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DIY Faux Malachite Knobs

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DIY Faux Malachite Knobs

I hope we can all agree the knobs on my new Martha Stewart craft drawer units were a snooze-fest.  They screamed country and not in a good way (I do love me a splash of country here and there).  I knew they had to be replaced.  With the deep savings I got on the cabinets, I did not mind replacing the hardware.

While we were in Dallas last month, I hit up Anthropologie and Hobby Lobby looking for new knobs.  Everything at Anthropolgie was just too big for the skinny top drawers.  Hobby Lobby unfortunately was lacking in the color department…specifically pretty blues and greens.

As I scoured the Hobby Lobby bins for hidden gems, I kept getting drawn back to small round white porcelain knobs with brass bases.  I admit they were a snooze-fest too, but I loved the shape and the tarnished brass.  Bonus, there was matching larger oval knobs with brass base.  The larger knobs would look great on the bigger bottom drawers.  But, I did not want white!

Then, I saw the 50% off sign and decided to make it a project.  I bought 8 knobs at $1 each (regularly $1.99) and 4 larger oval knobs for $3 each (regularly 5.99).  The 12 knobs cost $20 total.  That is only $10 per cabinet for all new hardware.  I knew if I could figure out a way to color them, they were going to make a big impact.

My initial plan was to use the Porcelaine pen I had leftover from this hot chocolate on a stick gift project.  Unfortunately, I did not store it properly and it was dried up.  Since I am in the throws of a month long home spending hiatus and banned myself from craft stores, I needed a plan B.

Goodbye boring, hello gorgeous!  Plan B was a huge success and now my cabinet hardware looks like this:

DIY Faux Malachite Knobs

I heard you can use Sharpies similar to the Porcelaine pens.  You draw on your porcelain object, let it sit overnight, and then bake in the oven.  I happen to have a cute little paint bucket on my craft shelves full of colorful Sharpies.  I grabbed the teal one and went to work.

DIY Faux Malachite Knobs

Click here to continue reading how-to color and bake your way to pretty knobs!

Comments

  5. Those turned out wonderfully! I’d never be able to guess how you made them. This makes me want to switch out some of my own furniture hardware! :)

  9. Oh my coolness…I had no idea this is how you had done this…I initially thought you had molded them out of polymer clay but wasn’t sure how you got the beautiful veins….the dresser looks like a million bucks with them on…..I’m pinning this to our HAPPY HOUR linky party and my personal great ideas board…thank you so much. Hope you have a great weekend…xo
    Lucy

  10. This is such an amazing idea! I can’t think of what project I need to do this for but I really want to try it! I have to hold myself back from buying sharpies in all the pretty colors too….just sooo tempting.

  12. So cute! Great idea!! I love your Martha craft desks, if I had not just diy’d my work area I would have totally scoured all the stores near me to get some too!

  13. You are brilliant. The knobs are beautiful. I will definitely be trying this myself this winter after my kitchen redo is underway. Maureen

  14. This is genius!! I am in awe of what sharpies can do!!! thanks so much for sharing. I can’t wait to go drawer knob shopping!! lol Well done ;-)

  21. LOVE how your knobs turned out. So glad I found the pin on Pinterest. The closet in my bathroom needs replacing and now I know for sure I can have what I want!

  23. Did you have any problems with the color changing during baking? It doesn’t look like it in your photos. I tried this with a Bic permanent marker and mine went from a beautiful turquoise to a lovely jade. Sadly, the lovely jade doesn’t match the room… Perhaps I’ll have to mail order the Sharpie (we live in a very small town, very far away from any real stores)

    • Jan, I would definitely try the sharpie. Mine did not change color at all during baking. Good luck with the next try.

  25. love this idea….I’m just starting a major kitchen renovation and now I know what I’m going to do with the old porcelain knobs. Now they’e definitely a keeper!

  35. awesome! i wonder if you were to spray them with a clear coat-if that would help avoid any of the baked on marker from wearing off from lots of use?

  37. I absolutely love it!! And it gives me some fantastic ideas for other craft projects with porcelain. I will definitely be trying this knob idea, though. I have several pieces that need a pinch of color, personality and pizazz.

  38. I was thinking the same. so many ideas for anything porcelain and so many colors to try! red, purple, blck, green, so excited!

  39. I didn’t read over the other comments, but if you’re worried about long term wear and tear on the knobs because of frequent use, you should coat them with a clear spray or Mod Podge!

