
s
lesismore says
if #6 weren’t so expensive, i would go for those myself. i like your choice, a good compromise.
i just keep scrolling up and down, up and down at the “before” and “now” shot. it helps me keep perspective when i think things are so far from being done. gotta sift through our “before” pics so i can feel good about the progress. sometimes i forget that the progress is the most fun, seeing it all come together.
YoungHouseLove says
Amen! The in-progress stuff is my favorite! So full of possibility!
xo
s
mr. & Mrs. P says
What a transformation…. Are you guys taking away the blue from the railing also?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, the stairs are just hardwood so we couldn’t paint them with the sprayer without protecting them.
xo
s
Andrea says
I think I have been a devoted reader for TOO LONG! I guessed which one you would pick before I got to the end, and I guessed SPOT ON! I threw out the fancier ones and WAY more expensive ones right out of the gate. Deep down I know you wouldn’t consider something at $100 or etc. FINE CHOICE (not that my opinion is important) and I look forward to seeing them installed when they arrive. Take Care and happy re-furbishing to you!
Andrea says
Loving it so far guys!! Quick question: does your stair railing match the new floors you put in? I ask because in our house the hardwoods were done in a different stain than the stair railing and handles, like complete different end of the light/dark color spectrum, and it drives me nuts! So I would love to know how you guys will/would deal with that problem!
Thanks alot!
YoungHouseLove says
They do seem to be a close match (each board of our hardwoods is a bit darker or lighter or redder so some of them match it exactly and others are a shade or two different). I eventually would love to ebonize the railing and paint the spindles a glossy white though, so maybe that helps? There are lots of gorgeous staircases like that on Pinterest, and it seems to work with wood flooring really well. Good luck!
xo
s
Katie says
What a huge difference a little paint and some flooring makes! It is stunning!
angel says
Wow! Flooring and paint- such a huge and gorgeous difference.
Erin says
I love reading about your updates. Replacing all the door knobs was one of the first things we did and we chose brushed nickel levers. After reading all the comments it has me worried that brushed nickel is on the way out, I hope they don’t date our house too bad when we sell in ~5-10 years. I was trying to replace light fixtures with brushed nickel instead of brass and having everything compliment each other- what do you think about this look? do you think it will hurt us in the long run? I really do love the clean look of brushed nickel…
YoungHouseLove says
I think brushed nickel is totally classic! I don’t think it’ll be dated at all!
xo
s
mp says
Great choice! I ran into doorknob trouble myself when my ancient deadbolt failed and I took it out, only to find that the locking mechanism for a new one is too big for the slot opening … and the door is too fragile for cutting …
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no!
xo
s
Anne says
Loving the knobs! Can’t wait to see them installed. You’ll be happy every day you splurged on them, promise. ;)
It looks like you left some blue paint on the railing of your staircase?! Will you leave them as is or do you plan on painting them?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, those need to be painted. We just couldn’t spray them since the steps are hardwood (so while we had the carpets up with subfloor under them we could spray some things, but not those stairs yet).
xo
s
Janna says
Are you going to share your experience spray painting the wood and trim, or did I miss a post? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, here’s that post for you Janna! https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/05/buh-bye-blue-trim/
xo
s
barbara L. says
Love the knobs you picked out and all your
home make-overs.
On a totally unrelated subject I would love for
John to post some of his meals he cooks.
I am one of your grandma readers and fellow DIY
in Georgia. You said John does all the cooking
in your family and that you are not big meat eaters
and I would like to see some of the meals you cook
often….
Not your usual request but you both seem to do it all
and help us save money….thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Barbara! I’ll have to convince him to share those! I should snap pics and maybe he can do it on Young House Life.
xo
s
mp says
I second Barbara.
Janelle @ Two Cups of Happy says
I third this suggestion.
I’ve been trying to work more vegetarian meals into our usual round up for the past year-ish. So far my man loves cous cous salad with goat cheese, veggie curry with sweet potatoes/beans, stir fry with nuts and he’s even started requesting falafel. Progress! Haha.
