This is one of my biggest pet peeves... I simply can't understand why people paint over hardware (light switch and outlet covers especially) when it is easily removable. When I moved into my Co-op, the circuit breakers had so many coats of paint on them I couldn't shut the power off.

As for tips... Well, like many things. it will take much more work to undo than it would have taken to do it right the first time around.

The most likely reason the doors don't close properly is due to paint build up in the jamb. There is just too much thickness to allow doors to close properly. Really the only way to handle this is to take the time to remove and strip the excess paint. It sucks, I know, but there is no simple solution that will yield the kind of results you are hoping for.

A good friend of mine has restored many old homes. She swears by baking them on low in a crockpot.

Well, I don't know if you can salvage all of the paint.

What I have done in the past is to apply a gel based paint stripper meant for metal to the screws with a Q-tip. (follow the safety directions!)

Let it sit for the recommended time and then carefully wipe it off.

The screws will now be exposed but the little liney thing where you can insert a screw driver will still be filled with paint.

Carefully chip out the paint using the tip of a steak knife or even a razor blade.

When you are able to insert the screwdriver, unscrew the screws and remove the hardware and strip the paint from it.

Also lightly sand the edge of the door.

You will probably have to repaint the woodwork around the doorjamb, at least I always have had to when I've done this.

When the hinges and other hardware is stripped and polished either coat it with a clear polyruethene to stop it from oxidizing or leave it alone and rescrew everything back in.

It's a small detail but looks SO much better!

good luck!

To get the paint off the hardware - use a single-edge razor blade or carpet knife around each hinge or latch to break the paint cleanly around the silhouette of the hardware so it doesn't tear or shred when you pull off the hardware, unscrew the hardware and remove it, then drop it in a big pot of boiling water with some TSP (trisodiumphosphate) in it. The paint should peel off easily once the boiled hardware has cooled. My boss swears by this trick, though I have yet to tackle the painted-over hinges in my kitchen. As for the paint around the hardware -- well, if you were very precise razoring around the edges, you may be able to just put them back, but once you have the hardware off, you might find it pretty quick and easy to just give the cabinetry a quick sanding and a new coat of paint.

For the door sticking, you could just sand around the endge of the door. But, like Devyn said you probably have to take the hardware off and sand or strip the paint off the edges of the door and the hardware. Once you have the hardware off, you could probably soak it in some paint remover to help speed things up. Not sure exactly what product to use, but I'm sure a hardware store (or other AT folks?)would know.

*edge*

Get a Wagner steamer with the tiny nozzle attachment. The steam only affects the area it's directed at. No chemicals, just water!... AND TIME!

I have also used nail polish remover for small jobs.

There is really no easy solution to this, and BetterOffNow is giving you good overall advice.

But frankly, the paint on the cabinets looks hellish in the photos (sorry). Everything would look and function so much better if you went for it. And once you get started, it's not that bad (I've done it). Take everything outside, use an electric palm sander, and go to town.

bless you for this post, that's the exact look of my current bathroom mirror...

#added to vacation to-do list

You guys are getting too fancy with this. Just drop the hardware (metal only) into boiling water for a minute or two. I removed all the paint off my bathroom bin pulls this way.

Boiling the hardware has worked well for me, and it doesn't seem to discolor the metal the same way some chemical paint removers do. Once you remove the large pieces of paint (after they've been boiled and cooled), I use wood skewers to clean out the detail areas. With a little pressure, the pointed wood pushes the paint away and doesn't scratch the metal.
Good luck!

Ulrika give very good instructions, BUT
I'm another one for just boil the hardware in plain water. This works, I've done this exzact thing many times. You don't need the TSP.

I would guess you're going to have to at least strip the paint also off the edges of the door (which will be out once hardware is off. I would do this with peel away or 3M's "safer stripper" the gooey gel strippers will trap the lead that is undoubtedly in your paint and are really safest. They are actually very easy to use, follow instructions on box.

You'll need a putty knife, when you're at the store buying that have them match the paint on the door (take it with you).

After do a little paint touch up these built-ins are going to look FAB. Please post afters.

I have those exact latches in my apartment, but fortunately they are not layered in paint. They are pretty beat up, though. If you can get them off the cabinets, can't you just soak them in paint thinner? I think my dad has done that before.

my favorite method of paint removal is a heat gun. its much faster then chemical strippers or sanding. you can get them for as little as $30. worth every penny.

