How to Remove Encrusted Paint from Door and Window Hardware

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

Removing ugly paint from door and window hardware can be done without harsh chemicals by following the steps below. Cleaning solid brass hardware is easy: steel wool or sandpaper works. For plated hardware, you'll need a lighter touch.

Steps

1
Gather your materials. For removing encrusted paint from door and window hardware, a non-toxic approach is to use:
- Old pot (or a slow cooker with a plastic crock pot liner)
- Copper mesh scouring pad (not steel wool)
- Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
- Utility knife
- Marking supplies
2
Mark all hardware with tape or wire twist ties. Old hardware usually fits back better into the exact door or window it came from.

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3
Remove the old hardware. Use a manual screwdriver to avoid stripping stuck screws. Use a knife to score all paint lines to avoid chipping and peeling the remaining paint.
4
Prepare a warm water bath. There's no need to boil, but you should soak the old hardware in hot water for up to 6 hours. Note that this process makes a mess of the pot. But like magic, the paint peels off in sheets. Modern latex paint comes off the easiest, but older oil paints are not impossible to remove via this method.
5
Remove the hot hardware with plastic tongs or chopsticks to avoid scratching. The paint will likely stick stubbornly to crevasses. Use the least harsh scraping tool you have: fingers, nylon brush, and finally, copper wool if the other methods don't work. Plated finishes, and plated brass in particular, are very fragile. Repeat as needed: the paint hardens very quickly. Some people have great success with an ice bath after the hot bath: your experience may vary.
6
Finish up by placing the hardware in a bath in isopropyl rubbing alcohol, if needed. The alcohol takes longer than a water bath, but sometimes gets paint missed by the other techniques.
7
Grease any hinge pins and re-install. If the screws are too loose, stick a flat toothpick with wood glue into each hole first.
8
If you're using brass finishes, coat them with beeswax or olive oil to preserve the finish. You may also choose to leave the hardware uncoated. Plated brass finishes are often rendered rusty by age or by the years of paint. They'll never polish up to shiny again, but can tarnish to a pleasing dark brown similar to that of solid brass.

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Community Q&A

Question

I have hinges that are seriously coated with paint. Probably painted over several times and I can't get the screws to move so I can take them off. I have scored the paint and scraped some off. What else can I do?

Community Answer

You can try scraping of the paint as you already did to get as much off as possible. Once a few layers of paint is off you can try using a paint thinner to remove or thin the rest of the paint.

Warnings

Discard all removed paint, and collect paint chips with a wet cloth. Old paint may contain lead or cadmium. Discard cloth in the regular trash (EPA guidelines for renovation of lead paint recommend the regular trash for such materials).

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