Vintage door knobs are very hot right now. They give newer homes a classic and worn in feel that normally takes generations to achieve. Unfortunately, these door knobs are hard to come by in good condition. In this post I want to show you where to find them, and how to not spend a fortune to deck out your entire home with them.
Antique stores are the obvious place to start for vintage door knobs. I usually have the best luck here when I’m looking for a crystal door knob, but will sometimes get lucky with other types as well. The problem with antique stores is that they know what they have, and charge accordingly. Aside from snooty vintage resellers, antique stores are usually going to be the most expensive choice. They are a good fall back plan if all of your other options don’t work out since they normally have them.
The best place to get vintage knobs for cheap is at salvage sales. When old houses remodel or are knocked down they usually sell off all of the scrap stuff, including door knobs. They don’t make these sales very well known to the public, but a quick look in the back of your newspaper’s classified section should turn some up. Salvage sales are great because you can get an entire house’s worth of knobs for just a few bucks. You’ll probably have to spend some time cleaning and making minor repairs, but the money saved will be well worth it for the DIY type.
I’ve heard of people offering those who own old homes brand knew knobs in exchange for their old ones. I don’t know how well it really works, unless you’re trading with your grandma, but it might be worth a shot.
You don’t have to spend a ton of cash to have vintage door knobs. They last forever so there are millions of them floating around the country right now just waiting for you to find them!
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