How to Paint Cabinet Hardware

How to Paint Cabinet Hardware

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray can of oil based paint
• Cleaner
• Brass Toothbrush

1. The hardware to be painted must be clean of all dirt, grime, grease, etc.
   The easiest cleaning method is to soak the hardware in a solution of TSP, ammonia, Dirtex (which I prefer), or some other strong cleaner. After a period of soaking, (dependant on just how dirty the hardware is-I usually soak for a couple days), use a brass bristled toothbrush (available at a paint store) and scrub the hardware. Be sure to rinse with clean water.

2. Let the hardware dry completely. If rust spots or reaction spots occur after drying, use the dried brass toothbrush and scrub the spots clean.

3. Set-up the hardware in as dust-free an area as you can find. Space the hardware out so that you can get to all visible sides and lay it out on a work table.

4. Now for the tricky part! Shake the spray can as directed. This is important. You want to hear the mixing balls in the can moving freely and mixing up the paint. Between passes as you are painting it helps to shake the can periodically.
   
   The trick to spray painting is distance, speed and dexterity.
   
   Take a practice "spray" with the can and notice the width of the coverage at 12". Keep this in mind as you are painting your hardware. When you start painting, your first spray should be directed so that the top of the hardware connects with the mid-line of your spray pattern.
   
   So position your spray can about 12" away from your hardware.
   You can work right to left, or left to right, whatever is comfortable for you, but when you first depress the nozzle on the spray can, you need to be to the side of your hardware (not directly over it).
   
   Depress the nozzle and "fan" across your hardware. Keep the can moving, if you stop or hesitate, you'll apply too much paint and have to start cleaning again.
   
   Don't worry about coverage, with spray paint, coverage comes with multiple coats. Several thin coats are better than trying to do one heavy coat.
   
   Keep your finger depressed on the nozzle until you've passed your last piece of hardware. So you start the can before you come to the first piece and you stop the can after you've passed the last piece.
   
   If you have multiple rows of hardware, stop at the end of each row and move up and start again-always remembering to start spraying BEFORE you've reached the first piece of hardware.

5. Now you have the upper part of the hardware painted with one coat of paint (don't worry about coverage). Give it a minute to tack-up, then adjust the focus of the spray can so your next pass hits the middle of the hardware with the mid-line of the spray pattern. The overlap will help the paint build-up gradually.
   
   Each pass of the can should slightly over-lap the last pass (after it's tacked-up).
   
   The last pieces I did for a client didn't start to resemble our paint color until I had put on 5 or 6 coats of paint. I think I did 20 coats total (which was about one can of spray paint).

6. If you want to paint the back side of the hardware, you need to wait a day or so before you turn your pieces and start the process on the opposite side.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use water based paint, but hardware gets a lot of abuse and so I use oil based paint because it wears better.
• You can match your paint as close as possible with available spray paints or you can go to a paint store that specializes in car paints and they can put your paint into a spray can for you so you have an exact match.
• If you nick the paint when you install it, use a Q-tip dipped in the paint (just spray it on a piece of card board and swab the Q-tip) to touch up the hardware.
• If your hardware isn't flat, you can screw in the attachment screws and stick them in a Styrofoam base so you can paint them.
• Do this in a well ventilated area, like the garage with the doors open-especially if you use oil-based spray paint.
• Oil based paints dry fast, but take longer to "cure" than water based paints, so don't try to handle the hardware too soon. I usually leave hardware to cure for a week or so.