Home Hardware Redecorating Series - Discount Cabinet Hardware!

We'll kick off our "Home Hardware Redecorating Series" with one very important theme... discounts! Everyone wants to save money while making their homes beautiful and functional in their own styles. You don't have to sacrifice your own unique style to save money. Here is some cabinet hardware in different styles that won't break your bank.

 
Ceramic painted floral knobs are making a comeback. Just look in any interior decorating magazine and you'll see white and floral rooms in abundance. Gold accents such as the border around the cabinet knob on the above-right are also popular.

These knobs are the Amerock 1 1/2 Inch Allison Oversized Knob In White With Pattern and the Amerock 1 1/2 Inch Allison Oversized Knob In White, which are both under $3 a piece. You might also be interested in the plain white ceramic knob by Amerock, which is under $2 a piece.


This Amerock 1 1/2 Inch Allison Oversized Knob In Antique Brass would be an great unexpected twist to any bathroom, kitchen, or anywhere you would need some interesting cabinet knobs. This design is amazingly only $2.09 a piece!

 
Wood cabinet knobs? Of course! The Amerock 1 1/4 Inch Allison Knob In Wood and the Amerock 1 1/2 Inch Allison Oversized Knob In Wood are only $0.71 and $0.77 each, respectively! They are very smooth and only look as if they might give you splinters. Pair them with wood cabinets of a similar shade.

 
The Amerock 1 1/4 Inch Brass Sterling Traditions Knob Sterling Nickel and the burnished brass version of the same knob (right) are great traditional pieces that will go perfectly in most homes. In modern homes, go for the sterling nickel finish. In a home with more of a vintage look, go with the burnished brass. They are only $2.70 each.

You can find many more discount cabinet knobs here.

5 Out-of-the-ordinary Ideas for Using Home Hardware

Many types of home hardware have uses outside of the standard, you just need to think outside the box! Being innovative is a great way to change things up and help make your home look a little more interesting, or to save some money.

Here are a few different ways to use home hardware that you might not have thought of.

Hooks...

… To Hang a Curtain

Get a piece of scrap wood, or a new piece of wood and paint it or stain it to the color you want. Use scrap wood that has faded paint would be good if you like the “shabby chic” look in your home. This piece of wood needs to be long enough to span the top of a window, and only needs to be a few inches wide, and about an inch thick.

Install single hooks about 3 or 4 inches apart across the board, or at least so that they are distanced from each other evenly. Get a curtain with loops at the top, and hang them on each hook, with the edges of the curtains meeting in the middle, so you can pull them apart to let the sun in during the day. You can also do this for a shower curtain, or wherever you want to hang a curtain!

… To Re-organize a closet

Take the rods out of your closet, and install hook racks along the inside walls. Install some up high, as well as some lower, so children can reach to hang their coats. This is a much more convenient way to hang coats in a closet.

House Address Numbers...

… On a Planter

Get a box planter that is big and noticeable, and one that will match the outside of your home. It should be up high (like on a porch railing, or even attached to the front of the house), or at least clearly visible from the road, with a flat front so you can easily install the numbers. Add plants, just not ones that will hang in front of the numbers.

… On a Monogram

Cut out or purchase a large capital letter of your family's last initial. Depending on the shape of the letter, arrange the house numbers so they read evenly spaced, from left to right (straight or diagonally), or top to bottom.

… On a Shutter

Get an old window shutter, or a new one in the color you want. Install your house numbers onto the shutter. You can get extra creative and decorate the shutter in different ways.

Home Hardware Q and A: All About Oil Rubbed Bronze

Do you love the rich and warm chocolatey color of oil rubbed bronze home hardware? There are a few things you should know about this beautiful finish that can have quite a bit of variety.

Q: I used to have some oil rubbed bronze sink faucets and knobs in my old house and I loved them. I recently started shopping for some oil rubbed bronze home hardware, and some of it looks so much different than the ones I had before. Are there different kinds of oil rubbed bronze?

A: The look of certain finishes can be very different from one brand to another. Oil rubbed bronze is a great example of this, especially because there are several different methods for achieving the look of oil rubbed bronze. Most oil rubbed bronze pieces you find today are made simply by coating the outer surface with a rich, dark brown paint. A manufacturer might also used a chemical to darken the outermost layer of hardware.

If the house you lived in before was old, it might be that the oil rubbed bronze there was also old, and achieved the aged or worn look in some spots naturally, over time. This look is very hard to replicate, and it's true that oil rubbed bronze will look a little different from piece to piece, even if they're all from the same brand!

Natural or authentic oil rubbed bronze, also referred to as a "living" finish, is slowly and constantly being changed with use and wear. The more it's touched over the years, the more it will achieve the lighter, rubbed off spots to show the copper underneath. Most manufacturers use a non-living finish to get the oil rubbed bronze look, which means it won't rub off with time, or there are spots that are already worn to make it look as if the door knob or faucet knob has been used for many years.

My advice is to stick with the oil rubbed bronze home hardware from one brand. If you are using oil rubbed bronze cabinet knobs from RKI and you want to use backplates with them, you will need to use the oil rubbed bronze back plates from RKI If you don't, you could risk the backplates being a much darker or lighter shade, and it won't look right at all.

The same goes if you're trying to match the oil rubbed bronze faucets and knobs with the cabinet hardware and towel bars. You should definitely purchase them from the same brand. The brands Hickory Hardware, RKI and Amerock are just a few of them many brands that have extensive oil rubbed bronze collections.

How to Clean Home Hardware Finishes

Home hardware adds style, color and luster to our homes, and just like the hardwood floors and the upholstery, we have to take care of them and keep them clean. The best thing about cleaning home hardware, is the materials that work for each type of finish are probably already in your kitchen cabinets!

