How to Spray Paint Kitchen Cabinet Hardware
September 29, 2020
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How to spray paint cabinet hardware and get a perfect finish!
You can give your kitchen or bathroom cabinets a brand new look by spray painting your knobs and pulls instead of replacing them.
I'm back to share a project involving one of my very
favorite DIY "tools" ever -- spray paint!
I've blabbed on and on about my
love of spray paint for years now. It's one of the easiest and least
expensive ways to completely transform an item (or room!).
This first one is in the kitchen and I'm excited about this
transformation!
I've added an update on this hardware and how it held up at the end of this post!
When I was picking out the finishes for this house, I went much "softer"
than I had done in the past.
The floors were originally much lighter (that
flooring became unavailable so we had to go with something different), and I
went lighter with the cabinets, paint, hardware...almost everything.
It felt right at the time, as we were starting fresh. But I quickly
discovered that I am a contrast lover through and through.
Almost
immediately I was craving it. I started
painting walls super dark,
hung dark wallpaper
and changed out some lighting for bigger and bolder options.
For a couple years now I've been eyeing our kitchen hardware:
I picked a lovely brass handle that looks GREAT. I love the handles and
the color is gorgeous!
But they haven't felt substantial enough for me for awhile. It was
something I noticed every time I walked in the kitchen.
Last spring I
decided to buy a set of black handles just to see if I liked them:
We loved them! But it would have been hundreds of dollars to replace them.
And ours are really nice, I just wanted to change the color.
Spray paint to the rescue!!
I've spray painted hardware in the past and it's
a really easy DIY project. Spray paint is a GREAT way to ease into
do-it-yourself projects.
For this one I used the
Krylon Fusion All-in-one spray paint:
I wanted a slightly more modern feel so I went with the satin black. It's
more of a matte finish but not dull at all.
Spraying hardware can be tricky because you need to get all the angles.
Sometimes it's difficult to access it all.
My friend Lindsay
shared this brilliant tip on Instagram:
This allows you to
spray from any direction! It's especially helpful to spray the underside of the hardware.
The spray nozzle on this can made it so
easy as well -- I held it upside down, sideways, whatever! It made really
quick work of this project.
Now, the easy tutorial for spray painting cabinet knobs and pulls...
Step one: Prep your hardware well.
I worked in shifts -- I would remove four handles at a time. I left the screws
in the cabinets so there was no worry about misplacing them.
I used a soft, damp cloth to wipe down the hardware well with warm water. There's no need to
use a degreaser unless you have grime build up or sticky residue.
Dry them well
and then let sit for a bit to ensure they are completely dry before starting your first coat.
Step two: Start spraying! (But not too much.)
First up, shake your spray can well (and continue to do so in between
coats).
My biggest tip when it comes to spray painting hardware (or anything) is to use a very light hand.
Try not to hold down the nozzle and go to town.
If you want a
"factory" smooth finish, using lighter, thin coats and more of them is best.
You can see that even after the second coat my hardware wasn't completely covered:
I did three to four coats each to get full coverage, which may sound like a lot -- but you only
have to wait about a minute in between coats. That's another reason for
spraying lightly...it will dry much quicker!
If you spray too heavily or too thick you'll get drips, or it will get gummy
and take forever to dry. If you add more coats on top of that it's a recipe
for a mess.
I also recommend starting to spray just before the item and then continuing
off to the side. I learned this super helpful trick when I used a sprayer to
paint our old kitchen cabinets.
This helps control your spray and keeps the coats super even.
This spray went on like butter! Zero drips, zero splatter...perfection!
You
can see here how my set up worked:
The gardening tool was just used to weigh down the foam a bit. :)
This contraption made painting these SO much easier! What a great idea!
Step three: Let them cure!
After the last coat I made sure to give them a good 20 minutes to dry before
handling them at all. Then I moved to another spot to dry for longer.
I used
a cardboard box in the sun on nice days with no humidity:
Check out that beautiful finish! 😍
I did this over a few days so some days were warmer/more humid. On those I
brought them inside and placed them over an air vent to dry.
After they sat for a couple hours I was able to reinstall them, but at first
I didn't tighten them against the cabinet doors:
We didn't use the handles and 24 hours later I fully tightened them.
For the next few weeks we will use a light touch, but they are completely
useable! You just want to avoid knocking anything into them while they cure,
or completely dry.
