Comments on: Strippin’

By: Anita Mas

Anita Mas — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 15:15:07 +0000

That doesn’t sound too hard to get the paint off the knobs and hinges. I will admit that it would give our doors a little more interest if they weren’t painted the same color as the door. The black handles and hinges just seem more classy against the white door. Maybe I should give this a try.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:02:10 +0000

In reply to Scoops. Oh no, Daniel is the liar. He's the one who makes me think doing these things to my apartment is going to be easy. :) BUT Im sure for smooth back plates and hinges it is way easier. And now I know the "slather on orange stripper and wrap it in plastic wrap and then scrub it with a toothbrush in the sink" trick, so I win? But I do have amazing doorplates, So I win.

By: shavonda

shavonda — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 09:21:27 +0000

OMG I love this Allison. We have the same hardware on our doors throughout our little bungalow. Im totally considering stripping them all now. Love the look.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 21:49:30 +0000

Hey, I did this recently with a bunch of painted-over brass doorknobs and plates, and it was surprisingly fun and satisfying. I haven’t tried any hinges yet, but your tips made me want to tackle them next! Yours look great.

A couple of tips I was given by friends who works for Rejuvenation (major purveyors of salvage): Use a crockpot (not one you’ll use for cooking, of course) for long, even overnight, soaks. And add a bit of washing soda. The paint should just fall off with this combo. Oh, and if you’re curious what kind of metal you have under the paint, and want to find out before you do the stripping, a magnet can give you some clues. Brass isn’t magnetic, but steel is.

By: Scoops

Scoops — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:04:58 +0000

In reply to Stacey. I know, that's good too! Also all of the reclaimed architectural stores are good for finding original hardware, and fun to shop in.

By: Scoops

Scoops — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:04:07 +0000

In reply to Laura. Oh no, I feel like this post is such a lie now. I suppose it would be harder to strip very ornate pieces, wouldn't it? Well maybe if someone is reading this who also has filigreed plates they'll just fast forward to the stripper :-/ I dunno... I bet your doors are super amazing now though, right?

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 17:28:10 +0000

Ah, character, the thing my house has absolutely NONE of. At least people make reproduction stuff so I can fake it.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 16:05:24 +0000

Oh lord, Scoops. I totally stripped 4 sets of doorknob plates last month, and it was AGONIZING. Because they are beautifully filigreed/impressed brass plates. After 48 hours in a crock pot and multiple scrubbings, I had to do orange stripper and a toothbrush. So there is a handy tip for really stuck on paint inside crevasses that have been painted over 6 times.

But now they are beautiful, so I don’t even care.