The first step is to figure out what style you want.  Brass door knobs come in every shape, style, and finish you can imagine so figuring out what you need before you start shopping will make everything much easier.  I usually help people start with the finish (ironic, huh?).  Brass comes in its regular color, silver, brushed, oil rubbed, and chrome so determining which is right for its application isn’t too tough.

After the finish is figured out, it’s time to look into the style.  The stuff around it will usually determine the style, this is especially true for exterior knobs where things like light fixtures, hinges, address numbers, and even the mailbox will influence the door knob’s style.

If you’re looking for something plain and easy, you can go shopping right now and just buy whatever catches your eye, but if you’re looking for something that doesn’t look like every other house in the neighborhood, start researching different styles.  I like using the internet to see all of the available styles.  It’s really easy to see a few hundred different options in a few minutes, which really gets the brain going with ideas.  If your home has a common theme throughout, use that theme as your guide to make sure that your choice makes sense.

Buying brass door knobs that are different than the cookie cutter style is an excellent way to make a big improvement in your home.  Just make sure that you have the ones that make sense and compliment every thing else, rather than just the cheapest ones!

Related posts:

1. Antique Brass Door Knobs
2. Brass Door Knobs
3. Cleaning Brass Door Knobs

Before you go shopping, it’s important that you know how to clean them up.  You can save a ton of cash by buying the ones that don’t look like they’re in great condition.  Don’t forget that brass lasts forever, and as long as there aren’t any major dings, dents, or broken pieces you can bring an antique brass door knob back to life.  To learn more, see our post on cleaning brass door knobs.

You will have the best luck finding these knobs at antique stores.  The problem that you’re going to run into is finding enough of the same knobs to fill your entire home.  Matching door knobs certainly isn’t necessary, but some people prefer it.  I helped design a home that had the exterior door knob of each bedroom and bathroom match the style of the room’s inside.  It was very creative and looked great.  You may be able to save more money by getting the mismatched door knobs.

Finding matching vintage door knobs online is much easier.  There are door knob dealers that specialize in the shopping and hunting of these.  You’ll pay a premium by shopping with these specialized dealers, but they have everything you need.  Some knob stores have an antique section where you can shop from.  This is helpful because many of the larger online retailers will offer free shipping and brass is very heavy, so free shipping will save you a ton of money.

You can also check eBay and Craigslist to see if there are good deals.  Craigslist is helpful for finding salvage sales, which is when they sell all of the stuff from a house being gutted or torn down.

Antique brass door knobs are easy to find, just be patient and shop around and you’re going to find a good deal on exactly what you want.  The prices on these range from free to hundreds of dollars apiece, so check everywhere you can to get what you need.

Related posts:

1. Brass Door Knobs
2. Vintage Glass Door Knobs
3. Where To Find Antique Crystal Door Knobs

This project will be divided into two camps.  First, we’ll go through the steps of cleaning newer knobs that have just built up grime and goo from normal use, and after that we’ll talk about deep cleaning and brass polishing.  The steps from the basic cleaning can also be used for the deep cleaning to remove any gunk and junk that are on them.

Cleaning Brass Door Knobs

1. Determine whether or not you have to take off the knob to get all of the grime off.  Look around the plate of the knob to see if the dirt has penetrated behind it.
2. The severity of dirt will determine the cleaning solution that you’ll use.  Soap and water will work for mild jobs, but degreaser might be needed for the heavier jobs.  Follow the instructions on the degreaser to make sure that it doesn’t affect the finish on the door knob.
3. Use a cloth, sponge, or soft plastic brush to work out all of the dirt and grime.
4. You may see know that your door knobs really need to be polished or have unwanted tarnish.  If that’s the case, move onto the next section.  If not, nice job!  Enjoy the rest of your afternoon!

Deeper cleaning and tarnish removal requires a different process and solution.  This is more for vintage door knobs, but will obviously work for any really dirty brass door knob.

Materials: Screwdrivers to get door knobs off, ammonia, Brasso or other brass polish, rubber gloves, cloth towels that you have no problem throwing away later.

1. Remove the door knob and plate from the door.  If you’re doing multiple doors, only stick to three or four knobs at a time.  Doing more at a time will turn into a big undertaking.
2. Glove up and use ammonia with a cloth towel to get the tarnish off.  You can also use the scour side of a sponge if the tarnish is really bad.
3. Change or wash your gloves and use the brass polish to make everything look great.  The amount of elbow grease that you put into the polish, the more junk and impurities will come out.  A problem that you’ll run into here is that your first knobs and plates are going to look better than the later ones because your arms will get tired as you go.  Pay close attention to how shiny each one is, and do your best to get the other ones looking the same.
4. Reinstall the door knobs, and you’re finished.

Some people will spray a lacquer finish on the door knob after it’s clean to keep it clean and tarnish-free longer.  Personally, I’m not a fan of this because I can never get the lacquer to dry smooth.  If you’re good with a spray can, you may want to consider this step.

Related posts:

1. Antique Brass Door Knobs
2. Brass Door Knobs
3. Choose The Brass Door Knob That Fits Your Home