I've done the crock pot paint stripping on several things and it works well and you don't have to mess around with paint stripper. The hard part (well, one of the hard parts) is getting the hinges off so you can plunk them in the pot. You have to use a blade or some kind of tool to chip the paint out of the screw heads so you can unscrew them. I did TWENTY hinges in my bathroom and I was cursing the dummy who painted over them.
The crock pot stripping worked well though, here is a before and after:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/julielion/4614778637/

I picked up a crock pot at the goodwill for a couple of dollars.
The cabinets looked so much better with the paint stripped off the hinges:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/julielion/4665956389/
Your medicine cabinet will look great with unpainted hinges! As you mentioned the tricky part is saving the surrounding paint. You may have to repaint while the hardware is off, or else when you remove the old hardware, cut all around it first with razor or xacto to have a clean edge when you pull the old stuff off.

AT did a post in the past on crock pot paint stripping and stripping hardware, search for that for some more good ideas.

Some of the hidden obstacles I have encountered while stripping kitchen cabinetry and hardware.

If the door is dragging when you close it, make sure to check the hinges. They may need some adjusting. The weight of a door can make it drag, too. If the door is inset into the frame of the cabinet--too much humidity can also make them stick. Be careful about taking out and putting back the hinge, it can enlarge the holes they are in and you may need to fill the hole.

I have also used Lacqeur thinner on brass plated hinges that I can't replace to get the steel finish. Wouldn't use that unless you are wanting to strip the outter finish.

Good Luck and have fun!

I've tried all the methods listed above to remove paint from hardware in my 1872 home. The boiling and the crockpot have not been effective for me (we're talking LOTS of layers here). What's worked the best for me to remove paint from metal is to give it a good whack with a hammer or scraper -- really, as long as it's not brass (which you can dent), this seems best at getting most of the paint off, then I go in with a heat gun or razor blades.

Cut the hardware out from around the surrounding paint with a sharp knife/razor. Then, drop the hardware into a pan of boiling water + concentrated laundry detergent. All the layers of paint will peel off like magic. Any residual paint can be worked off with an old toothbrush while the hardware is in the water bath.

I did this about a year ago.

Put the hardware in a Crockpot with hot water and a little Landry detergent overnight on high. By the morning the paint should peel off. Then a good scrubbing with a bristle brush will get out any little bits left. sealing the finished product with a clear varnish is a smart idea.

Here is the before and After from my experiment
http://thisranchhouse.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-pantry.html

First time I painted my kitchen 10 years ago I removed all my painted-over brass kitchen hardware and soaked them in paint thinner: came clean in no time.

Was it non-toxic? Certainly not.
Was it effective? You bet!

Only things I would have done differently would be to select a less toxic solution to soak them in, and I'd have lightly sprayed them with a clear lacquer afterwards since doing this stripped off the factory lacquer finish.

I agree with the excellent advice already given. Last time I removed hinges, I had to use a hammer and chisel to cut into the paint around them (you can use a 3 in 1 tool for a chisel). Then I applied paint remover to the screws with a cotton swab. After getting the screws out, I carefully pried the hinges off with the 3 in 1 tool.

A common reason to paint hinges is to cover rust. You may discover some hinges and latches have serious rust after you get the paint off them. If they are damaged, do not re-use them. Rejuvenation has replacement hinges and latches.

Removing all of the hinges and latches took me two days, twice as long as it took to paint the cabinets!

After you get the hinges off and cleaned, you will WANT to paint the cabinets to show off your hard work. You will need to sand down the area by the hinges and latches to remove paint build up, and sand the edges. Then prime and paint. Do this while the cabinet doors are off.

I have found submerging the hardware in a jar of nail polish remover works well for me. The paint just floats off in one big chuck. If necessary, I use an old soft toothbrush for paint remaining in the crevices.

mostly good methods above, but note that tsp is ILLegal in many states b/c toxic to water life; there is imitation tsp, ok on walls. used a utility knife to break the seals, nail polish remover on a qtip where i thought the screws existed, tried again & carefully, dropped everything (brass & glass doorknobs, tiny screws) into boiling water in a Non-aluminum pot w/ a guesstimate of white vinegar, stirred on & off, monitored b/c brass takes on reddish hue if overboiled, got to crevices w/ old soft toothbrush--some use dental picks--while brass still was warm or reboiled. paint mostly peeled right off, glass shined. strained through newspaper cone, disposed of paint bits w/ hazmat (lead?) bulk & could clean drain w/ strained vinegar. shined w/ toothpaste. should have applied coat of clear nail polish/varnish/polymer. smoothed & prepped undersurface before remounting. requires patience, worth the time.

p.s. have a question in return: any suggestions on stripping steel casements/
moldings that have been painted approx 20 times since 1926 & cannot be removed from the walls to be boiled?

i second the molding question. . . maybe that can be a new post!

p.s.s. do not breathe in the fumes! and be sure you are properly nourished. bodies absorb lead like calcium, much less if the body has enough iron. as for the moldings, tried several (peel-away, the orange one, the one that burns through gloves) paint strippers & was underwhelmed by their efficacy. ideas?