I recently swapped a living-room door handle, but the original and the replacement weren’t quite the same standard, and the install was a real headache. (Living-room door handle replacement: see this article — Japanese; English version forthcoming.)
I have a lot of other old door handles in the house, but I really don’t want to do that whole swap-and-fight ordeal at every single door.
The previous DIY made me wonder:
Maybe just changing the color with paint would change the room’s feel?
So I tried just painting the door handles.
All you need is a paint spray (+ primer spray) — no replacement hardware to buy. (Total cost for this DIY: around 2,000 yen / ~$13.)
Paints Used
I painted matte black, but bare paint flakes off too easily — so primer first.
Something I only learned after starting DIY: a primer dramatically changes how well your topcoat sticks. Don’t skip it.
＜What I used＞
Topcoat: matte black lacquer spray
Primer: Mitchakuron Multi
・Black topcoat spray:
・Primer spray:
Before & After
Before
Before. Both the door handle and the closet pulls are gold-toned — a faint Showa-era (mid-20th-century Japanese) vibe.
After
Same handles after painting — major mood change just from paint.
Process below ↓
Remove → Paint → Reinstall
The procedure is:
“Remove the handle” → “Paint” → “Reinstall”
Removing the door handle and closet pulls
Remove the existing handles.
“Wait, can you actually remove door handles?” — yes, surprisingly easy.
(Just give it a try — it really is simpler than you’d think.)
There’s a small set screw on the handle. Loosen that and the handle pulls right out.
Models vary, but most door handles use this pattern — look for a small screw on the handle.
For the closet pulls, the screws are on the back side. Just loosen them and the pulls come right off.
Door handle and closet pulls — ready to paint:
Painting
I usually brush-paint in DIY, so spray paint was new to me.
Tried it for this project and… actually really enjoyable.
For better paint durability, I’m using a primer first.
Update: Mitchakuron has become a regular tool in my DIY since this project.
Spray paint pros and cons (from a brush-painter’s perspective)
Pros:
・No brush marks
I’m a beginner with spray, but with thin, repeated passes the result was much cleaner than I expected. That’s why I want to do more spray painting in the future.
Cons:
・Needs a sizable workspace (indoor isn’t really feasible)
・Disposing of the leftover spray cans is a pain
If you have a big yard, no issue. But finding a workspace where you won’t accidentally spray something nearby is harder than it sounds.
And don’t try this on a windy day. (My piece flew off mid-spray. I yelled.)
Primer (Mitchakuron)
Door handles get touched constantly, so paint adhesion really matters here.
A “primer” creates a base layer that helps your topcoat stick.
I used “Mitchakuron Multi”. Works for both metal and plastic — apparently. (420 mL, about 1,300 yen.)
Some-Q Primer Spray Mitchakuron Multi 420mL
Laid the parts out on a tarp and sprayed.
Spray from ~20 cm away in thin coats.
Dry time about 20 minutes.
↓ I batched the next room’s hardware too — that’s why there are two sets in the photos:
Primer applied — surface ready for paint.
Lacquer topcoat
Topcoat now.
I’m using “High-Durability Lacquer Spray” (Asahi Pen) in matte black.
(300 mL, about 650 yen.)
Asahi Pen High-Durability Lacquer Spray, 300mL, Matte Black
Standard rule: thin coats, not one heavy coat.
I did two thin coats.
Spray the hard-to-reach faces first (sides, undercuts) and the easy faces last.
Let dry 30 min, then second coat.
Painted!
Done
Just put everything back. Door handles and closet pulls go back exactly where they came off — slot them in, tighten the screws.
Door handle, finished:
Closet pulls, finished:
Even though I didn’t replace the door handles themselves, the change in the room’s feel is significant.
Total cost: about 2,000 yen for the spray cans.
Replacing door handles raises a bunch of “will the standards match?” questions, but painting them is straightforward DIY. Recommended if your handles look dated, or you just want to redecorate.
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