Spray Paint Love....Door Knob Makeovers

Hello all!  It's been too long....I've missed you :)  Well.....I guess its only been a couple days....but still.......

I've been loving on a sick baby, so life's been busy.....just not with the usual fun stuff!!

But.....the good news.....since I've been stuck at home....I've had some time to work on a few projects that I've been putting off have been on my list for a while.....

So.....I wanted to share one with you today......but first.....have I told you about my obsession love of spray paint.....I haven't?  Well.....how else can I say this.....I love spray paint!!  It is SO cheap and you can really do some amazing things with it!!

So.....here is the first of many transformations that I'll show you using my friend spray paint....

I started with these lovely awful gold colored contractor grade door knobs....

Ummm....yeah....gag!  I really don't like them!!  At all!  But I have lived with them for 10 years....because.....they are everywhere in our house!  And.....I looked into buying all new door knobs for the house.....and oh my goodness.....that wasn't going to happen......because they are so stinkin expensive!  Ugh!!  SO.....I had to come up with another solution to this problem.....I mean 10 years is long enough to suffer live with these lovelies.....

And honestly....this is what got my love of DIY started.....I happened to read on someones blog about how they painted the door knobs in their house.....You can check our their posts here and here.....and I thought.....even I can do that......

So.....here we go.....

Another pic of what we are starting with (please ignore the messy garage)....

So let's get started on the transformation.........first take some sandpaper and sand those babies down....I used 320 grit, because you don't want to scratch the surface....just rough it up a bit.....

After you've sanded them down pretty good.....then make sure that you wipe them totally clean....

Next....lay them all out on a surface where you can paint them....

At this point some people choose to put on a layer of primer.....I don't do this......why.....probably because I am a little lazy I want to speed up the process a little.....it's up to you whether to do it or not.....I don't and so far so good.......

So now it's time to get out your good old friend....spray paint....I like to use Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze (available at Lowe's or Home Depot).....

Ok.....now....listen up.....SERIOUSLY.....I am about to reveal the SECRET TO A SUCCESSFUL SPRAY PAINT JOB.......

The secret is....you must be patient with the spraying......when painting you need to make short quick sprays.....and you probably won't get the whole surface covered during your first spray.

Then you need to wait about 10 minutes or so for your first round of spray to dry....and then repeat your spraying process (again with the short quick sprays)......then wait 10 minutes......repeat.....repeat.....and so on until the entire object is painted......

Now....the reason for the short quick sprays is to keep from getting drips or runs or build up in certain areas.....I promise it is SO worth it just to take your time and do it right the first time!!

However, if you do get a little antsy and spray to much and get a drip, then just immediately wipe it off.....and then spray over it again.

After a first spray, my door knobs looked like this.....

And here's a look up close (notice how you can still see some gold after the first spraying)....

And after a few more rounds of spraying and drying here's how they looked......

And here's a look up close.......

Turned out pretty good.....the light is reflecting a little weirdly here.....but I promise the gold is GONE....and the beauty of the Oil Rubbed Bronze is here to stay!!

Oh yeah.....another quick SECRET.....make sure to let your door knobs (or whatever you are spraying) to dry completely.....this allows for the paint to cure fully......my rule is to leave my sprayed objects alone for a minimum of 24 hours after the final spray.  If you can.....then I would leave them even longer....the curing of the paint is critical for longevity!!!

Here's a look at the "new" door knobs back in their rightful places (the color in these pics is better)....

And how about a little before and after action.....

And a look at the other doors in this room......

I love the new color....isn't ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze) just awesome!  Love it!!

Ok....so I bet some of you are thinking.....yeah, yeah.....great.....but how does it hold up?  Well.....I did these this weekend, but I did all of the door knobs on our downstairs doors about 6 months ago and they are still looking great! 

I have seen a couple of "dings" on our highest traffic door (kitchen food pantry) AND if you've read this blog before you probably already know how I took care of those places......yep.....that's right......I just used a Sharpie marker to dab on a little color over the dings.......YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL......I SWEAR......the ORB is just so dark that a little dab of the Sharpie doesn't really show up.....

So.....how about just one more after pic....just for fun......

Well......anyone getting the spray paint bug?  I'm telling you.....if you ever pick up a can......well.....it's sort of hard to stop......you just start seeing how everything around you could be made over.....with just a couple quick sprays of this or that......

Seriously.....it's kind of an sickness.....  :)

Until next time....happy spraying!!

XOXO-

Kristal

I'm linking up here.....

Thrifty Decor Chick Spring Fling Spray Paint Party