How about a post on hunting for door knockers? Not the other kind—this is the follow-up we promised yesterday about updating our door knocker and doorbell.
Here’s the situation we started with: a nice but clearly aged knocker whose main flaw was the previous owner’s last name etched into it (I blurred it slightly out of courtesy).
We took the engraving as a sign that it needed replacing rather than salvaging, and decided to use the chance to look for something unique and bold. Our first stop was our favorite local hardware store, Pleasant’s Hardware, where Clara was immediately drawn to some animal-inspired designs. The styles were fun, but the price tags (one was $188) made us move on.
Next we checked an architectural salvage shop, Caravati’s, which is always full of interesting pieces. There were some great options — we especially liked a chunky ring design — but again the prices were higher than we hoped (that ring was $185). I didn’t realize how much a door knocker could cost.
We also looked at Lowe’s and Home Depot. They had affordable choices, but mostly the same urn-style knocker we already had, just smaller and less “original.” A smaller size would have required drilling new holes and yielded much the same look, so we passed.
Online hunting turned up options at Restoration Hardware and Anthropologie that were relatively affordable — around fifty dollars — but both were significantly smaller than our original knocker. We worried they would look a bit lost on our two-story facade.
Worn out from shopping, we started looking at our existing knocker with fresh eyes. Someone at Caravati’s suggested having the engraving professionally buffed out, but we thought we’d try a DIY approach first. My Dremel had sanding pads that seemed right for the job.
With nothing to lose, we removed the knocker and I attached the coarsest sandpaper to the Dremel to try to remove the etched name.
I made some progress right away. I paused at first, worried I was doing permanent damage, but Sherry pointed out that a fresh coat of paint would cover any imperfections. Encouraged, I kept going.
After the initial passes with low-grit sanding, I went over the knocker with higher-grit pads to smooth the scratches. The sanding left faint traces of the buffing pattern, but the surface became much smoother and even revealed a gold finish underneath — probably close to how the knocker originally looked decades ago.
If we had wanted a gold finish and the patience to buff every crevice, we could have kept that look. Instead, we were happy just to remove the engraving so Sherry could apply an oil-rubbed bronze finish to match our door hardware and other dark-toned porch elements. She used Rust-Oleum Universal All-Surface spray paint, applying three thin, mist-like coats to build color without drips.
Once dry, the de-personalized knocker looked right at home on our blue door. You can see its fresh shine reflecting the front yard — even a glimpse of Sherry taking the picture — and the sanded area now matches the rest of the finish. Small, use-what-you-have victories feel good.
Here’s a detail shot with the door open that better shows the smooth finish without as much porch reflection.
While we were at it, we refreshed the doorbell too. We liked its shape and decided it simply needed the same oil-rubbed bronze finish to cover over sloppy paint and tie in with the knocker and handle.
Sherry’s trick to keep the button paint-free was to press a piece of sticky-tack over it — the poster putty you might use to hang posters. It was far easier than cutting painter’s tape into a perfect circle. Once the paint dried she peeled the putty off and the button underneath was clean.
So one $7 can of spray paint let us keep and update two etched, overpainted porch fixtures. The darker finish helps them stand out and ties everything together with the door handle, black planters, and even the border of the doormat.
Now if we can just do something about that crooked, bug-infested light fixture…
Update: Our house didn’t have a wired doorbell, so we installed a wireless Ring video doorbell. The setup was straightforward and only took a few steps.
Psst — Clara’s at it again, being funny and cute.