Refinished Hardware

In our dining room, we have a beautiful sliding glass door that takes up an entire wall.  It's a great backdrop for our dining room table, plus I love to keep the door open in the summer and let the fresh air come through.  The only problem with the door was the outdated hardware.  It was very worn and dirty, even after being cleaned.  So, I had the idea to go to HomeDepot or Lowes and get a new handle.  Easier said than done.  An oil rubbed bronze handle was going to be about $200.00 for that door.  Needless to say I was pretty shocked.  I was expecting it to be around $50.00.  After that, I needed to come up with a different solution.

I decided to buy a can of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze paint and primer in one spray paint.  The first thing that I did was remove the hardware from the door and clean it.  I spent a lot of time making sure that it was really clean otherwise the paint will stick to the dirt and come right off.  After it was cleaned, I laid out the handle and began to paint.  When you are using spray paint, if the can doesn't already come with a spray gun attached, make sure to buy one.  It makes the paint spray more evenly.  Another thing that is really important when spray painting is to start painting away from your project then bring the can to your project while the paint is still spraying.  Doing this lets out all of the air from the can and any bad paint.  I have come to find that that step makes a huge impact on your final project.  Also, make sure you paint the screws so they blend into the background.  I painted the handle a few coats for durability.  

Before...

After...

Now, the handle looks great and matches the rest of the hardware surrounding the door and it only cost me about $7.00!