Switching Out Door Hardware

I have been dying to change my door hardware throughout my entire condo for over 4 years.  What the heck was I waiting for? Was I thinking it was too hard for me to do or was it too pricey? Whatever it was I decided I had to get over it and get this project done.   So here we go...

In order to overcome my fear of price and the level of difficulty, I decide to do two things.... 1. Only do 2 doors at a time to save money and  2. READ THE FRIGGIN DIRECTIONS.  After I did those two things, look what happened....



I literally JUST{30min ago} changed out this hardware on my powder room door in about 20 minutes{includes time for taking photos}.  I took things slow and read every part of the directions and it was SO stinkin easy.  I am so happy and so mad right now.  I could have done this 4 years ago{damn my insecurities for always making me think I can't do things}. I cannot wait to get started on my hall closet door. I only have two doors downstairs and I have about 8 doors upstairs so I can live with the difference in hardware for a while. If I did them all at once it would run me about $400 but if I take my time and do 2 doors/month, I can live with spending $80/month.

I won't bore you all with the step by step instructions but I will share some photos I took along the way that you might find helpful.  The hardware I chose was a little pricey at about $40/door but to me it's worth it and it adds a little extra something to my spaces.  The brass had seen better days so it was definitely time for it to BE GONE!!!!   I did a lot of research about painting the existing hardware{which would have saved me $320 buckaroos} but I found that the hardware scratches significantly over time. It's not worth all the time cleaning the hardware, priming it, and then painting multiple coats.  I can totally see myself FREAKIN out if I saw a scratch or paint pealing in a month or two. I would DIE!  So buying new was my best option.  I purchased this Kwikset hardware here.

Here are the only two doors in my downstairs. Powder room on the left and hall closet with my gift wrap station on the right. 

 Check out how awful my hinges were. So disgusting. I could NOT WAIT to take these down.  

  

Being home alone while I was doing this job caused for a little rigging. I put some magazines under the door to keep it level with the hinges so when I unscrewed them the door didn't go flying down. It worked out perfectly.  I would normally separate the hinges and then remove the door but they were not budging so I just unscrewed them instead. 

The hinges left a black residue all over my door molding and I mean ALL over the place.  It was in every crevasse. I only took pics of where it was the darkest but it spread anywhere from 10-12 inches around each hinge.  I was originally thinking about painting the trim and doors to freshen the space up but after cleaning them {I cleaned to prep for painting} I realized that, that was all that they needed. Ahhhh...I love eliminated steps in a project. 

If you are wondering what I cleaned them with, it was {my favorite cleaning product}a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Within seconds the black was gone. Mr. Clean is my BFF! {just don't rely on these guys to clean your painted walls. Your paint will come off with it....total crash and burn! I just use some soap with warm water to remove scuff marks off of walls.}

New hinges were going up...

Hinges were done so now it's time to tackle the door pull. I just unscrewed the two screws on the inside of the door. 

Then I pushed in the latch and pulled the other handle out....BOOM! 

Dunzo!

I then followed the super duper easy steps to install the new hardware. It was even easier because I paid attention to how the old hardware came apart. Here is the finished product. I will be tackling that closet door next, but for now you can see how they compare.

One more look at the before and after shots...

 

I finally feel like my condo is getting those finishing touches it needs.  

One more thing....what color faucet should I get for my powder room?  I am liking the bronze look with the wallpaper but I am not sure if I should stick to my original plan to go with chrome to match the light fixture. HELP.....

Have any of you tackled a project you didn't think you could do without your "man" help? I know I feel so empowered after doing this. I am ready to tackle another "I don't think I can do it" project. 

Bring it on!