How to Paint Furniture Hardware

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Sometimes a small change can make a big impact! Whether you are refinishing a piece of furniture or just looking to update an existing peice (or your kitchen or bathroom cabinets), painting your hardware is an easy and inexpensive option. In this article, I will talk about a few ways to paint furniture hardware.

Let’s face it, new hardware can be expensive. If you like the style but not the finish, changing the color can be a great option. And the color possibilities are endless! Or if the hole sizing on a peice is unique and you can’t find an easy replacement. If this is the case, you can move the location of the holes, which I talk more about in a post about changing furniture hardware. But that may not be something you feel like dealing with (and this is only really an option if you are refinishing the entire piece.

Ways to paint hardware

There are two methods (and products) I use when painting furniture hardware. The first is using spray paint and the second is using Rub N Buff. Generally, I choose based on the style of hardware and the finish I’m looking to achieve. I prefer spray paint if I want a uniform clean look. Rub N Buff is great when I’m looking for the finish to look aged or vintage, or to have more depth or patina.

With either product, the hardware needs to be cleaned. At a minimum, you need to make sure the grease and grime have been removed. All of the steps I take for cleaning hardware can be found here. Sometimes the hardware will look totally new after a good cleaning and you don’t even need to paint it. However, if you still want to continue with painting, a gentle scuff sand with 220 grit will help the paint or Rub N Buff adhere better.

Spray painting hardware

After you have cleaned and scuff-sanded your hardware it is time for paint. In my latest makeover, I spray painted the Campaign-style hardware and brackets on this dresser. The existing chrome finish was not the look I was going for and it wasn’t in great shape even after a good cleaning. If you are interested, you can check out the rest of the Campaign-style dresser makeover here.

I always start with a spray paint that includes primer, I find they have the best adhesion. My favorites are Krylon Fusion or Rustoleum Universal. Even if it isn’t the exact color I want, as long as it is in the right color family it is easy to cover in subsequent coats. Then I will follow with the color that I want. For this project, I used this gold paint.

When spray painting hardware (or anything really) it’s important to keep your coats thin. Spray paint dries quickly, especially when you keep your coats thin, you really only have to wait about 15 minutes between coats. This also makes it easy to flip the hardware if you need to spray underneath or other hard-to-reach areas.

Once the paint has dried, I will do a final coat using a clear topcoat. While not totally necessary, it does give an extra layer of protection. I also sell most of my furniture projects so I want it to be as durable as possible.

Using Rub N Buff on hardware

Another great way to change the finish color is by using a product called Rub N Buff. As the name implies, you simply rub the product on and then once dry, buff it until it shines. Rub N Buff is a mixture of metallic pigments and wax, and can be removed or cleaned up using mineral spirits. While the tubes are small, a little goes a long way.

For this example, I’m sharing a dresser project I did where I wanted to keep the hardware looking vintage and aged. It was brass Hepplewhite-style hardware that cleaned up beautifully using my hardware cleaning steps. However, that bright brass didn’t go with the paint color on the dresser. And if you’re interested you can find the rest of the details on this yellow dresser makeover here.

To do this, I mixed the colors Ebony and European Gold together until I had the finish color I was looking for, Then I applied using an artist’s paintbrush and my gloved finger. I find the brush does a good job of getting into all of the details and my finger works well to spread everything out. You don’t want it clumpy and you do want to apply thin coats and work fairly quickly. If it starts to dry it will begin smudging as you try to apply.

Let it dry completely (I like to wait several hours or even overnight) and recoat if necessary. If it doesn’t dry completely, the new product will reactivate the old product and it will start to smudge. Once you are happy with the coverage, let it dry again (I usually wait an hour or so) and buff it to a shine.

Summary

And that’s it, my two favorite ways to paint furniture hardware. Both spray paint and Rub N Buff are a great way to update your hardware on a budget. Have you tried either? I’d love to know which you prefer, or if you tried something else altogether.

Check out these Related posts below:

• Learn How to Paint Wood Furniture
• Cleaning Vintage Furniture Hardware
• Replacing Furniture Hardware

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Want to learn more about all things furniture? Make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get the latest updates and exclusive content.