Why you have to think these things through...

Back in the Fall, I got inspired to spruce up the front door by removing the hardware and giving it a coat of Rustoleum in oil-rubbed bronze.  The project, as a whole, turned out to be a giant FAIL - even though I used a primer combo spray paint and I thought I had prepped the metal well enough. I even let it dry a long, long time; all day pretty much. 

The hardware was so pretty against both sides of the door, and I really thought it would work.  After all, I had spray painted a couple of brass lamps and that worked out just fine.

So it was with sadness that a few months later I realized that spray-painting brass knobs on a well-used door does not work.  Hubby was not pleased but didn't insist I fix it right away - I think he knew my OCD would eventually surface.

Before I admitted total defeat I had gone back and cleaned paint off the knob, so it just needed some CLR to be shiny again.  But the handle down below?  I wasn't going to re-spray paint it once a week to cover the chipped paint.  So, last week I removed all of the hardware that gets wear and tear and cleaned it up.  Some mineral spirits and a multi-purpose sanding block helped me remove all of the paint

Like I said, the original coating that keeps the brass pretty is long gone - this house is 17 years old after all.  So I will have to do some cleaning on this brass every 6 months or so.  But it looks better than chipped spray paint.  Lesson learned:  Not every project you read about on someone else's blog or on Pinterest will work.  You have to do a little more research and use your own experience and common sense.  And you can't give up until you have it looking like it should!

  Maybe when my DIY psyche is all healed up, I will tackle putting the kickplate and the lock collars back to their original brass.  Then again, maybe not.  I like the duo tone of the hardware.  And removing that kickplate is a pain.

I spiffed up the entire front entrance, cleaning off the bricks and the mat, and set my plants back outside.  I even cleaned the ceiling of the front porch - it was coated with bug debris like wasp nests I had sprayed, spider webs, and such. (Trust me - you don't want to see the "before" on this one)  I used the jet spray nozzle on the water hose, then let it dry and used Windex on a rag to shine up the glass.  Nope, not gonna spray paint it.  No sirree.

 It's neat, it's clean.  I'm gonna leave it alone now.