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You are here: Home / Interior Decorating / DIY / Removing paint from vintage hardware

Removing paint from vintage hardware

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DIY, Interior Decorating, The Victorian

Some of the few original details our Victorian still has are the doors and door hardware.  But the door knob plates (I’m sure there’s some proper term for them) in the mud room/hallway/weird spot looked pretty bad.  The doors had been painted several times and the painters didn’t bother trying to keep it off the plates.

before-stripping-paint-from-hardware

When you’re renovating an old house, it’s super handy to have a dad who is a decorative painter and furniture restorer.  I texted him and asked how to get paint off of antique hardware.  I had tried the cook-it-in-a-crockpot method on other hardware, and that did not work.  At all.  Dad said soak it in vinegar overnight.  (Actually he said to test it first, because there are times when you shouldn’t–mine tested fine.)

After they soaked, the paint flaked right off.  It seemed to be spray paint too, which makes it even more impressive.

removing-paint-from-hardware

I was pretty excited about restoring them down to the original brass, even if it did look worn (I love that look).  But unfortunately, once the paint was off, it wasn’t so pretty.

stripped-door-plate

I texted Dad that picture and he said “Eww.  Looks like all or most of the brass is gone, it’s down to the copperplate.  Replate or replace.”

They all 4 looked the same.  Replating, or even replacing isn’t in the budget right now, so since those were the only decent options, I didn’t feel bad spray painting them.  I actually liked the black look anyway–not as much as I would have liked the original brass–but the black looks good with the white porcelain knobs.

vintage-door-hardware

For some context of the area this is, the picture was taken from the kitchen.  The pantry is the door on the left and the powder room is on the right.

mud-room

Next for this room is painting the walls.  Once I do that, I’ll share some tips (thanks again to Dad) on how to properly paint over a semi-gloss finish.

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  1. Abbe PB

    October 6, 2014 at 10:50 am

    It might not be ideal, but they still look really great; far better than they did before or after the paint removal! A quality spray paint job makes all the difference, too.

    Reply
  2. Inge

    October 7, 2014 at 7:12 am

    Oh, that is definitely much better looking than before! What a little vinegar can do… 😉 and such exciting news to read you’re moving!! I’m curious to read where you will move to!
    If your dad has great tips on how to get doors (that have been painted over for 1000 times already) looking great again, you can share away here! 🙂 Our doors in our home are repainted a few times by the previous owners in a terrible way. They are now white, but some dark green paint is peeking through via scratches (from the dog)…. We want to start cleaning them up, but we are delaying that project everytime (we think it will be a LOT of work)… 😉
    Hugs, Inge x

    Reply
  3. Kerry

    October 7, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    Ooh, good to know. We have a million painted-over doorknobs and hinges that I want to get to someday. I’m glad to know that I shouldn’t waste my time with the crockpot method. I was never really into the idea of putting old paint in my crockpot anyway! Your doors look great! I like the black and white.

    Reply
  4. [email protected]

    October 8, 2014 at 12:44 am

    I didn’t know that vinegar trick, but I’ll try it!

    Reply

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Guys. It's bad. Swipe to see.
And we're going to try to make it pretty with a super tiny budget of $100 in 4 weeks and we're joining the #100roomchallenge to keep us (me) motivated.
@little.victorian

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Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventua Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventually finish most of our restoration/renovation projects. I'll share the updates in the coming months as we get settled in to our new place. 😁
House update! The realtor is still confused about House update! The realtor is still confused about why "it's such a popular house." When she arrived yesterday for a showing, there were 8 cars in the driveway. 😃

We had three offers the first day, one of whom hadn't even seen the house in person yet.
Surprise! The house is going on the market today. Surprise! The house is going on the market today. (Long story that I'll fill you in on when I have more than 2 seconds.)
.
But we're once again with a realtor that calls our house "unique" instead of calling it a Mid Century Modern. 🤦‍♀️
.
We can't count how many locals came into this house and mentioned that those windows should be removed and walled up and the beams cut off. And then it would be a "normal" house. 🤯
.
Still can't really identify with people in this area. 🤷‍♀️ SO happy to be going back home to the East coast TOMORROW!
Right? We're getting back into the house restorat Right? 
We're getting back into the house restoration and we'll be working on the powder room in the master bed. 
Guys. It's bad. Swipe to see.
And we're going to try to make it pretty with a super tiny budget of $100 in 4 weeks and we're joining the #100roomchallenge to keep us (me) motivated.
The bedroom design is starting to come together th The bedroom design is starting to come together thanks to Craigslist and Goodwill. 
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