How to remove paint from door hinges without removing them

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › How to remove paint from door hinges without removing them

David321

507 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 105

#273032 31-Jul-2020 16:35

Hi all,

After painting my internal doors I have managed to get some all over my hinges (pretty sloppy work on my behalf ill admit), obviously id like to get it off without damaging the freshly painted doors and hopefully without having to remove the hinges.

I had a wire brush tool for my Dremel rotary tool in the shape of a flat circle (like a grinding disk), that worked great but the problem was the wire strands are so poorly secured to the metal center they all flew off in minutes. I was considering using paint remover gel but I am worried about getting it on the doors.

Id prefer not to remove the hinges as I am worried and angle of the door may change meaning it wont close properly when the hinges are fitted again? I removed my old hinged windows for painting and had a nightmare of a time putting them back on so they would close properly.

Does anyone have some suggestions I may not have thought of?

_David_

1 | 2

538 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 207

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2532249 31-Jul-2020 16:46

They say the best way to remove paint from hinges is to boil them, then drop into ice-cold water. Technically you could do this whilst still attached to the door. However, you could remove a hinge at a time.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

#2532253 31-Jul-2020 16:51

Take them off - clean them up (in paint stripper) and put them back. To get them off without stuffing the paint, run a sharp blade around the full edges of the hinges to cut through any paint adhering to the hinges and adjacent surface.

wellygary

8826 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5308

#2532254 31-Jul-2020 16:51

fearandloathing:

They say the best way to remove paint from hinges is to boil them, then drop into ice-cold water. Technically you could do this whilst still attached to the door. However, you could remove a hinge at a time.

This

I'm guessing its a 3 hinge door, so just take one off at a time, ... you only get into real trouble when they are all off

panther2

385 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 143

#2532255 31-Jul-2020 16:52

Thinner?

superoman

16 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 15

#2532257 31-Jul-2020 16:56

I have scraped the paint off both hinges and hardware attached and not attached to the door.

Get a flat bit of brass, and use this to scrape the paint off. the brass is soft and will not scratch the hinge. there is the odd remnants of pair left which I have then removed with a wire brush the size of a toothbrush, with brass bristles. you can get these from the $2 shop or mitre 10 and Bunnings

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1444 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 910

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2532284 31-Jul-2020 17:47

yep, take them off, I know you don't want to, but consider it a punishment for sloppy work...😜

Matthew

Lego

Shop now for Lego sets and other gifts (affiliate link).

Technofreak

6657 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3477

Trusted

#2532293 31-Jul-2020 18:04

Take them off one at a time. It's really the only way to do the job properly.

This will be the easiest way to clean them. It will produce a better result than leaving them on the door and should be quicker over all. You won't have to take care to not damage the surfaces on the door and the door jam or have to spend time touching up any damage.

Just use a sharp knife to cut around the edges where the hinges are mated with the door and the door jam and then unscrew the hinge. Don't use any crappy old screwdriver. Make sure you use a good undamaged screw driver of the correct size and style (flat, phillips etc) with a decent handle. This will make it much easier to unscrew the screws which may be frozen.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

David321

507 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 105

#2532295 31-Jul-2020 18:08

Cheers all, do I need to worry about the door sagging by taking one hinge off at a time?

_David_

1eStar

1605 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 375

#2532298 31-Jul-2020 18:17

David321:
Cheers all, do I need to worry about the door sagging by taking one hinge off at a time?

I think the idea is you refit the now clean hinge before you take the second one off...

1eStar

1605 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 375

#2532299 31-Jul-2020 18:17

Double post

robjg63

4163 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1433

Subscriber

#2532300 31-Jul-2020 18:19

David321:
Cheers all, do I need to worry about the door sagging by taking one hinge off at a time?

How long are you intendinging having the hinges off the door?
Assuming you had each hinge off for a day (for arguments sake) it shouldn't be an issue.
Obviously a door with a missing hinge needs to be treated carefully though.

Edit: as above. Remove and clean one hinge at a time.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

New World

Shop on-line at New World now for your groceries (affiliate link).

andrewNZ

2487 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1461
Inactive user

#2532314 31-Jul-2020 18:33

How many doors, and what's a new set of hinges worth?

But really, it's not that hard to take a door off.
Knock out the hinge pins with the door closed, then carefully open and remove the door.
Once that's done, removing the hinge to clean or replace is easy.

I've also seen LOTS of places where people have just painted the whole hinge and said "done".

tdgeek

30048 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9455

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2532335 31-Jul-2020 19:11

mdooher:

yep, take them off, I know you don't want to, but consider it a punishment for sloppy work...😜

60 seconds or less and one is off, paint stripper, put back on. Easier, quicker, and better

gzt

18714 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7854

Lifetime subscriber

#2532355 31-Jul-2020 19:29

Love the paint the rest of the hinge suggestion. Genuine pro tip I mean it!

Stripper and a tiny paint brush and optional masking could be an option if you have the patience and no foot traffic. It will be quick if not entirely risk free.

Take one hinge off and buy a box of new hinges or at least enough to do one door at a time if they are all the same. Replace one hinge at a time. That's the part where you discover the previous installer or renovator has stripped or oversized the holes and it's just hanging on...

Technofreak

6657 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3477

Trusted

#2532369 31-Jul-2020 20:22

gzt: Love the paint the rest of the hinge suggestion. Genuine pro tip I mean it!

Stripper and a tiny paint brush and optional masking could be an option if you have the patience and no foot traffic. It will be quick if not entirely risk free.

Take one hinge off and buy a box of new hinges or at least enough to do one door at a time if they are all the same. Replace one hinge at a time. That's the part where you discover the previous installer or renovator has stripped or oversized the holes and it's just hanging on...

There's several fixes for that too. There's products out there where you can plug the oversized hole with a two part "putty" that hardens quite quickly. Araldite will do as well.

Put the putty into the hole making sure you fill the hole pretty well, once the putty has hardened place the hinge back in place, mark and drill the hole and fit a new screw. Easy. Sometimes it is easier to get the putty into the hole by drilling the hole to a much larger diameter prior to trying to fill with putty.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

1 | 2