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I have 34 kitchen cabinet knobs made of brass which tarnish. Can I paint them?

My kitchen needs a makeover, and the hardware looks awful dark. It takes a lot of elbow grease to lighten the brass knobs, so thought maybe metal paint would work better?

Public Comments

1. i would def get the tarnish off of them first
2. Polish them first at least. I'd reccomend just polishing them, metal paint can be a job...
3. No, you cannot paint over brass knobs. It will just flake off.
4. You can paint them. However, they would look very bad. I would reccommend polishing them. Here are some sites to help: http://boards.hgtv.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4774011632/m/5781068113 This explains that you need to sand the clear coat off. Then you can re- coat them with special agents.
5. The hardware options are fabulous these days. Before you spend $$ on paint, polish, tools, etc.. , pay a visit to your local Home Depot/Lowe's/Ace Hardware/Design store - You'll be amazed at how many choices. Consider finding the same design in different sizes, for drawers, large cabinets, small drawers, etc.. We switched our "brassy" cheap knobs for ceramic ones with blue details - looks awesome and worth the few cents more...
6. You can try a metal paint but it might not stay on long and may end up looking worse than the original ones. Here's what I suggest (we do this in homes we stage to sell): 1. Elbow grease... Clean those knobs with Brasso. It won't be too hard to get the tarnish off with this product. 2. Rinse the knobs and dry them. 3. Spray the knobs with a clear varnish spray, either mat finish or crystal (I prefer crystal). Let them dry. Oh... 2 or 3 thin coats is much better than one thick one. And they need to dry completely. 4. Put the knobs back on the cabinets. The reason they tarnish is because they become oxidized by the air that touches them. If you seal them, the air can't get at them and they'll stay shiny like new. Enjoy!