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How To Spray Paint Your Old Brass Door Knobs

You down with ORB? Yeah you know me.

The deed has been done. After years (yes nearly two years!) of planning to upgrade every last old brass door knob in our entire house, we finally got ‘er done. Strike up the band! I can’t hear you. Can I at least get some cow bell?

Upgrade Old Brass Door Knobs

Yup, we removed 19 knobs with the intent of oil-rubbed bronzing (aka: ORBing) those babies. First we tried this method with a few exterior knobs, handles, and even a doorknocker a while back, just to see how they would hold up before doing the whole shebang (and I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t really have energy for the whole shebang up front). Baby steps.

FrntDr After Door Knocker

We figured that since those exterior knobs/handles/knockers still look great after a year and a half of being exposed to the elements (remember we did an update on them here?), that bodes well for all 18 (yes 18!) of the interior knobs that we finally got around to removing and ORBing. But we’re so happy with the results! Totally worth the trouble.

Knobs 6 Bedroom After

Here are the steps we followed:

  • we removed all 18 knobs with a screwdriver, being careful to keep them paired up (we didn’t want to forget what went with what when we had to reinstall them)
  • using super high grit paper (400) we sanded every last knob to rough them up so the paint would stick (if you see small scratches don’t worry, they’ll be covered with paint- but you definitely want to use high grit paper because low grit can leave deep/big scratches that show through)
  • then I wiped down each knob with liquid deglosser like this and laid them all out on a piece of cardboard (with them facing up, not lying on their sides – which sometimes meant piercing through the cardboard with their back parts to make them stand up).

Knobs 3 On Cardboard Before

  • I used Universal All-Surface Spray Paint by Rostoleum in the oil-rubbed bronze finish. This has a built-in primer and sticks extremely well to things – especially metal – so if you’re contemplating using another brand, you might need to spring for a separate primer to apply first if it’s not already included.
  • When it came to how I sprayed, I just misted everything from all angles. To avoid nasty drips and runny paint, doing several light coats with about 10 minutes of drying time between them was the charm. Mine were so thin it took five coats and I kept the can moving around the whole time – like you’d mist your mane with Aqua-Net. I also squatted on the ground from all sides to be sure I got all of the exposed parts of the knob completely covered.

Knobs 4 On Cardboard Sprayed

  • We let everything dry for a full 48 hours before reinstalling them (didn’t want to mark up the finish while wrestling them back into place). After 12 hours outside on a nice day (you don’t want to spray when it’s too cold – check the can for temperature guidelines) we brought them inside to the sunroom so they could continue curing for the rest of the time since it gets too cold outside at night for the paint to dry properly outside.

Knobs 8 Bathroom After

When it comes to a time breakdown, it took about thirty minutes to remove all the knobs, about two hours to sand and degloss them all, and about an hour to spray paint them. Then after 48 hours of drying time we reinstalled them in all in about half an hour. So the total time spent for what look like new ORB doors = 3 hours and 30 minutes (plus a few passive days of drying time).

And it only took one can of spray paint (actually less than that, since we were using an already-open leftover can). So that’s a lot cheaper than the $185 (!!!) we would have spent at Home Depot buying the exact same knobs in their oil-rubbed bronze finish. Our verdict: so happy with them. Wish we did this about two years sooner. Seriously it wasn’t even that big of a project (in our heads we kept putting it off because messing with every door in the house feels intimidating, but honestly you just remove a few screws, note which ones go together, and they’re all back in a few days later).

Oh and here’s an installation tip for ya: we found that using some painter’s tape while re-installng them kept us from scratching the newly applied finish (then just remove the tape when you’re done and it’s all good).

Knobs 5 Tape Trick1

As for our door hinges, many of them already look ORBed (they’re old and darkened and not bright and shiny brass like the knobs were) or are painted over in white like the door from the previous owners, so we don’t have bright brass hinges clashing with the dark knobs or anything. But if you do you could probably switch them out for a few bucks per door. ORBed doorknobs are muuuch more expensive to buy than hinges or door plates, which is the good news (so I probably wouldn’t attempt to spray paint hinges like the doorknobs, since I’d worry all that grinding over time would make the paint peel and scrape off).

Hinge 1

And as for the latch strike plates, a few of those already look ORBed like the hinges (just from darkening over time, which for some reason didn’t seem to happen to the shiiiiny brass knobs themselves) but a few were still brassy and bright, like this one:

Before Latch

…so we picked four of them up from Home Depot for $5 total (they’re a whole lot cheaper than knobs!). Our reasoning for buying new ones to replace any super brassy ones that stood out instead of spray painting them ORB as well, was because the latch bangs against them a lot, so we thought they might scratch over time (whereas the knobs themselves don’t grind against anything else that’s metal, which must by why they hold up so well – even when they’re outside).

