While I was home in Texas several weeks ago, my sister Kathleen and I decided to do a mini remodel in my parents’ kitchen. We felt confident after reading so many DIY blogs that we could pull it off. My mom collects iron pieces by Jan Barboglio and many of them are on display in the kitchen, however the cabinet hardware was dated and bronze. We knew the solution was ORB (oil rubbed bronze) spray paint for a coherent look.
Kathleen and I removed every piece of hardware and performed the following steps.
1. We sanded every single pull with high grit sandpaper.
2. We then cleaned all of the sanded pulls with liquid deglosser. The fumes from this product are horrendous so definitely do this in a well-ventilated space (i.e. outside).
3. After our deglosser had at least an hour to dry, we began spray painting the pulls. We stuck the screws through a cardboard box in order for them to “stand” so that we could spray from every angle. Thin, even coats are key here. Kathleen and I ended up doing two coats from each different angle.
Once we had allowed the spray paint to dry for 24 hours, we started installing all of the pulls back onto the appropriate cabinet or drawer. We finally thought we had a job well done, but when we sat down to relax in the adjacent family room we noticed more bronze pulls. These were massive, ornate, and original to the house (meaning extremely dated and are actually those pictured above). We were back to work immediately, following the same steps. The next day Kathleen and I were set to leave early so I did not get a final picture of the pulls reinstalled. Instead I leave you with a picture of Buster, my parents’ new found mutt, who at times looks homeless but can also be very snuggly.
The Watkins Wanderings 