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How can I make builder's grade brass door hinges and knobs work?

18 years ago

I asked our builder about hinges and door handles. They are brass if I want a different color we pay the difference. He doesn't want to change the hinges though. I could insist on it, but before I do, is their anyway to make the brass work? I like the idea of mixing metals within the same families. What matches the builder's grade brass though?

Comments (7)

  • 18 years ago

    We have a similar problem. We ordered antique brass hardware and the builder wrote "brass" so we got brass. We asked them to replace the hardware which they will do, but not the hinges. We really don't want them messing with the hinges. We have a door in our current home with brass hinges and antique brass knob and you don't even notice it. The brass has tarnished slightly and now looks very similar to the antique brass handle. I'd try antique brass if I were you.

  • 18 years ago

    A different view -- We're very glad we did antique brass on the door AND the hinges; at least on our doors the regular brass and antique brass just didn't blend at all.

  • 18 years ago

    Well you could choose different door handle color and just deal with the hinges yourself if you really want something other than brass. If you like brass then use it as I see nothing wrong with it. I think brass goes with anything. In my old house my master had brushed brass and brushed nickel faucets/towelbars/towel rings and I used brushed nickle for the knobs and handles for the cabinets there and the mirrors. So even if you wanted to use some with a silver finish you could get something that has a little brass on it and tie it in. The door to the bath had iron handles and black hinges.

    Here is a pic where you can kind of see it: Towel bar has outer ring in brushed brass and the point that holds the ring and the rest is nickel.

    {{gwi:1403850}}

    Some brass finishes and others that I think would work well too.

    Bronze
    Brushed brass vs. shiny (not sure what your hinges will be).
    antique brass
    Black also would look good.

    I'm not a matchy match person though and I don't think I could do all the same color on all my fixtures in the house. In our new house the baths are brushed nickel, door handles are ORB and light fixtures varies from iron look to antique brass, and brushed nickel in the baths. Kitchen faucet is brushed stainless and the pendant above it is antique brass with an amber shade. Bath knobs and pulls will be brushed nickel, not sure about the kitchen, but I'm leaning towards ORB, pewter, or antique brass due to the dark cabinets and wanting it to not stick out too much.

  • 18 years ago

    There is solid brass and then there is "builder" brass. Some brass hinges are very nice, good quality. Other, "builder brass", is cheap and will look awful in a few years. I wouldn't get brass knobs if that isn't what you want. They should be able to get the door company to put on whatever hinges you want. But if they can't, or won't, then just change the hinges yourself after you move in. It is definitely a DIY job.

  • 18 years ago

    Thanks everyone the doors and hinges are already up and I just didn't feel up to making a big deal out of it. I decided to wait to see how I decorate and things come together once we move in, then if they need changed out so be it.

  • 18 years ago

    Hinges come in very standard sizes and are usually easy to change out.
    The biggest problem is when round corner hinge need to be changed to square corner.
    A few minutes with a wood chisel cleans the corners, and there are even little jigs to make it even faster.

  • 18 years ago

    Don't even worry about round vs. square hinge corners. You can find most any color in what you need to replace your existing ones. Just make sure you get the right kind if you do decide to replace them later.