When we first bought our house, it had old, SHINY gold doorknobs. Basically builder grade from the 90’s. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with them. They were totally functional, just not all that pretty. I also figured it would be beyond expensive and difficult to change them. Basically, replacing doorknobs wasn’t on my to do list.

Eventually, spurred on by the prospect of S taking a business trip (and having about a week by myself), I decided to look into replacing them as a way to keep myself occupied at night. It turns out, it wasn’t prohibitively expensive—a few hundred dollars for all interior doors. It was also VERY DIY friendly. When I say DIY, I mean that I am in no way handy and managed to do these myself in my home. The only power tool you’re going to really need is an electric screwdriver. It can even be pink. I would also have a regular screw driver handy. Trust me. It comes in handy to finish tightening screws.

Having lived with them for a few years, I honestly think that replacing our old doorknobs with more modern oil rubbed bronze ones was a great return on my few hundred dollars. It seems silly, but it changed the look of the house. The project itself took longer than anticipated—about 30 minutes per door to start. But, by the end I was moving through them fairly quickly.

The specific knobs I used were the Cove style from Kwikset in Venetian Bronze. They were affordable, the color I wanted, and readily available at my local Home Depot. I used a mix of bed/bath and hall/closet doorknobs. Overall, I am happy with my choice. My second choice was Schlage’s Georgian knob with Camelot trim in Aged Bronze.

If replacing doorknobs is a project you want to tackle, I highly recommend it. The exact steps you’ll take to install will vary depending on the doorknobs you choose. Make sure to read the instructions carefully and do NOT close the door until everything is screwed in. I would go so far as to say to prop the door you’re working on open with something heavy to avoid it accidentally closing. Learned that the hard way.

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