How do you like those handles?

(Handles, apples — same difference.)

I’m back with the hardware makeover play-by-play and plenty of photos we couldn’t fit into our door-painting post on Wednesday. Fasten your seat belts. First, a little secret: the hardware on our living room sliding doors looked pretty rough.

Yikes. The swoopy handle was past its prime and showed rust and neglect up close.

We removed the hardware from both sliding doors in about five minutes. I took one side and John took the other, and we simply unscrewed the visible screws on the front, back, and sides with a regular Phillips screwdriver.

We also removed the doorknob and the rusty door knocker from the front entry, again by taking out the exposed screws from the back.

After stripping everything off and sanding the paint around the hardware for a smooth finish, we ended up with a big pile of removed pieces: the sliding door mechanisms, a doorknob, a deadbolt, and the knocker. Some of them were pretty crusty. None looked like they could stay gold for long.

After researching online and talking to paint pros at our local hardware store, we learned the most recommended approach for a durable, long-lasting refinished finish:

1. Roughen the surface as needed using high-grit (200+) sandpaper or very fine steel wool to help the new finish adhere.
2. Use a liquid deglosser to remove oils and sanding residue before painting.
3. Apply a thin, even coat of metal primer if your spray paint doesn’t include primer.
4. Apply two to three thin, even coats of spray paint designed for metal in your chosen color.

I started with sanding and quickly realized that ordinary sandpaper left visible scratches in the old finish. That looked risky because thin coats of primer and paint might not fully hide deep scratches. I decided to avoid aggressive sanding on visible areas and take a gentler approach: deglossing and relying on a spray that includes primer where possible.

Update: commenters suggested using steel wool or ultra-high-grit automotive sandpaper if you want extra assurance of adhesion; that’s a good option for next time.

Next came the deglosser. Wearing rubber gloves, I wiped each piece with a rag and the deglosser, then let everything dry until it wasn’t soaking wet. When I reached for a separate primer, I noticed the oil-rubbed bronze spray can explicitly stated “paint & primer in one,” so I used that to streamline the process.

To spray efficiently, I placed the hardware on cardboard and pierced long metal rods and screws through the cardboard so the pieces stood upright and could be sprayed from all angles. Thin, even coats are essential — they dry smoother and bond better, reducing the risk of flaking or peeling later.

One practical tip: use a spare key partially inserted into the lock to block the interior of the keyhole while spraying. Insert it halfway so it prevents paint from getting into the lock mechanism without blocking the outside of the knob. Remove it before the final cure and use the key to protect the deadbolt keyhole when painting that piece.

Also, put screws back into the hardware and pierce them through the cardboard so their ends get painted the same color. Move toggles and latches between coats to access all surfaces evenly.

After applying three thin coats about 20 minutes apart and waiting an additional six hours for a thorough cure, the hardware looked transformed — a rich, metallic oil-rubbed bronze that photographs darker than it appears in person. The finish seemed smooth and even, and reinstalling the pieces went smoothly with no visible dings or chips.

We can’t yet speak to long-term durability beyond the first couple of days, but early signs are promising. The handles are used frequently thanks to a dog who loves going in and out, so we’ll report back if anything changes. For now, refinishing the existing hardware saved us a lot of money compared to buying new pieces.

The color reads as a deep, chocolatey metallic in real life; photos tend to make it appear nearly black. It pairs beautifully with our oil-rubbed bronze curtain rods and dark ceiling beams, bringing the look we wanted to the space.

In short, our process was: use a liquid deglosser (or very fine steel wool/high-grit sandpaper if preferred), stand hardware upright on cardboard for even spraying, protect keyholes with a half-inserted key, spray three thin and even coats about 20 minutes apart, work moving parts between coats, and allow a full cure of several hours before reinstalling.

Cost-wise, this project was very economical. I spent about six dollars on the spray paint and already had the deglosser and sandpaper on hand. Buying new knobs, deadbolts, and handles would have cost a few hundred dollars, so refinishing saved a bundle.

Update: Our handles have been holding steady. We’ll post a follow-up to share how they perform over the long term.

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