Happy Monday, my friends! Today I want to share with you a few easy ways to remove paint from hardware! It’s not as hard as you may think!
I am a huge fan of vintage hardware so when I find it for a good price, I buy it! I also love switching out hardware on a newer piece of furniture to give it more character or a unique, vintage vibe. In other cases, if hardware breaks, you can replace or repair it. Take this piece of furniture for instance. It’s nicely made and in great shape, but one of the pulls is broken.
The drawer pull for the center drawer on this console was broken and we didn’t have all of the pieces needed to repair it.
Instead of trying to find a pull that would match the others, I decided to replace all three. The pulls I had in mind were either completely painted white or had bits of white paint on them. I knew the style of the pulls would work beautifully on this piece of furniture so all I needed to do was remove the paint. And I had three!
I had some Paint Strip Next by Crown on hand. It’s non-toxic, non-flammable and biodegradable. Plus, it’s low odor. I’ve used it before and it works great. So, I poured some stripper directly onto the pulls in an old tin. You can see in the picture below how the paint was starting to peel right off, but I left them to soak overnight.
Once the paint was peeled away from the hardware, I removed the pulls and washed and dried them thoroughly. I shined up the hardware a bit with some brass cleaner and put them on the cabinet drawers. It actually worked out perfectly using this hardware because it covered up the round marks made by the old hardware.
See how pretty the “new” pulls look? They nicely fit the style of the cabinet, and are nice and sturdy!
So, a quick before and after picture. This mini-makeover was low-cost since I had everything I needed on hand. You can find great deals on vintage hardware on eBay, which is where I found these. Because they had paint on them and one was slightly bent, they were a bargain. Make sure to have your proper measurements before ordering. Hardware comes in different sizes, so it’s important to know the right width between the holes to avoid costly and frustrating mistakes. I think I actually like the style of the new pulls better! They seem more substantial and they have a classic look about them. And we all know gold is IN!!
This pretty (and now functional) cabinet sits in our wine room. At some point we plan to finish the room and add a cooling system so the wine will stay nice and chilled. And of course it will include a fabulous crystal chandelier! For now, the cabinet drawers hold wine openers, corks, labels and other wine related accouterments.
The removal of paint from the hardware was really simple using this paint stripper. It really does all of the work for you! Another easy method of removing paint is simply put the hardware in an old crock pot (which you no longer use for food), fill it with water and turn it on high. Then let it “cook” until the paint is removed. You can often find old crock pots for a few dollars at yard sales. I don’t have an old crock pot and I certainly don’t want to ruin my good one, so I used the soaking method. Just make sure you keep it all out of the reach of children and pets!
Be sure to stop by this week and check out the progress on our front porch at Happy Hill. I think you’ll like it! I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by and continuing to support my little blog! Much love, Dell
