DIY Chrome to Brushed Brass Cabinet Hardware

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Thanks for all the love and kind words about my white & gold master bathroom reveal last week! I’m just in love with the space, and I know I’ll enjoy it for years to come.

The rug from Rugs USA that I intended to use finally came in, so I’ll definitely do an update to showcase our non-traditional choice. Today, is all about how I took my lucite drawer pulls from chrome to brushed brass. It was a lot of trial and error!

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I wrote about this topic initially after my two failed DIY attempts. I first tried my handy dandy Krylon gold leafing pen, which works well on 99% of paintable surfaces…and it came right off.

I then tried the gold metallic paint from Velvet Finishes that I used with much success on my thrifted ottoman that I painted…and it came right off.

One thing became painfully apparent– I needed to prime the chrome. This revelation seems easy enough, but again I ran into trouble when using my usual 99-cent flat white primer.

The primer adhered just fine, but once I put anything over the primer, it begin eating away at it. I rubbed some rub n’ buff on it and the primer just started clumping off in huge chunks and reverting right back to chrome.

If you’re keeping count, we’re at THREE failed attempts.

I’m not that easily discouraged, so I dug around my spray paint cabinet to find my heavy duty primer. I applied it to the chrome parts and then tried rub n’ buff. All was well, but the rub n’ buff looked olive rather than gold when applied over the primer.

And then I resorted to using my favorite gold spray paint over the heavy duty primer. AND. IT. WORKED.

Here’s the whole process step by step below. It is not difficult, but requires patience in letting each painting step dry fully before moving forward to achieve the desired flawless finish.

Supplies Needed:

• Lucite & chrome drawer pulls
• Heavy duty spray paint primer
• THIS gold spray paint (it’s the best!)
• Painter’s tape

Instructions:
1.) Tape off all the lucite parts that you don’t want to get any spray paint on.

2.) Get a coat of primer on all (top/bottom/sides) the chrome portions of the pulls. I did a total of 10 pulls, and I found doing this assembly line style kept me from having to wait around too much. I’d tape one, spray paint it, while that one was drying, I’d tape the 2nd and so on.

3.) Place the pulls in front of a fan to speed up drying time. Let dry fully about 15-20 minutes.
Once the primer is dry, do a light coat of gold spray paint. (When I say a light coat, I mean a light coat. You do not want drips of spray paint on your pretty hardware! If this does happen, let it dry, lightly sand and try again.) Let the pull(s) dry by a fan for about 20-30 minutes.

4.) Given the nature of this hardware, I had to flip the hardware once dry (see above step) to get a flawless coat on the bottom. Make sure it’s dry before doing this so you don’t ruin the finish.
After that, I did one last light coat on the top to ensure it had a good coat of gold on it. Let it dry for about an hour by a fan.

5.) Once they’re dry, gently peel off the painter’s tape. If any primer or gold spray paint seeped through, gently scratch it off or use a q-tip with nail polish remover.

6.) Attach to cabinets and enjoy your new hardware!

 And here’s a quick before and after shot:

I know some of you don’t like gold, but I think we can all appreciate a quick, inexpensive tutorial to get the look we want for something in our home.

I wanted brass and lucite pulls all along, and now I have them! I love the slight warmth they add to a very white and gray space. The chrome felt a bit cold, and this feels just right now.

You could even do this in reverse if you’re stuck with some 80’s shiny brass pulls and want satin nickel or oil rubbed bronze finish.

The next part of our master bedroom suite revamp begins on Wednesday when I reveal the inspiration board for our master bedroom as part of the One Room Challenge.

The room is going to transform in just under six weeks, and I’ll be sharing the good, the bad and the stressful right here on the blog. If you love sneak peeks and videos of me being awkward, follow along on my Instagram stories.