Changing Hardware: From Blah to Bling

Hardware is like jewelry for your furniture.

You’ve gotten your piece all dressed up and ready to go out but it needs a little something…more. A little bling! Hardware is easy to change and can make a huge difference in the appearance of furniture. Even without refinishing or painting, replacing the hardware refreshes furniture. It can take the look from dated to contemporary or from boring to eyecatching.

How To: Measure

If you decide to change out the pulls or knobs on furniture, the first thing to do is measure the handles you have. When you shop for pull replacements, the measurement you’ll see is “on center” — that means the length from screw hole to screw hole. For knobs, you should measure the diameter of the existing knob.

How To: Shop

Once you have the dimensions, you can start shopping for replacements, looking for the same size. This is the really fun part because there are SO many options out there, from traditional to modern to whimsical. Check out the selection at your local hardware or home supply store to get ideas.

How To: Change Size

But let’s say you fall in love with a size that doesn’t match the existing holes you have for installation. If you will be refinishing or painting the piece, this can be remedied. Using wood filler, plug the old holes and then sand. After staining or painting over the drawer front, the holes will disappear. You’ll have a smooth surface to drill new holes with the correct spacing for your selected hardware.

How To: Change Style

You might want to change the style of pull on a drawer. For instance, I did away with the old white ceramic knobs on the lower drawers of this dresser and replaced them with gold bar pulls for a whole new look.

How To: Install in Existing Holes

If you’ve found hardware that fits the holes already drilled, you’re in luck! All you need to do is screw them in place. Occasionally, you’ll need to use a different length screw than what’s provided with the hardware. In that case, you can buy a more suitable length or, if you have a Dremel® or screw cutter, you can shorten one to the correct length.

How To: Drill New Holes

The most important aspect of installing new hardware with fresh holes is measuring! The last thing you want is hardware that’s crooked or not centered. The first step is to find the center of the drawer, measuring from side to side and top to bottom. Once you have that center point, you can determine where to place the holes.

For a simple knob, drill a hole in the center spot and screw the knob in place. For a pull that has two screw holes, take the “on center” measurement of your hardware and divide it in half to get the center point of the handle. Here, 1-7/8″ was the halfway point for this handle. So the screw holes go 1-7/8″ on either side of the center mark of the drawer. Before drilling, double-check your drill marks from top to bottom to make sure they’re centered vertically, too.

Installation can be accomplished with a drill, screwdriver, and a ruler. However, there are some useful tools for easier installation. For instance, a cutting grid can help you find the center point of the drawer as well as space your installation holes.

Another great tool, particularly if you have many drawers to drill, is an inexpensive hardware jig. I gave you a peek at mine in my last post (TV Stand Upcycle: From Knotty to Nightstand), under $20 at Amazon). After setting the center bar at zero, you adjust the two hole guides on either side to the proper width for your handle, making sure the measurement on each side of the center zero mark is equal.

Then line up the center mark on the drawer with the middle hole on the jig. Slide the top bar of the jig to rest on the top of the drawer. (If you want the pull higher or lower than centered, the top bar of the jig would be adjusted accordingly.) Then it’s a simple matter of drilling through the two guides on either side of the center mark to make identical holes from drawer to drawer. (The jig can also be used sideways for cabinet handles.)