Easy Closet-metic Surgery for Brass Haters

Some may know this by now, but I kinda like spray paint.

It is something that I heartily acknowledge now. Spray paint has made many a thing in our home much better.

We are down to very few brass elements throughout the house. I am not much a fan of brass or gold accents, (though I have been attracted to antique-brass shiny objects lately in stores…intervention, please!), so it was time to refinish the guest room closet doors.

My parents will be staying in this room in about two weeks. Although my Mama is adamant that brass fixtures wouldn’t bother her in the least, I will sleep better knowing that they are sleeping in a brass-free room.

Hubby helped me take the heavy doors off their rollers. Mirrored closet doors are no-doubt frowned upon in the decorating world, but I love how much light bounces off to illuminate the entire room. Remember that I’m coming from a cave dwelling before this present house and still crave tons of light!

Once portable, I moved the doors outside and placed them upon some food storage buckets for some height above the weeds grass. I first covered the buckets in plastic bags to prevent them from spray-over. Although I am now wondering if satin nickel finish food storage buckets would just make food storage that much cooler?

It was then time for tape. I taped off all of the edges to create a clean line. Then I used junk mail that I had been hoarding saving for just this project. With a little more painters tape, all of the mirrors were covered.

Now the fun part! Shake and spray, baby!

I did three light coats to prevent any dripping. Three lights coats is much better than one heavy coat, I’ve found the hard way. I let each coat dry for about an hour before adding the next. I wanted this finish to be super-strong since it was going to be rolling back and forth on a track that is heavily-used.

Patience really shined through when I left them outside overnight to dry. Do you think Hubby’s patience is rubbing off on me?!

Yeah, me neither. Besides, it was probably his idea that they stay outside. My only concern was our dive-bombing feathered friends making their mark on my work. Somehow, they managed to stay away.

With the doors drying outside, it was time to cover and paint the inside tracks. The overspray from the painted walls left a trail on the track. I wasn’t too worried, since I know that spray paint can solve just about any dilemma. We taped off the carpet (very tricky!) and added some drop cloth protection to the walls. After three light coats again, it was ready to be revealed.

The next afternoon, I dragged everything back inside. I was tickled with the results and brass-free look. When Hubby got home, I helped supervised in putting them back on their rollers. They work great! And they look great!

I ended up using a little more paint than I expected. This project took about three cans of my favorite Rustoleum Satin Nickel. Luckily, the Man Cave closet doors can wait for their turn.

Home Depot probably needs time to replenish their spray paint stock after my visit, anyway. So it works for everyone!

Please ignore the gross absence of bed linens in some of these last pictures. We had company over the weekend, and I have yet to feel well enough to wash the sheets and remake the bed. Hopefully by the time we have company in two weeks…