Door Latch1

So there it is. A “dude get on that already” project that has been in the making for a long arse time. Feels pretty good to check that off! And just as I suspected, every single room/closet that we put them back on looked a little posher and less “ew, eighties brass”-ish than it did before. Hooray for small upgrades that make your whole house feel a little more crisp, new, and loved. What have you guys been checking off your to-do list? Does it involve paint? Sandpaper? A whole lotta procrastination beforehand?

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Comments

  2. Heather says

    Love this! I’ve been wondering if my knobs would hold the spray paint for a while now, and I have the same ugly brass ones. Going to do this soon, maybe this weekend if weather permits ;) Thanks for the tips!!!

    Reply

  4. Olivia says

    I’ve ORB’d so many things around here, it’s good to know I can do the doorknobs, too! Now I just need the patience for the drying time… Don’t let the excitement get the best of you, ORBers – the wait is worth it!

    Reply

  5. Katie G says

    I LOVE THEM!! I cringe at my brass door knobs every day, wondering why the owner before me would have updated every other piece of the house and left these as-is…or worse, bought them new. I priced the ORB knobs at Home Depot and had yet to bite the bullet. However, sanding and spraying, I can totally do! Latch plates and hinges will be an issue since they are so obvious, so thanks for the tip (and commenters’ tips) on that simply buying those.

    Reply

  7. Amanda says

    I have been planning to do this in my apartment for months, but my hardware store doesn’t sell ORB!! I finally ordered a can through amazon and also had a long talk with the hardware store’s manager about how it’s imperative that they start stocking it. I guaranteed him that if no one bought them, I’d be happy to take them off his hands. He seemed to be on board!

    Reply

  8. Emily G. says

    Seems like such a small thing compared to say…the kitchen makeover, but matching door hardware makes me giddy. There’s nothing worse than gross, worn, fake gold door knobs. Ok, maybe almond colored switch plates and outlet covers are, but that’s just me. :)

    Reply

  9. Michelle @ AM Dolce Vita says

    The transformation is amazing! We replaced all our shiny brass knobs with ORB levers three years ago throughout our house and it cost a lot $$$. I wish I knew about this spray paint option back then. Thanks for the step-by-step guide!

    Reply

  10. Katie B. says

    Love it – congrats – and totally economical!

    We have brass door knobs everywhere and we’d love to change them out to a satin nickel finish. If you think that this technique could be applied to make satin nickel knobs, please let me know!! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, they sell the same spray paint in satin nickel finish, so I would just do the rest of the steps of this tutorial (sand, degloss, apply thin and even coats, wait the allotted time before installing, etc) and it should be awesome!

      xo
      s

  11. Rachel says

    I did this to our bathroom door after you painted your front door’s hardware. But mine looks like crap. I used your light and even method and the knobs are all scratched up and the strike plate definitely should have been replaced instead of painting.

    Your beautiful knobs make me sad! I hope yours stay looking good! ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! Did you sand and degloss first? I think that might be the key! Oh but replacing your strike plates for a few bucks might help things look crisper and less scratched right away! We’ll definitely do a follow up post about how they’re holding up!

      xo
      s

  12. littleoakcreations says

    We live in an older rented house and parts of it were built at different times, very similar to yours… and we’ve got a weird hodge podge of knobs too! A lot of antique brass ones that are thankfully a little less loud than the straight up gold/brass ones of the 80’s are what most of them are, so that’s liveable… but it’s funny to see that knobs come in so many shades and sizes!

    Reply

  15. Danielle says

    I ORB you my life! Thanks you to your subliminal mind tricks, um, I mean suggestions, I ORB’d a white curtain rod that was used in my daughter’s room and turned it into an ORBy beauty for my boy’s room. Looks awesome. Sadly, you’ve now created a spray paint monster. Two days ago I turned an old matte silver and sad looking candleabra into a glossy cherry red rock star for the fireplace mantle during Christmas. My husband thinks the fumes have gone to my head but you guys have TOTALLY inspired me. Woot woot!

    Reply

  16. Kay says

    Love the Orb finish so much! And it was definitely a good idea to leave the hinges alone. I sprayed painted mine 2 years ago and paint started flaking off in places only a few months in. Then when it was making tons of creaky, loud noises I put WD-40 on it and that did more funky things to the hinges, turning it odd colors and flaking more where it had gotten underneath places that had already come off. Needless to say, I bit the bullet and replaced them all with real Orb finished hinges. Much better and a perfect match!

    Reply

  18. Becky says

    They look great. We actually did spray paint our old hinges with satin nickel spray when we replaced all of our doors (buying brand new ones was pretty expensive, at least in our opinion). They have held up well over time and we haven’t noticed any issue with them.

