On Replacing Furniture Hardware

Replacing furniture hardware is not always as straightforward as replacing cabinet hardware.  You need to 'Assess the Hardware Situation' when you buy an old piece.  It is lovely when the existing hardware is all there, in good condition, and coordinates with the look you intend for the piece.  Of course, that doesn't always happen.

Things that you have to keep in mind:  If there are 'drop bail pulls'... you know the kind that fastens on both sides and there is a movable handle that stretches between the anchored spots... The 'centers' or the distance between where you put the screws in is often not a standard size... and therefore, potentially not easy or inexpensive to replace.

Another thing to keep in mind is 'backplates'.  I often find backplates charming and love the antique and old world look of them.  But, if you take off a piece of hardware that had a backplate and want to replace it with a piece that doesn't, you will have a gap that will cause your hardware to wiggle and loosen if you don't correct it.

This is the handle that I took off of a piece.  Interesting, but huge and didn't fit the finished look I wanted for the piece.

The backplate has a tip that is inserted into the drilled our hole in the piece.. and hence the challenge.

This is the hardware that I used to replace it... no backplate, standard bolt size.

One way to solve the problem is to get 'spacers' at your local hardware store... not a big box store... you have to go to a smaller store that carries those specialized little pieces.

Make sure to take both your new bolt and the old backplate with you when you go to check in the inner and outer diameter of the spacers.

In this case, the drill hole was still just a smidgen large, so I wrapped one length of duck tape around them, inserted the spacers into the hole, put my hardware on and problem solved!