How do I paint cabinet hardware and hinges or should I replace them when painting cabinets?

In most cases, replacing cabinet hardware is the better choice — it is faster, produces a cleaner result, and often costs less than the time and effort of painting hardware well. That said, painting hinges and pulls is entirely doable if the hardware is in good shape and you take the right approach.

Cabinet hardware takes an enormous amount of wear. Handles and pulls get touched dozens of times a day; hinges flex constantly as doors open and close. Paint applied directly to metal hardware — especially chrome, nickel, or zinc — without proper preparation will chip, scratch, and flake within months. The prep work required to paint hardware properly is considerable: thorough cleaning to remove finger oils and grime, sanding or scuff-abrading the metal surface, and applying a dedicated metal primer before any paint touches it. For painted or spray-finished hardware, you should use a good quality acrylic-alkyd paint in the sheen of your choice (semi-gloss or satin are most practical for hardware).

If you do decide to paint hardware, remove every piece before painting — hinges, pulls, and knobs. Never try to paint hardware in place on the cabinet. Tape-and-paint approaches look amateurish and invariably leave paint ridges, runs, and missed spots. Lay the hardware on a piece of cardboard, spray with a self-etching metal primer (Rust-Oleum Self-Etching Primer is widely available in NB), let it dry fully (at least 2-4 hours), then apply 2 thin coats of your chosen paint. Spray cans give a far smoother finish than a brush on small metal parts. Let each coat dry completely before the next, and allow at least 24 hours of cure time before reinstalling.

The honest comparison: A set of replacement cabinet pulls for a typical NB kitchen runs .50 to per pull at hardware stores in Moncton, Fredericton, or Saint John — a full kitchen might cost 0 to 50 in new hardware. That is often less than the labour time required to properly clean, prime, and paint the old hardware. New hardware also gives you the opportunity to update the style of the kitchen at the same time as the paint refresh, which is one of the biggest value adds of a cabinet painting project. If the existing hardware is solid brass or a finish you love and want to preserve, painting can work — but for standard builder-grade nickel or chrome pulls, replacement usually wins on every front.

For hinges specifically: If your cabinets use concealed European-style hinges (the adjustable cup hinges visible only when the door is open), these are generally not worth painting — they are mechanical parts with moving surfaces that painted finishes will bind up. Replace or leave unpainted. Exposed traditional hinges can be painted if primed correctly, but visible hinges on a freshly painted kitchen often look dated — this is a good moment to switch to concealed hinges if your cabinet style allows it.

When hiring a professional for cabinet painting, ask whether their quote includes hardware removal and reinstallation — most reputable painters include it, and it makes a significant difference in the final result.

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