    Reply

  20. Koliti says

    Last year I replaced all of my old, ugly, brass-wannabe door knobs and hinges with satin nickel finish lever-handles and hinges. When I approached this project I thought, “When I’m an old lady living here, I would want lever-handles because they’re more old-people friendly”. Heck, I like my lever-handles NOW – easier to open when you’re carrying something, etc.

    I love your ORB finish – it’s like jewelry for your doors.

    Reply

  22. Jamie says

    Dude! I wish I had thought of that! We’re in the process of switching out all of the doorknobs in our house from ugly 70’s brass to ORB and I can’t believe the difference it made! Some of our knobs/locks were pretty bad, so replacing them seemed ideal. Now I don’t have to hip-check the front door so I can lock it.

    Reply

  23. Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says

    Congrats on another thing checked off the list! I wanted to chime in on the paint-vs-new ORB knobs: When we bought our 80s ranch 8 yrs ago, we replaced all the exterior knobs with new ORB knobs (that look just like your close-up after photo) from HD to replace the fake “antique” brass knobs.

    And guess what? Within 3-4 years the ORB started wearing off! I kid you not – it comes off on the most-used knobs and the irony is that underneath is…yep, fake antiqued brass. arrrrggg. The guy at HD told us they were a top brand, too. I can only hope they upped the quality since then – but we are looking at painting the worn ones now anyway. Wish there had been ORB spray paint back then! And of course, your blog :)

    Reply

  24. Kate says

    We’re getting ready to list our house and this would be a great update, if it didn’t mean replacing all the yucky hinges – somewhere around 40 – and strike plates. Our exterior doors are all ORB, but I’m hoping our realtor doesn’t say anything about them not matching!

    Reply

  25. Brenda says

    I did some spray painting last night. Some friends and I were working on decor for our church Christmas services, and with the theme being “Let There Be Light,” we used lots of light bulbs. A few cans of gold and bronze spray paint, some string, and a bunch of light bulbs later, and we had what looked like a cross between light bulbs and shiny Christmas ornaments. It’s going to look pretty cool when they’re strung up on wooden window frames and hung next to a black backdrop. Love the ORB knobs! I hate brassy doorknobs.

    Reply

  26. Bekah says

    This is actually a project I might be able to convince my husband to help me with! he hates those ugly, brassy doorknobs as much as I do. They really just scream ‘CHEAP and UGLY!’ Can’t wait to try this when the weather gets warmer!

    Reply

  27. Leslie says

    i did this over the summer when i went to my parents lakehouse and had lots of outdoor space to spray away. yes, i took all my apartment knobs on a 9 hour car ride – they need vacation too.

    i followed your directions from when you did your front door, but i didn’t do the painters tape trick and we got some dings reinstalling them. from afar it looks so nice, but up close it drives me nuts, so i might try again next summer.

    thanks for the tip!

    Reply

  28. MichelleR says

    Perfect timing on this post because I was going to ask for an update on your exterior door hardware! Earlier this year, I ORB’d the hardware for our exterior doors. They were brass (all the interior knobs were upgraded by the previous owners already) and I followed your instructions from your earlier post and I hate to say it, but mine are already chipping/flaking off! Grrrrrr. Not sure why. I sanded, deglossed, and used the same primer+paint spray that you used. I plan on redoing them once it warms up again. Maybe 2nd time will be a charm??? If not, I’m shipping them to you and you can do them for me. Haha!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Here’s my two thoughts: application of paint makes a huge difference, so maybe try going much lighter and more of a mist? A few thin thin thin coats (we usually end up doing five very thin coats) can hold up a lot better than one or two thick/drippy ones (which can scratch and peel off). Also, the temperature of spray paint application matters, so maybe if you did it when it was too hot or too cold out it didn’t cure correctly? Hope that helps! Second time will hopefully be the charm!

      xo
      s

  29. Angela M says

    Thank you for reminding me I need to do this in my own home! We’ve been in our house for almost 3 years! :\ And I have no excuse because I got all the materials to do it, too! Yours look great btw :)

    Reply

  30. Sarah@SarahsBigIdea says

    Oh, this is such a great idea! Somehow it never occurred to me that I could spray paint door knobs. Hinges on kitchen cabinets, yes. Doorknobs, no. Hmmm. Thanks for connecting the dots for me! This is going to save me so much money when I finally get around to stripping and refinishing all the doors in the house…in like, 3 years. :)

    Reply

  31. Kim H says

    So here’s the question….where do you stop?

