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Refinish cabinet knobs to brushed nickel

Hi,

I am trying to find a cost effective way to change my household cabinet knobs from brass, not true brass, to a brushed nickel finish. The cost to replace all the knobs is exuberant and I am looking for something much cheaper with the same effect. The are just round knobs, and I have around a hundred of them. Any ideas?

Jennifer Williams
- Anniston, AL USA
2002

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We bought this 5-year-old home one year ago.The medium colored maple kitchen cabinets are lovely, but the bright shiny brass door knobs on the cabinets are tacky. Short of replacing the 79 knobs (it's a big kitchen) - how can I remove the bright lacquer finish and turn the finish to a dark anodized bronze color.

Becky Ellis
- Valroci, Florida
2002

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Painting them yourself with some fancy paint from the hardware store is your only option. Actual replating by a plating shop will probably cost more than new knobs. (There is a tremendous amount of labor involved in plating; when hundreds of thousands of knobs are plated in an automatic plating line by an OEM the costs looks better; but when a consumer's handful of parts needs replating the labor will eat you up).

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

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I have 135 brass handles that are outdated. I would like to refinish them with a pewter or brushed nickel finish. I am told they need to be lightly sanded with 00 steel wool [on eBay or Amazon], a primer is then applied, then spray paint with at least two coats. Has anyone tried this procedure and what brand and color of paint did you use? What is the opinion of your finished results? Is the amount of time and energy worth the savings?

Julie Detlefsen
homeowner - Lakeville, MN, USA
June 5, 2008