Remember that half the joy of achievement is in the anticipation.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Un "hinge" me

When we decided to give the kitchen a face lift, I made the choice to "save, lovingly re-use and re-generate" the original 1954 hinges & cabinets. Over the years, previous owners painted, re-painted, painted again, and yet again, (sheesh!) right over the hinges. I've never understood that ideology.
Well, three days ago hubby removed a cabinet door and it's hinges and let me have at it. Thanks Babe! Today I conquered the hinges.

Before:
You can see where the hinges were painted and had adhered to the wood of the cabinet.


Look at all those layers of paint. Yuck!

Backside of hinges & layers of paint...eww!
Front side of hinges & layers of paint...ugh!

Hinges being simmered in a concoction of water and baking soda. Fill the pot with enough water to completely cover your hardware, pour baking soda into the middle of the pot. Do not stir. Place hardware into pot and let simmer. Paint will begin to peel away from the hardware. Be sure to use an old pot that you no longer need for cooking as it will not be able to be used for cooking purposes after this. When removing hardware from water, be sure to be careful and use tongs as the hardware will be very hot to the touch.

After:
YES! This is one of the same hinges pictured earlier. After I removed it from the water, I used an old rag and paper towels to clean the paint off. I also used an old toothbrush so I could clean in the grooves. I buffed it up a bit and Viola! At the time of this post, the other hinge was still in it's "jacuzzi". I was so excited at the result, I couldn't wait to show you! Here is the frontside of the hinge.

Back side of hinge:
The process took a little over an hour and what I liked best about it is I'm not using any harsh or toxic chemicals to remove the paint. Now...only 28 more to go! (gulp!)

10 comments:

Grace said...

Holy crap Rechelle! Those hinges look so amazing! And great that you didn't have to use chemicals to get it off...I can't believe baking soda did all that without any elbow grease either! Your kitchen is going to look so awesome, I can't wait!!!!

Kerri said...

That is amazing! I can't believe how great they look. I'm so excited to see your finished kitchen:)
-Kerri

Cindy said...

That is amazing! I painted right over mine because I couldn't even get some of them off because there was so much paint over the screws!

Kim's Treasures said...

Oh WOW!!! How cool is that!?! Unbelievable! No harsh chemicals and you can reuse your "vintage" hardware! Awesome! Looking forward to seeing the finished kitchen!

Kim

Angie said...

what a wonderful tip! i love that you didn't use any chemicals..so yucky for our environment! it looks brand new!

~Angie

Unknown said...

They look amazing! I can't wait to see them on the cabinets once you get them finished. Awesome job!

Suzanne said...

Wow that's such a great tip. I have to admit I would have just thrown the hardware away and buy new ones. But since I'm the queen of taking on huge projects, this would fit right in. Good luck.

- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

Mo..."Mo's Cottage" said...

Wow! I'm going to try that on some old hinges...What a great tip.
Hugs,
Mo :-)

Traci @ The Bakery said...

Wow, that is amazing...
If you are wanting a vintage feel to your kitchen, take a look at what I'm going to post today....how I put antique spoons for door handles and drawer pulls. I really pulled the feel of my kitchen together. Your kitchen is going to be so neat....I can't wait to see the pictures when you are done. Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a blessed day!!!

Anne Fannie said...

Rechelle, I had to look at those hinges a couple of times to make sure they were the same ones! Thats amazing!
Thank you so much for your sweet email, I am so glad to meet you, I have added you on as one of my favorites!
Love, Ann