Want to change from brass knobs thru-out house on kitchen cabinets & built-ins in LR and DR.

My big problem is that I have brass door levers thru-out house, with 7 being entry doors - too expensive to replace. Can I mix metals or just stick to brass. All the knobs are Baldwin brass. (They weren't cheap! 45 knobs in kitchen & 16 in LR and DR) I want to update as we plan to sell soon. What to do?!!! Oh, I forgot that I have built-in cabinets & drawers in my BR. More knobs! Geez...

22 Comments

Dan's of Central Florida,... Clermont, FL

Penelope, you might be able to offer the old brass ones up for sale in some local advertising market, Craigs List or maybe even somebody right here on Hometalk will take them off your hands. That can help to offset the cost of the new ones a bit.
I"m no interior decorator, but I imagine that you would want to stick with the same metal, at least within the same room or from within view of each other from different rooms.

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
Penny Columbia, SC

Thanks, Dan. I hadn't thought about selling those (millions of) knobs. I would feel a tad better about replacing them!

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
Dan's of Central Florida,... Clermont, FL

No problem at all. Hopefully somebody is willing to buy them from you. You should be able to just take/post photos of them for your sale ad. Then once you have a buyer, go through and remove them all. Good luck and let me know how it goes for you!

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
HandyANDY Home Renovation... Marietta, GA

It's your home so you can do as you wish....or go room by room....Baldwin is good stuff...someone will buy them. In about another 7 to 10 years....brass will be the latest rage once again!

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
Steve G Fort Collins, CO

Maybe this is a stupid question, but I am confused. If you are trying to sell the house soon, why are you trying to update what sound like nice brass knobs?

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
Penny Columbia, SC

I guess I'm just giving in to all the hype about selling your home by updating with the latest "whatever is in vogue". Maybe I should re-think this! Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 1
Charlene S Lawton, PA

You can take your door levers off and spray paint them to match your new knobs. It's a bit of work but worth it as no one will notice they are "painted" and they will look the same as your knobs. Good luck!

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Steve G Fort Collins, CO

Sorry Penelope. I misunderstood your question. I thought you were saying you were tired of the knobs and wanted a change, even though you are moving soon.
For resale, every little bit helps, especially in this market, but I would recommend working with a staging expert. I think it might be better to focus your budget and time on things like curb appeal and paint, which get more bang for the buck. However, a stager might have a different opinion.

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Penny Columbia, SC

Thanks. I might just get a stager that can look at my house with "fresh" eyes. Luckily, I don't have to worry about curb appeal, as my husband loves having a "perfect" yard with arbors and walkways. But I'm afraid people will be disappointed once they walk in and see outdated knobs and Corian, not granite, countertops. If I only just had to sell my yard! Also, I want to paint the kitchen, so a stager would come in handy. Like you say, every little bit helps in this market!

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Steve G Fort Collins, CO

Great. Curb appeal is half the battle. And a good staging expert will be worth every penny. They can help sell a house faster and for more money.

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Laura D Dacula, GA

Don't spray paint!! It does not wear well at all. Real oil rubbed bronze gives you the best of both worlds. As it wears the brass shows through but the edges are still dark. Good luck with whatever you decide.

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Penny Columbia, SC

Thanks.

on Feb 22, 2012 · Like 0
HandyANDY Home Renovation... Marietta, GA

If you're selling the house.....hiring a good stager is money well spent. I'd also have 3 local & well established agents take a look at the house and give their thoughts on what else you should be doing to get your best price

on Feb 22, 2012 · Like 0
Nora Virginia Beach, VA

Penelope, since your question referred to cabinet hardware you can easily achieve a nice, cost-effective update by choosing stylish modern hardware--say in a brushed nickel or oil-rubbed bronze, depending on the finish that best complements the other surfaces in the rooms--that has brass accents. That will enable you to maintain a degree of consistency throughout the home while marrying the finishes and upgrading the overall design. You should understand, though, that if you change knobs ...»
you'll need to change the hinges too if they show. You need to pick out the hinges first, before choosing the knobs, as the options in hinges that align with and fit your cabinets are likely to be limited. Bring a door in to a store that has a great hardware selection and begin your search by choosing hinges first. Or, you may opt to choose knobs and then paint the old hinges to match. I've done this successfully with Krylon for metals. Just be sure to spray only two or three very thin coats and let the hinges cure for about a week before re-installing them. Check out this video I made for attendees to my DIY workshoppers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kqnov3KdwA

on Feb 22, 2012 · Like 0
Stacey B Florence, KY

We moved into this house with 20+ bright brass door knobs and all brass light fixtures. Although I very much dislike brass-it was certainly was not deal-breaker for us. Because of the cost however, we started sanding, priming and spray-painting all of our fixtures, room by room. With the right primer and paint-we have had no problems with the new color peeling (yet)!

on Feb 22, 2012 · Like 0
Stacey B Florence, KY

Also-if you look on-line you can find replacement knobs/pulls that are about $1 each-may be worth the update to your cabinets! You would be AMAZED what a difference it can make.

on Feb 22, 2012 · Like 0
Penny Columbia, SC

Nora, I enjoyed your video. I spent an hour online looking at the knobs that that company sells on their website and I think I may have found some knobs that would blend with the brass door levers. Like that lady (cabinet hardware specialist) in the video said, "Everything shouldn't be matchy-matchy, but should work well together."
Stacey, thank you for your response and I'm glad to hear that it wasn't a deal breaker for ...»
you, because painting my door knobs would be quite a job with all the french doors, closet doors, etc.

on Feb 22, 2012 · Like 0
Nora Virginia Beach, VA

Great; glad you're finding the answers you need, Penelope :)

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Charlene S Lawton, PA

Penelope, a lot of the reason for using granite in newer or remodled homes is because people don't like the cost of corion..I would rethink that idea too.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Penny Columbia, SC

Thanks, Charlene... I'm beginning to. I hate that I've spent so much on this house (completely taken down to the studs 12 years ago), to have my countertops outdated by some standards. But I will be changing out my cabinet knobs. I appreciate your thoughts.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 1
Charlene S Lawton, PA

Penelope, my thought is to update at the lowest cost for the biggest bang on your return! In my opinion, Corion is definately not outdated. Changing the knobs on the cabinets will definately give them a "newer" look! Painting, redoing the floors, & changing out the appliances are some of the other things that give a sale a big punch. Just wondering too about the lighting in your kitchen, does that need updating? Just a thought, but I wish you all the luck..let me know how you make out.

on Feb 27, 2012 · Like 0
Nora Virginia Beach, VA

Penelope, why not post some photos of the existing kitchen--some overviews of the entire space and some close-ups of areas in question? That way we can give more specific advice.

on Feb 28, 2012 · Like 0