A 15 month ORB handle update.

Flashback to January 2011. I was just starting to accessorize our new home and began spray painting everything in sight, including all of the dated brass fixtures.

Before:

After:

Yes... I know it's upside down  ):

That was using Krylon's ORB spray paint, with no prep other than a thorough cleaning.

Fast forward exactly 15 months later... and here's the same handle from the last pic:

Looking good, right?

Well... here's the other side of that handle:

Yikes.

I've been putting this off for a while, because I had much more exciting D&R projects to fill my time. But enough was enough.

Here's how every other door handle in the house was looking:

Some were fine, some had a few nicks, and others were a hot mess.

I decided I'd go by the book this time, and that meant sanding and using deglosser. I read that sandpaper (even fine grit) was just too rough for the finish, so I spent about 3 hours and 6 handfuls of steel wool trying to prep the surface as best as I could.

As you can see, the old paint didn't fully remove, which literally would have taken days (especially with this intricate style handle and hard to reach spots). So I called it a night and came back the next morning with fresh hands.

For this round, I decided to try Rustoleum's version. We had used it several months back on our guest bathroom fixtures, and those are still going strong. I also prefer the brown/gold fleck quality it has over Krylon's, which was more of a flat black indoors.

After thoroughly wiping with deglosser, I applied the first coat:

Four or five light, even coats later, these babies were ready to go:

Note: The coloring always looks lighter outdoors/in the sun.

And we're back to square one...

...for now. When I was using the drill on one of the screws, the metal on metal contact did scratch some of the paint off. I do not have high hopes for these things, quite honestly. Maybe we just have to be more careful about banging hard objects against the handles...

But the good news is, our guest bath finish still looks great!

I think as long as they don't encounter blunt force trauma with anything metal, they will hold up. But we all know life happens, and that can't always be prevented. Check back in 15 months for another update :)

*******

In unrelated news... I've been published!



Yep, that's our bedroom wall

I'm so honored and humbled to have been chosen for an interview for Jacksonville Magazine's June 2012 issue.

But the most exciting part of this week begins in just 6 hours, when I head to the airport to see my family for the first time since Christmas. They never travel (they haven't even been east of Utah!) so this will be such a good experience for them. I can't wait to show them how the South/East Coast lives... maybe I can convince them to move here :)

Time to get back to cleaning/laundry/yardwork/grocery-ing before they arrive. Have an amazing week, everyone!