DIY Oil-Rubbed Bronze (ORB) Door Knob Upgrade: How We Refreshed 19 Knobs

You down with ORB? Yeah, you know me.

After nearly two years of planning, we finally replaced every old brass door knob in our house with an oil-rubbed bronze (ORB) finish. It felt like a small, satisfying victory—an affordable, high-impact update that transformed the look of every room.

We removed 19 knobs (18 interior and one extra exterior piece) intending to refinish them all with an ORB spray finish. Before committing to the whole house, we tested the method on a few exterior knobs, handles, and a doorknocker to see how the finish would hold up to the elements. That test proved successful—after more than a year of outdoor exposure the finish was still holding up—so we moved forward with the full interior update.

The results were exactly what we hoped for: a cohesive, updated look that made every door and closet feel less dated and more polished. Below are the steps we followed, plus timing, tips, and small-cost decisions that kept this project inexpensive and effective.

Materials and Preparation

Flathead or Phillips screwdriver to remove knobs
High-grit sandpaper (around 400 grit) to scuff the surface
Liquid deglosser to wipe each piece before painting
Rust-Oleum Universal All-Surface Spray Paint in an oil-rubbed bronze finish (this has a built-in primer)
Cardboard or a protected surface for spraying and curing
Painter’s tape to protect door surfaces during reinstallation

Step-by-Step Process

Remove the knobs carefully with a screwdriver, keeping matching pairs together so reinstalling is simple.
Sand each knob with 400-grit sandpaper to create a good surface for paint adhesion. Small scratches are fine; avoid lower-grit sanding that can leave deep scratches visible through paint.
Wipe each piece with liquid deglosser and lay them out on cardboard. Set the knobs so they sit upright when possible to ensure even coverage.
Spray with Rust-Oleum Universal All-Surface Spray Paint in oil-rubbed bronze. Mist from multiple angles, applying several light coats rather than one heavy one. Allow about 10 minutes of tack time between thin coats. We used five thin coats, keeping the can moving to prevent drips.
Dry and cure properly: we left the pieces to dry outdoors initially, then moved them inside to a sunroom overnight when temperatures dropped at night. We allowed a full 48 hours of curing time before reinstalling to avoid marking the finish.

Timing and Cost

The hands-on time for this project was modest. Removing all knobs took about 30 minutes. Sanding and deglossing took roughly two hours. Spray painting took about an hour across multiple light coats, and reinstalling after the 48-hour cure took about 30 minutes. That adds up to around 3.5 hours of active work plus two days of passive drying time.

We used a single can of spray paint (leftover from another job), which made the project far less expensive than buying new ORB knobs. Buying all new oil-rubbed bronze knobs at retail would have been significantly more costly than refinishing the originals ourselves.

Installation Tips and Hardware Notes

When reinstalling, use painter’s tape on the door face where the hardware mounts to prevent accidental scratches to the new finish. Remove the tape when done.
Hinges in our house were already dark or painted, so they matched the new knobs. If you have bright brass hinges clashing with ORB knobs, swapping hinges is inexpensive and often easier than trying to refinish them—hinges see friction that can wear sprayed finishes.
Strike plates: some of our strike plates had naturally darkened over time; a few were still bright brass. Because the latch strikes them repeatedly, we decided to replace a few brassy strike plates with inexpensive darker versions rather than spray-painting them, which could quickly wear off.

Final Thoughts

This was one of those projects that felt unnecessarily intimidating until we actually did it. It’s straightforward: remove a few screws, note which parts pair together, sand, degloss, spray several light coats, let cure, and reinstall. The payoff is a consistent, updated look for a small time and monetary investment. Every room felt a little fresher and less “eighties brass” after the update.

If you’ve been procrastinating on a small home update, this is a perfect weekend project: simple tools, accessible materials, and immediate, impressive results. Have you tackled similar DIY upgrades lately? Paint, sandpaper, and patience will take you a long way.

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