Spray Paint a Door Knob: A Cheap & Easy Update

Don’t you love antique crystal door knobs on old shaker doors? I sure do. We lived in an old farmhouse when I was about 9 years old that had door knobs like this, and I remember loving them even then.

I wanted a crystal knob on our downstairs powder room in Our DIY House. All of our other door knobs are classic oil rubbed bronze ones, but I wanted the one on the powder room to be extra special and glamorous. I looked online for an crystal doorknob with oil rubbed bronze backs, but the only ones I could find were well over $80 (PLUS shipping to Canada, which is often expensive).

I ended up finding a brushed pewter crystal knob at my local home reno store for $30. It’s faux crystal, but I thought it still had the exact look I wanted… minus the oil rubbed bronze hardware to match the rest of my knobs.

The fix? I bought a can of spray paint in a gorgeous, metallic oil rubbed bronze colour and sprayed the knobs. It worked like a charm and now I have the knobs I’ve dreamed of on my little powder room for the fraction of the cost of “real” ones. Here’s how I did it:

First, I taped over the entire crystal rosette part of the knob so it wouldn’t get painted. Also, make sure to take apart anything that needs to be taken apart before you paint! I didn’t do this, and we had a heck of a time trying to remove the mounting bracket from the back of the knob after it was painted. Oops.

Next, spray all of the metal parts with a light coat of Rustoleum “Universal” Metallic Paint & Primer in One spray paint. I find a couple of light coats is far better than one heavy, globby coat. Let the knobs dry thoroughly in between coats, and make sure to paint in a well-ventilated area on a large piece of cardboard or paper.

Finally, un-tape the knobs and install them on your door for a simple & inexpensive update. I’ve had this knob on my powder room door now for a couple of months, and the finish is still looking great. There are scratches on the hardware that goes on the side of the door, so if you want to avoid that, don’t paint that part (you don’t really see it anyhow).

Isn’t it a beauty?