Not all metals and finishes can be treated the same way, so we've broken down the different common finishes for cabinet knobs, pulls, hooks, faucets and everything else, so you can keep your home hardware looking beautiful for many years to come.

Here is a list of the things you will need:

• Lint-free cloths.
• Vinegar
• Dawn dish soap, or another similar soap.
• Glass cleaner
• Ketchup

Bronze

Bronze cabinet knobs and pulls can be wiped free of grime weekly or every few weeks with a damp, lint-free cloth. As for sink faucets and other things that come in contact a lot with water and corrosive substances like tooth paste, bleach and other chemicals, you will need to wipe them down every couple of days. This will help them retain their original finish.

Chrome

Chrome will last for many years, but it will start to look dull and dirty after a while due to corrosion. First, try gently scrubbing it with a dish soap like Dawn and a soft wash cloth. If that doesn't do the trick, vinegar will. You want to start as mild as possible because you want to stay shiny and free of scratches. Dry and polish with a micro fiber cloth .

Brass

The hot soapy water and cloth should also work to get rid of regular old grime build up. For tougher dirt, the gentle acid found in ketchup or tomato paste with a micro fiber cloth and some elbow grease will get the job done. Don't forget to dry and polish.

Nickel

Try wiping off dirt with a dry soft cloth. If that doesn't work, use the soap and hot water and scrub in circular motions. For a quick cleaning, spray your nickel cabinet knobs with a regular glass cleaner, and polish it off to make sure no spots or streaks are left behind. As a general rule, don't use any harsh cleaners such as oven cleaners.

Stainless Steel

Use a wash cloth and vinegar water to scrub it clean. Vinegar is effective in getting rid of dirt as well as bacteria and molds. Don't scrub across the grain of the steel, always scrub along with it. Polish it dry with a clean dry lint-free cloth.

Helpful Tips for Installing Cabinet Knobs and Pulls

So you have some brand new cabinet knobs or cabinet pulls that will go great with the new look you've chosen for your kitchen. Now you're faced with the task of installing them. Don't let this intimidate you! You do want to take your time and be extra careful, but it's not as hard as it sounds.

You either have brand new cabinets and drawers that have never had holes drilled into them before, or you've filled in the holes in your old cabinets and made them fresh for an all new knob installation. This is an important first step, because you don't want any old holes visible.

Things You Will Need

Make sure you have all of your supplies together before you get started:

A tape measure, Sticky tack, A drill, Drill bits the same size as the screws you're using, A piece of cardboard, A pencil.

Decide on Placement

Placement of the knobs or pulls is important, because being able to grab them and open the cabinets or drawers comfortably and easily is 100% of their function. Not only will you need to be able to grab and open them easily, but so will everyone else in the house.

Centered isn't always best – it really depends on the nature of the cabinet doors and drawers themselves. You can test the positioning of the knobs or pulls by putting some sticky tack (it won't damage the surface of the cabinets) on the hardware where they would be touching the cabinet, and stick them on. Try out a few positions until the look and feel right on each cabinet.

Laurey Mission Bay Pull in Antique Pewter

Make a Template

Once you have that figured out, you can make a hole stencil based on the positions and the holes of the knobs or pulls. This is especially helpful if you have pulls where more than one knob needs to be drilled to install each one.

Use your cardboard for this. Take one pull and place it on the cardboard where it will be touching the surface of the cabinet. Mark right next to the side of the pull with the pencil. Poke a hole through the carboard where you marked with the pencil. Use these holes as a stencil for marking the cabinets where you will be drilling.

Amerock Allison Knob in Antique Brass

Make a Pilot Hole

Carefully make a pilot hole on the pencil marks with a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the one you will actually be using to drill the holes for the screws. A pilot hole doesn't go all the way through, but only gets the hole started, so the drill doesn't damage the wood.

Make Sure the Drill Bit is the Right Size

Use a drill bit that is the same size as the screws. Too big will cause the knobs or pulls to be too loose, and too small will end up splitting the cabinet wood from the holes you drilled.

Decide Which Finish is Best for Your Home Hardware

There are so many types of finishes for home hardware, it can be hard to decide which one is right for your home. You might even have decided on the perfect theme and the perfect colors, but with so many beautiful and versatile pieces of cabinet knobs, bathroomhooks and other essential pieces, it can start to get confusing!

First, you should consider the basic color scheme of the kitchen or bathroom where you plan on installing your new home hardware. Does it involve mostly cool colors or warm colors? Cool colors are blues, greens, purples and pinks, or shades that contain these hues.

If your bathroom features cool colors, one special kind of finish that would work well here, is verdigris. Verdigris gives the look of oxidized copper, which if you look at an old penny that has been oxidized, has a bluish green color. It also has a rustic and old fashioned feel. It would go great in a bathroom that has an aquatic theme.

Next, think about the basic décor aesthetic of your kitchen or bathroom. Is it more polished and modern, or does it have a very country, shabby-chic or rustic feel? Your finish should definitely match the aesthetic.

Chrome home hardware would be perfect for modern, ultra modern, or even a fancy or “romantic” theme, depending on the style of the cabinet hardware and hooks, right down to the toilet paper holder and even the soap dish. On the opposite side of the coin, antique iron, antique bronze or antique copper would go well in a rustic style atmosphere.

Then, there are the more versatile finishes available. Oil rubbed bronze home hardware is very popular, and it comes in many different shades of the same basic neutral, ruddy brownish gold. It's neutral, because it would go well with both cool and warm color schemes. Nickel is also very versatile, comes in variations like polished, satin and even black nickel, and is also considered largely neutral.

Now that you've answered these questions, you can narrow down your search for the right home hardware finish. Next, you can focus on the shape to go along with the overall style and feel of the room or rooms.