Brass door hardware that s covered with old oil paint latex paint or spray paint can be safely and effectively cleaned without the use of harsh chemical strippers or special tools.
How to get paint off of brass door hinges.
Cooling off the brass immediately should make the paint even easier to remove.
Step 1 cut the paint photo by eric piasecki.
Since the hardware is sitting in the still hot water i use my gloves to grab the brass hardware to keep from getting burned.
Remove paint from door hinges without removing them.
So it would stay half open until i took the time to adjust them.
Rust accumulates on door hinges when moisture is allowed to build up on the surface of the metal.
It s also the best method if you re restoring multiple pieces at the same time.
In addition to its unsightly appearance rust can corrode and weaken the structure of metal causing holes to appear and increasing the possibility of the hinge breaking or snapping when the door opens.
It will also make the brass much safer to handle.
Don t worry about taking a door down or boiling hinges in vinegar or harsher chemicals.
Let the brass sit in the ice water for about 5 minutes then transfer it to an old towel you re prepared to throw away.
Almost every door hinge in our house has been painted over.
Protect the surrounding paint.
The paint came off easily the hardware didn t end up getting scuffed and it was a fairly pain free process.
Take one off replace it tighten it and then replace the others one at a time.
You can purchase pre cut painter s tape to cover hinges so there s really no excuse except laziness.
The heat and moisture will soften the paint and often it will fall off as a single piece.
A beeswax furniture polish after stripping or a nonabrasive polish like flitz or maas can restore the sheen to solid brass or thickly plated hardware.
Here is a video showing how the paint falls off of the hardware from using this diy brass cleaner method.
Taping off a hinge when you paint a door is not hard to do.
All in all heat soaking your door knobs is the way to go.
During our master bedroom makeover i took off the door to paint and taking all the hinges off at once made them unbalanced when i went to reinstall them.
Cooking the hardware may stain or contaminate the pot so use an old one or buy a new one for less than 20.
Save yourself time and energy with this simple and easy hack to removing paint on door hinges.
This simple trick will remove paint from hinges in a snap.
Set the brass in a bowl of ice water.
And the next time the door needs painting do yourself a favor take the hardware off before the painter shows up.