Sara says
Love ORB!!! And it looks like the doors came out really well. Forgive me if my question has already been answered…..what paint sprayer did you end up going with? Were you pleased with it? How about the clean up factor?
And, most importantly, congratulations on your new home!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s the rundown on that for ya! https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/05/buh-bye-blue-trim/
So far we like it!
xo
s
Emily says
I love the new door handle choices! We just painted our front door and are in the process of finishing it up, hit a few hiccups. But we will be posting about it once we are done. We hope to save up some money and replace the front door knob for something more fitting of our freshly painted doors. Didn’t realize how pricey door knobs could be but I think it really adds a nice fresh touch!
Emily
lovepastatoolbelt.com
heather says
well because of you and the advice on here i just got these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brushed-Nickel-and-Glass-Door-Knobs-3-2-Passage-1-Lock-/161039673737?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=bR%252FUJLk8lesm1TXwxCHf%252Fxrs3D8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
i don’t waste any time! lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, go Heather!
xo
s
Julianne says
Love what you’ve done so far & the knobs you’ve chosn are beautiful. You have such great taste & looking forward to all your updates! :0)
Laurie says
Oh I wish you were in Portland. I would have dragged you to the Rebuilding Store. It is a non-profit place that recovers materials from other buildings to keep it out of landfills. They have bins and bins of great knobs for about a dollar each. They even have a ton of knobs that are all alike because they will get all the knobs from a hotel, office building or even another house. Great resource!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome! We have a ReStore here in Richmond but we checked it twice and both times there were just brassy knobs like the ones we took off. Although we donated our working ones there too, so we’re adding to the overage! Haha!
xo
s
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
I’m already liking the slower pace of your posts. I was kinda surprised when I got to the end of the post and the door knobs weren’t already installed. Haha! Hopefully, you guys are getting a little more free time to enjoy your new house with.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Krystle!
xo
s
Carrie Nelson says
I love the knobs! Little item with a big impact.
I also love your hall lights, as my design taste tends to go more traditional. I bought the same lamp in the Richmond HH Restore then painted it with ORB (live near you in Midlothian). I would love to buy more if you decide to trade them out as well. Please let me know.
And congratulations on the new home. It is beautiful and will be a great family home for many, many years. So happy for you.
Carrie
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Carrie! I’ll definitely keep you posted if we don’t keep them long-term!
xo
s
Heather McFeather says
I love your choice. I purchased #5 through a specialty shop where I live (in Victoria bc Canada) and they were about $70/set (Omnia) and I was able to mix and match so ORB everywhere but the bathroom side of the door which is chrome. I got sidelined from installing the rest due to a run in with the chisel (4 stitches later. Yikes).
Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome!
xo
s
Laura & the Shell says
Maybe you already answered this, but are the doors solid? Just curious. And maybe it’s because I live in Seattle, but I seems like you guys are able to use freshly painted things really quickly. Have you had any problems with curing times?
I think the before and after picture of the upstairs hallway is nothing short of amazing. Fresh paint and new floors completely updated that space. I can’t wait to see all paint colors you introduce up there!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes I bet it’s because you’re in a more moist climate. Although we painted ours and then didn’t touch/hang them for about 4 days I think. So 96 hours is a decent amount of drying time here I think!
xo
s
Kim Rily says
Okay, that’s crazy. Those $56 porcelain knobs? I got a bag of them A BAG on Craigslist for $35. We renovated our kitchen and I saw these and fell in love. We have a total of 5 of them in our kitchen (into the office, master, pantry and two into the laundry).
Just CRAZY! (And I have extras in my garage. Should I go charge $40 for one and get my money back?) CRAZY!
YoungHouseLove says
What a steal!!!
xo
s
Maria @ Inspiration Affirmation says
OMG! The upstairs is already like an entirely new space. I can’t even believe it, lol! I love the handles you selected — they’re going to look great, and I can’t wait to see!