    Our kitchen has new fixtures in brushed nickel as do our baths. The problem is that if you do the handles and hinges in the bath, do you also do the adjoining bedrooms. Then what about the ceiling fans? And most importantly, what about that antique brass fireplace insert. I priced hinges at Home Depot and they are $3 each. I have 16 doors that would need new hinges, doorknobs and striker plates! Then new light fixtures, etc. (About the time I would get it all done, brass would be fashionable again!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      If it were me, I’d slowly work around the house updating things (first the fireplace insert, then the knobs, then replace the striker plates, etc). You can even go a few doors at a time so you don’t spend all your money at once! Baby steps :)

      xo
      s

  32. Erin says

    We’re totally BFF’s with spray paint around our house!!

    I literally L’dOL when I saw, “Can I at least get some cow bell?” “I’ve got the fever…for more cowbell!”

    Reply

  34. Justynn Y says

    Okay, so not to ask a dumb question but…

    if your door knobs have locks on them, wouldn’t the paint affect the usage of the locks? I realllllly want to do this to my knobs, but I’m worried that the “push in locks” and even the ones with key holes are going to be affected by them paint and then i’ll just have to replace them anyways. Am I being crazy here?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      If you spray them very lightly and evenly it’s just a mist for each coat – applied just like a factory finish. The door knobs you buy are usually sprayed too (just by machines or pros in a factory) but the locks still work and the door still turns – the key is just light coats and nothing gooey and drippy! All of our locks and knobs still function/turn without any issue!

      xo
      s

  36. Holly Marie says

    WOW! Looks fabulous and probably SOOOO nice to have all your brassy doorknobs now looking updated! (i’m sure they thank you too ;) We also did the same thing to all our doorknobs and latch strike plates a few months ago, and good call on just picking up new latch strike plates instead of ORB-ing them. Ours have gotten dinged up from opening and closing the door, so you saved time and effort and money overall! =)

    Reply

  37. Olivia says

    Was that a DC Talk reference?? Haha, I haven’t thought about that song in years.

    Btw, my initials are ORB so it’s funny to see them all over your blog! :)

    Reply

  38. Ashley says

    They look great! Amazing what a small change like that can do to change the whole look of your house. What are your thoughts on spray painting bathroom faucets like this? (Sink and bathtub/shower) Our newly built house has all ORB accents, EXCEPT the bathroom faucets! They are all shiny chrome. So frustrating. And since they are all new, I would rather not replace them just because of the finish. I’m concerned that with all the water, the spray paint just wouldn’t hold up.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’ve seen someone do it (DIY Showoff I think!) and it seemed to work well for her. The important thing is you don’t want water running over spray paint (it’s not food/drink safe) so be sure to tape off the metal inside of the faucet so no spray gets up there and it only coats the outside.

      xo
      s

  41. GretchenF says

    They look great!

    My “Dude, Get On That” was finally pulling down the builder mirror in our hall bathroom. We painted the wall that was left and hung a pretty decorative mirror. It looks so much better, and all it cost was the $24.99 for the new mirror (a score from TJ Maxx). It’s been on my list for 18 months and I’m so happy it’s done!

    Reply

  43. Loren says

    This is such a great touch. This is one of those little things I wouldn’t really care to do in my own home, but seriously looks great in yours. It makes me wonder about painting them other colors as well. Think how cool matte blue, or bright red door knobs could be…

    Reply

  44. carly says

    2 years… really?? Crazy how time flies!!

    I ORBed all the fixtures in our master bath including knobs, towel bars and hooks – what a difference! I am totally on your ORB bandwagon!!

    Reply

  45. Stephanie says

    Looks great!! Are there any other finishes you know of that would work? Like is there brushed nickel spray paint? Thanks!!

    Reply

  46. Megan says

    The hardware looks great now! What did you do about the part that latches into the strike plate? You know the bit on the door with the flat plate and the latch part?

    Reply

  47. Jessica F. says

    Way to go!!! Good job finally getting it done!

    I want to do the same, yet I’m having troubles getting under the knob.
    You know in the hard to reach areas.
    I find I spray and I get it everywhere but then underneath the knob there’s a thin line around that didn’t get hit. Seems the only way to get under there and into the crevasse is holding it, but then I’ll start spraying too close to get in the crevasse and I’ll get drips.
    How do you get inside the curved areas?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I basically got down at ground level and moved my hand all around to mist it from all sides (not just standing above and spraying from the top seemed to be the key). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  48. Lindsay says

    I’ve been waiting for this post! My To-Do list includes ORB-ing all interior knobs and closet pulls. After that, we’re ORB-ing all light fixatures! I’m so glad you mentioned buying hinges and keyhole plates. That will definitely save a lot of time and frustration!

    Reply

  50. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Do you know that I now stock up on ORB spray paint like buying toilet paper in bulk? When I know that 1 out of the 3 cans I have in our stash is running low I just get out to Walmart and grab another can and then all is right with the world.

    My best, Lynn
    *Oh and yes we will be doing this upgrade hopefully this week. My mother-in-law lands on Dec. 14 so the mad dash is on to purdy it up over here!

    Reply

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