How to:Refresh and transform worn brass hardware

 ...refresh and transform worn brass hardware

My bedroom makeover is coming on in leaps and bounds this week!

The floor is almost finished painted, and I cant wait to share it with you! But whilst I finish, I thought I'd share this simple trick!

We have a door in our bedroom that leads up to the loft, and I have repainted it to freshen it up. But the old brass door-knob was looking  a little worse for wear! Covered in paint around the base and scratched and worn on the top.

Ideally I would've liked to invest in a new one, but as we are on a tight budget, I decided to give it a little make-over!

I unscrewed it from the door, then placed the paint-coated base in a bowl of white spirit to loosen the paint...

I left it to soak for a couple of hours.

Then, using a scalpel, I gently scraped off most of the paint...

Then I used an old toothbrush to scrub off the remaining paint. It came off easily!!

  

Next up, I got out my trusted tube of "Rub'n'buff" to refresh the metallic finish on the knob with.

This metallic wax is an excellent thing to have in the house, as it has so many uses!

I got this tube almost a year ago when I used it to gild a mirror frame (See the post here)

Mine is in "antique gold" (which has turned out to be a very useful finish), but Rub'n'buff comes in all sorts of metallic finishes!

And one tube lasts "forever"!

(This is not a sponsored post, I just love "Rub'n'buff")

 

As the name suggests, you simply rub it on...

(I like using my fingers, but you can also paint it on with a brush)

...until you've covered the entire knob...taking extra care to cover where there is damage to the metal finish!

...After leaving it for about 10-20 minutes to "set", gently buff it up with an old rag to restore the shine...

The repair job is done, and the old brass knob has got a new shiny finish!!

Sorry If some of these photos are a bit hazy, but I accidentally dropped my phone in the sink just prior to doing this , and some damp on the lens developed....(Like I would ever do that on purpose) Doh!!

Anyway....You can just leave it as it is at this stage, but I sealed the finish with a light coat of Clear acrylic lacquer for extra protection... 

 

You can even use a bit of the "rub'n'buff" to match up the screw heads...

A definite improvement, don't you think??

 xxx

June