Turn Galvanized Washers into Faux Drawer Pull Escutcheon Plates with DecoArt Paints
As I was preparing to paint an antique desk, I took the drawer pulls off and realized the right hole was much larger in diameter than the base of the drawer pull, and someone who previously owned the desk had stuck a metal nut and washer into the hole as a spacer. The drawer pull has always been loose, but I never bothered to try repairing it in the many years I’ve had this piece.
So rather than go out and spend extra money and time searching for a little circular plate to fit behind the drawer pull knobs, I came up with the idea of creating my own with some large washers I had in my stash. These are about 1-1/4″ in diameter.
First I washed them with Dawn dish washing liquid to remove any oily residue. Then dried well with a paper towel and laid them flat on plastic bag.
Using a small flat brush, I applied 2 coats of DecoArt Metal Paint – Bright Yellow. I used the Metal Paint as a base adhesion coat since it is formulated to be used on galvanized metal surfaces. Let dry between coats.
Next apply two coats of DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Splendid Gold.
Then apply two coats of DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Rich Espresso,
I wanted to do a stroke design that coordinated with the key escutcheon plate that is original to the desk.
Using a #2 round brush and the Splendid Gold Dazzling Metallic paint I did 4 sets of 3 comma strokes at 12 o’clock, 3, 6, and 9. Then I filled in between each set with a short stubby comma stroke.
When dry, add some shading between the strokes with Rich Espresso + a touch of black paint.
Add some gold strokes around the outer edge to blend in with the flat edge around the washer.
Next time I’m at Home Depot I may look for a slightly smaller drawer pull and replace the knob.