Rose S. says
Ahhh! I’m so proud of myself! I scrolled down and LOVED #6 out of them all, then scrolled down a little more and saw that it cost an exorbitant amount IMO, and gave up hope. Then I saw what you chose! I should go on the road with this telepathic mind of mine…
Jackie says
For your old knobs, paint them and make a door knob coat rack – google image that jawn.
YoungHouseLove says
Off to check it out!
xo
s
Keith says
Given you like second hand – your Australian readers might be interested in a free to list and search site for second hand building materials – http://www.buildbits.com.au . Thousands of listed items across all states.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
xo
s
Deese says
Hi John and Sherry! I am a long time lurker (3 years now) and random comment poster. :) I am very excited about the new house! I also love your door knob choices! I totally picked the same one.
Also while I was browsing etsy looking for fun tshirts (it’s a thing I do) I stumbled upon this awesomeness I thought John would like: https://www.etsy.com/listing/105210871/exploded-bicycle-parts-specs-retro?ref=shop_home_active
I can’t wait to see what you guys do next!
YoungHouseLove says
So cool! Off to show John…
xo
s
Jessica says
Now that I’ve composed myself after a middle school-esque chuckle fest over a “myknobs discount”… I just wanted to say that I have come to a greater appreciation for our farmhouse old-school glass knob handles. Every door (including the front and back doors on the inside) has these pretty little gems. I seriously balked at the $90 price tag posted on #5 (which would have been my choice. Uuuuntil I saw how much they cost). Yikes!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s awesome that you have them on every door!
xo
s
liz says
I’m looking forward to a post about updating that hall light fixture. will it be one from your own YHL line?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re not sure if we’ll paint them or use something new (there are three lining the hallway, so it’ll be fun to see where we end up).
xo
s
Rebecca S says
How funny! Choice #6 is exactly what we put in our house last year. It is a Craftsman farmhouse built in 1939 and the new knobs look so nice. I really like all your choices and your final decision!
shani says
Loving the transformation. Hallway looks soooo much better. It shows what a can of paint and elbow grease can do. Good luck!!
Stacy Snook says
Excellent choice! Do you both typically agree when making design choices? I drool over glass door knobs, but I know that’s a more of a girly glam choice.
I’m so excited to be a part of the evolution of this new house. I’m sure it’ll be spectacular!
Best wishes.
YoungHouseLove says
We have to agree or we have a rule that we can’t buy/do something. We call it our Full Agreement Agreement. Sure, it slows us down, but we end up holding out for things we both love.
xo
s
Alyce says
Hehe, I’ve been reading too much Katie Bower and I’m just imagining the search terms that will find this post… But I do like the knobs you’ve chosen!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s true!
xo
s
Michelle says
When we moved into our house last year, every doorknob was totally different from the others. Finish, style, everything. My dad said it looked like a museum of door knobs. We are slowly working our way to consistency.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny!
xo
s
Kelli says
You guys are doing such an incredible job! It looks very YHL in such a blink of an eye. I am still reeling from the awe of how quickly you put down hardwood floors and moved. And you even let us partake in the journey. Thanks, guys!
I have #14. I might be solo on this one. But I love them. They are super user friendly and easy to open with an elbow when my hands are loaded with things. I love the ones you chose. Classic beauty.
ka says
I now want to ditch my brass knobs too. The new knobs you picked are good. They will go well with your new fantastic looking floors. LD does not have the Lono oak flooring in stock anymore. I wonder if they sold out because of you.
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Hope it’s back in stock soon!
xo
s
ka says
Sorry about the bad news Sherry. I contacted lumber liquidators about the Lono oak. I was told that they will not have it back in stock. I hope you bought extra knobs, maybe they will sell out too because of YHL.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! That’s so sad! I hope they’re wrong and it’s back soon! Didn’t get any extra knobs yet… hope they stick around too!
xo,
s
Anne says
I loved this post…I love seeing the options you guys are thinking about, as well as the criteria you use to make your final selection. I’m already in love with this new house.