When you take your time spray painting you'll get a factory finish on your
"new" hardware!:
You can use a primer before painting as well, but this Krylon Fusion
All-in-one paint is just that, all in one! No sanding or priming is
required, which is a huge time saver! In my experience, cleaning the item
well and then letting it fully cure is most important.
The black hardware makes such a big difference in here!:
We LOVE it!! Start to finish this took a few days, but by far the majority
of that time was letting the hardware dry. I also did it in shifts because I
only had four spots in my spray paint "station."
Both versions of the hardware are equally pretty -- but I was craving more
distinction. This was such an easy and cheap transformation. Spray paint can
make such a difference!:
I'm a HUGE fan of
using black accents in a room. It's one of my favorite ways to decorate a space.
I really wanted to tie in our lights and island stools:
I'm still a huge brass fan and think I always will be. We still have
plenty of brass accents in here that I love. (In fact, I've left the island
hardware brass for a two toned look. I may spray those eventually but love
it for now.)
The darker cabinet hardware makes a bigger statement.
Here are the basics of spray painting if you want to give it a try!:
- Clean and dry item well (any moisture or dirt will cause crackling or uneven texture).
- Use light, quick strokes instead of heavy, long ones. The finish will look so much better!
- Let the item dry well before handling and then cure for plenty of time before using or setting items on top.
I did this transformation with less than one can of the Krylon Fusion
spray paint! That's 40 handles and I still have a ton of paint left
in the can.
Changing your hardware color is one of the easiest spray paint projects!
You just can't beat it:
*UPDATE!*
I've received a few requests for an update on these, so I went through all of the hardware to see how things were holding up. I was pleasantly surprised!
There were only a couple that had noticeable wear:
Those were fine on one side but had obvious wear on the other side, because of how we reach for the handles most of the time:
That was taken after I touched them up. ;)
There were a few that had less obvious wear as well:
But honestly, I would probably have just let those go if I hadn't taken the other down to touch up.
There were three door handles and three drawer pulls that I removed to touch up. Just like the doors, the drawer pulls only had wear on one side -- the top, where we grab.
I took the six off, cleaned them well and then gave them a couple more light coats of the satin spray paint.
They look great! I was impressed that only six (out of 40!) of the handles needed to be touched up. Of course, these are on the cabinets that we reach for the most often.
Even if I have to touch them up every six months or so, it's worth it! I would spend hundreds on new hardware -- and a can of spray paint costs less than $10.
If you're interested in anything pictured you can find most of the items (or
similar) here!:
This post sponsored by Krylon but all opinions are my own. I only work with
companies and products I know, love and would recommend to you.
Pin this project for later!:
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My hubby and I love Krylon spray paint. We prefer it to Rustoleum brand, or the cheaper store brands. It dries much faster. A good product at a fair price.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a difference painting those handles made! Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteJust moved in and my kitchen needs a retouch! This would be fun to do! ❤️✨
ReplyDeleteCharmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I actually spray painted my hammered copper handles and hinges when I refinished my cabinets over 10 years ago and they still look great. There's a little wear on the 2 cabinets that get opened the most. Another tip for any exterior facing screws, stick them in the foam and spray the heads, too. Works great. I did put a primer coat on mine, also.
ReplyDeleteI just spray painted our dated kitchen light fixtures. What a pain to tape off the whole ceiling with huge garbage bags. They are not perfect bc I was scared of the fumes so I kept running away but they are better! I’ve also heard of screwing in handles like yours into cardboard with their screws behind them so you spray paint them easy that way too!
ReplyDeleteI love using spray paint! I remember updating our horrible outdoor lights years ago when you had s.p. yours. Ours turned out amazing! Spray paint has been my go-to for hardware, lights, ceiling fans, hinges & picture frames. My faves are ORB and hammered black.
ReplyDeleteHi there! I will absolutely try this on my handles! I was wondering if, 6 months later, they wore off or chipped off
ReplyDeleteMy drawer pulls are two years old and they are wearing out! I looked for new pulls but for 36 pulls, it was a fortune. I am going to to this and use the Krylon spray. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi....
ReplyDeleteI've spray painted a few things in my day but I was wondering about what to do with chipped cabinet handles where you can see the metal. Do I need to dand them down first?
Yes I would give them a light sanding and then clean them well before spraying.
Delete