DIY Hardware Makeover: How We Refinished Our Door Hardware

(Yes, handles and apples — same difference. And no, Matt Damon probably isn’t reading this.)

I’m back with a full hardware makeover play-by-play and plenty of photos that didn’t fit into our recent door-painting post. If you’re interested in updating existing door hardware, this post covers what we learned, the steps we followed, and some tips to help you avoid the mistakes we made.

Our living room sliding doors had old, tarnished gold hardware that looked pretty sad:

Up close it was clear the finish was not new gold at all but rusted, dull, and neglected:

Removing the hardware was quick. We unscrewed the sliding door handles and removed the front door knob and knocker with a regular Phillips screwdriver. It took about five minutes for both doors when we split the work.

We also took off the doorknob and the rusty knocker from the front door the same way — exposed screws made removal straightforward:

After taking everything off, we laid out the assortment: sliding door hardware, doorknob, deadbolt, and door knocker. It looked like a “Where Are They Now?” segment for gold hardware — some pieces were worse than others but none were in great shape.

Recommended Refinishing Process

After researching and asking paint experts, we followed the most recommended approach for a durable finish on metal hardware:

1. Lightly roughen the surface with very high-grit sandpaper (200+ grit) or, as commenters suggested, fine steel wool or automotive-grade high-grit paper for better control.
2. Use a liquid deglosser to remove oils and sanding residue before painting.
3. Apply a thin coat of primer designed for metal if your paint does not include primer.
4. Spray two to three thin, even coats of a high-quality spray paint formulated for metal in your chosen color — we used an oil-rubbed bronze finish.

What We Did and What We Learned

I started with sanding and quickly realized the sandpaper left visible scratches in the gold finish that thin coats of primer and paint wouldn’t completely hide. That was a misstep — the scratches made me panic — but fortunately the most visible scratched side would be installed facing downward, so it’s barely noticeable now. Note: using steel wool or very high-grit automotive sandpaper is a better, less-abrasive option if you try this.

Next we used a liquid deglosser (wear gloves) applied with a rag to remove grease and particles, then let the pieces dry. When I read the spray can label, I discovered our oil-rubbed bronze spray paint also included primer, so I skipped a separate primer step and applied three thin, even coats of the combined paint-and-primer product.

To make painting easier we stood long interior rods through pierced cardboard so pieces were upright and accessible from all sides. Thin, even coats are essential — they avoid drips and help the finish bond and cure strongly, reducing future flaking or peeling.

A simple trick: insert a spare key halfway into keyholes to block paint from entering the lock mechanism while still allowing you to paint the face of the knob. We also threaded screws through the cardboard so their heads got sprayed to match and moved latches and toggles between coats to cover all surfaces.

After three coats, spaced about 20 minutes apart, the hardware looked much improved:

I waited about six hours after the last coat to reinstall everything so the finish could fully cure and reduce the risk of scratching during installation. Reinstalling went smoothly and, after 48 hours of regular use, everything still looks great and functions normally. We’ll continue to monitor long-term durability — these doors get daily use thanks to our dog who loves going in and out.

Final Thoughts and Tips

Oil-rubbed bronze (ORB) can photograph darker than it appears in real life — it has a rich, metallic chocolate tone that’s easier to see in person. I love how the new ORB hardware complements our dark beams and curtain rods.

In summary, our process was:

• Use a liquid deglosser (or try fine steel wool/high-grit sandpaper if needed).
• Lay hardware upright on cardboard so you can spray all angles.
• Insert a key halfway into keyholes to block paint from the internal lock.
• Spray three thin, even coats about 20 minutes apart, moving parts between coats.
• Let hardware cure for several hours before reinstalling.

Cost for our project was minimal — roughly the price of one can of spray paint since we already had the deglosser and sandpaper. Replacing all the pieces new would have been considerably more expensive, so refinishing was a great budget-friendly option.

We already posted an update confirming that the handles are still holding up after additional time. For more details, see the follow-up post about how they performed over the long haul.

*This post originally included product links to items we used and liked.*