I have found that you can make a big difference in the look of a room simply by swapping out the hardware. Kitchens, bathrooms, even bedroom dressers will look brand new with this one change. Unfortunately, most affordable cabinet hardware is pretty plain looking. If you want a more custom look you either need to spend a fortune OR make them yourself. Thankfully, you can make your own cabinet drawer pulls using resin to create one-of-a-kind hardware that doesn’t break the bank.
MAKE YOUR OWN CABINET DRAWER PULLS FROM RESIN
How to Mix Resin for Cabinet Hardware
Begin by mixing enough Easy Cast Resin to fill your knob mold. If you use the Castin’ Craft mold, it tells you that each mold cavity holds 0.5 ounces of resin. Do a little math and you will figure out that this means you will need a total of 3 ounces of resin to fill all six cavities.
Put on a pair of gloves and mix 1.5 ounces of resin with 1.5 ounces of hardener. Stir the two parts in one cup for two minutes, scraping down the sides of the cup as you stir. Then pour into a second cup and stir for another minute.
If you would like to color your resin, now is the time. I added in a small squirt of pearl pigment, and 1-2 drops of blue transparent resin dye. Stir until the pigment and dye are fully mixed into the resin.
How to Use a Resin Knob Mold
Before you add the resin to the mold, you must prep your cabinet knob mold by spraying it with mold release. Allow the mold release to dry. You have plenty of work time with resin to allow it to fully dry, but you can also spray the mold before you begin mixing the resin. Then, carefully pour the resin into the cavities of the cabinet knob mold. Do not overfill the mold or you will have to pick or sand excess resin from the bottoms of your finished knobs. Place the mold on a level surface, cover, and let cure for a full 24 hours.
After the resin has fully cured, gently twist the mold (like an ice cube tray) to loosen the resin pieces from the mold. You can also press the back of each mold cavity or gently tap the mold on a table to dislodge the resin pieces.
Look at these beautiful knob tops!
This is my cautionary tale not to bang the mold too hard trying to remove the resin from the mold. I cracked one of my resin pieces by doing this. I might save the broken pieces for another project. They kind of look like pieces of ice, don’t they? Game of Thrones project, maybe?
I was able to get five good resin casts from my first batch, and six from my second batch.
How to Make Your Own Cabinet Knobs
You have now made the top portion of your DIY cabinet knobs, but they still need a base so they don’t sit flush against the drawer. Luckily, you can find drawer knob bases online. These are the metal “stems” that sit between the knob and the front of the drawer. Just use an adhesive made for plastics and metal to adhere the bases to the resin knobs.
Be sure to center the bases on the back of each resin knob so they sit evenly on your cabinet.
Place the knobs right side down on a level surface and let the adhesive cure according to package directions. Don’t try to mess with them until they are fully cured. The strength of the knobs rests in how well the base and top adhere together. Once the glue has cured you can then add your DIY drawer knobs to your pieces of furniture just like you would store-bought hardware. But you have the satisfaction of knowing your piece is now one-of-a-kind!
What Do You Need to Make Resin Cabinet Knobs?
You can make several batches of resin knobs from one box of Easy Cast resin and the mold is obviously reuseable, making this project much more cost effective than buying cabinet hardware. You can find these supplies online or in your local hardware store.
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- Easy Cast Epoxy Resin
- Cabinet Knob Mold
- Mold Release Spray
- Mixing Cups and Stir Sticks
- Protective Gloves
- Pearl Resin Pigment
- Transparent Blue Resin Dye
- Cabinet Knob Bases
- Adhesive for Plastic and Metal
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