Lindsay says
For our first kitchen redo it took me weeks of pouring over websites for cabinet knobs. I was basically comparing 20 diff’t knobs that most people would say looked exactly the same. Finally my husband was like, “I just want to be able to open our cabinets! Pick one!”
Winnie says
Hi S and J,
My husband and I just purchased a new home today! All the handles are shiny gold knobs and I’m also looking to replace them with black knobs. I’m wondering if you are planning to replace all the hinges as well (to black) or spray painting them? I’m not sure about the spray paint idea. It might start to chip quite quickly leaving me lots of black flakes everywhere. Suggestions?
Winnie
YoungHouseLove says
We got a bunch of them for cheap at Home Depot (already ORBed) in a contractor pack. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Amanda says
We’ve just replaced all of our interior and exterior knobs (nearly 20 all up) with matte black ones. We’re debating on whether to change out the hinges ourselves or hire someone to do it. Can you shed some light on approximately how long it took you per door to change the hinges? I’m assuming you got ones with removable pins to make it a bit easier.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it wasn’t bad. Maybe took ten minutes per door. Ours were already down from painting, so while they were down we just screwed out the old ones, screwed in the new ones, and hung them (it was easiest with two people so one could hold it up while the other worked the drill).
xo
s
Kyla says
Also, if your doors are still hanging, you can just replace them with the doors still in place. Just remove the screws from one hinge set (the ones that attache it to the door and the ones that attach it to the doorframe), remove the hinge and then screw the new hinge set into place. Generally doors have 3 sets of hinges, and so long as the other 2 are still in place it can support the door while you replace the 3rd. That’s how we did ours – it was super fast and really easy. Definitely a good DIY project to try yourselves.
Paula M. says
Nice selection. My favorite is No. 14, partly for its looks and partly because I’ve read that that kind of handle is easier for the elderly and other people to manipulate than more typical circular knobs.
Not that anyone living in the Petersik household has physical impairments to worry about, but it’s something for some owners to consider if they want to make their living spaces as accessible as possible, whether for aging parents or for resale value.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo
s
Mindy says
It’s amazing how much better it looks!!! You two always make it so easy (although you laid out just HOW long it took to lay the floor, etc). Keep up the good work! I’m excited to see what the rest of the house has in store. :)
Autumn Beach says
Oooooh…love! We’ve got the same look goin’ on in our house…darker floors, white trim/doors and ORB knobs/hinges. However, our knobs are lacking that fabulous plate that you chose for the bedrooms. Love that look. It feels clean and classic. Our knobs are just the simple knobs you chose for the bathrooms. Can’t wait to see these installed!
Caroline says
I LOVE how you guys put a link to your inspiration rooms. Just one more little thing that makes me love your blog even more!!!
alisha says
1) LOVE the glossy white doors and trim. Awesome coverage job! Brightens everything up.
2) Those hardwoods turned out amazing! I love how they shine in the daylight (such a huge difference from the nighttime rumpled stinky carpet BEFORE pictures!) Truly inspiring.
3) As creepy as it sounds I WANNA SEE YOUR BEDROOM! That sneak peak looks so bright and refreshing! I already really love the happy little rug switch-a-roo, too.
4) As soon as you got to #4 on your rundown I thought “Oh, that’s totally the one they went with. S + J are not dishing out $100+ PER KNOB! That’s just crazy-sauce.”
5) Our knobs are most similar to #11 (glass knob on chrome) which came with the house. I was so excited to get such charming knobs! Too bad the original metal plates had been painted over with white.
6) I totally think #2 looks like the door knob from Disney’s animated Alice In Wonderland! I couldn’t help but see his little face…even if it was just my imagination. I swear I happened across an actual replica of the doorknob character somewhere on Pinterest! (how magical would that be as a little girl!? To have a doorknob like that leading into ONLY your bedroom?!? Dreamy)