  40. I LOVE LOVE THE IDEAL FOR THE KNOBS!! IVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND SOME OLD GLASS DOOR KNOBS FOR MY HOME.. WE ARE RE-MODELING OUR HOME BUT I AM DEFINATELY GOING TO USE YOUR KNOB IDEAL ON A FEW PROJECTS , I LOVE THE WAY THEY LOOK!!! GREAT JOB & IDEAL ;))

  41. Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me the color of the Sharpie? I know you said it was teal but I didn’t know if that was the actual printed name on it. Thanks :)

    • Shyan, There is actually no name printed on the Sharpie. It came in a pack of 8 colors. Hope that helps.

  42. Tips and pointers: I bought a 25 pack of porcelain knobs on ebay from designerknobsandpulls.com for SUPER cheap. I first tried the Bic permanent marker and baked it for 30 minutes and as another commentor said, it turned jade (and cracked). I tried it again but only baked it for 10 minutes and it kept its color and did not crack. However, I’m hoping someone can tell me the purpose of baking it because I don’t know if 10 minutes is long enough. Either way, thanks for the GREAT idea.

  43. I tried this with a like green sharpie and had a it turn to a dark jade on me as well. The jade doesn’t match the room or the dresser the knobs are to go on, so I think I may give it a go again with maybe a lower backing temp and shorter baking time. I LOVE how yours turned out, just out of curiosity, what color did you use to get that shade of torquoise?

    • Hi Holly. Too bad yours changed color. Was it a Sharpie brand marker? Other readers have reported other permanent marker brands changing color. I used a Sharpie brand teal marker and the color stayed the same after baking. Good luck with your next attempt!

  44. Thanks for the great tutorial! I pinned it and just tried it out now. A dark blue Sharpie came out a perfect cobalt blue. I blogged about it and linked back to your site.

  46. Brilliant! I amy take this a tiny bit commercial through my website…most importantly, they look exquisite in my home. Thank you, dear Jackie!

  50. Gorgeous! Never would have guessed Sharpie! Perhaps it would be helpful to add a coat of clear nail polish to help preserve them? It would be too big of a pain to attempt a clear finish paint, maybe, but I don’t know if clear nail polish yellows over time or not. Just thinking of a way that could help protect them & that’s what I came up with.

    • I baked mine twice first for 10 minutes and then again for 30 minutes, but when I went to install them onto the dresser the sharpie was wearing off on the edges. So I took your advice with the nail polish… and it looks amazing! They have a beautiful gloss finish now and do not wear off :)

  51. I have a tall thin set of draws I just used sharpies on the knobs that came with it, to snap it up, but totally going to get the porcelin knobs and do it again. I had no clue. Thanks.

  54. that was a good idea, thank you!. i’m from South Africa and don’t know what is a sharpie! please can you explain to me. thank you.

    • Cheryl, I did not do anything after baking them. So far they are holding up just fine. If they were in a more heavily used space like a kitchen, I might consider that, but then you could skip the baking part, too.

  58. These are beautiful! I am worried about fading though.. Do you think a clear coat of fingernail polish would help that?

  59. I would love to do this but was wondering what temperature you baked them at and for how long?

  60. Oh thank you for sharing this!! I have a bin full of “yard sell knobs” almost similar to these and NOW I can finally finish my cabinet!!! I’m also wondering if I can do this for a Tea Set. I’ve been planning a Tea Party for my granddaughters to welcome in spring (I know winter isn’t over…..) but my daughter found me this “paint your own tea set” since I couldn’t find anything I liked for the girls. I was going to do the porcelain pens too but they are so expensive. What do you think? Is this permanent? You’ve got me sooo excited and I have months to plan this!!!

    • Bridgitte, That is how I got the idea. I saw other people on Pinterest using Sharpies on mugs and dinner plates. It inspired me to try the knobs.

      • I, too, have seen all the websites for using Sharpies on dishes, but most of them have comments that say it doesn’t work. It seems it is not recommended for anything that is going to be washed a lot. It comes off in the dishwasher and only has a limited time with hand washing. Sharpie makes oil-based markers that can be used on dishes and, while more expensive than regular Sharpies, don’t seem to be totally outrageous in price. I have only bought them from their website so I have no idea how much they cost in a store. I _would_ be interested to know how your knobs hold up to constant use. I will be checking back! Love them!

      • I love it…..can you do that on any door knobs or is there just one in general?

  61. These are fabulous! We are in the throws of refinishing a bunch of furniture pieces for a home staging job, so we’ll be trying this technique if we can get our hands on some porcelain knobs!

  62. Just checking in to see how they were holding up? I LOVE the look and tried it, but after a week I started seeing white spots. I don’t see it on my hands, but just wondering how yours held up….

    • Hi Allison,
      Mine are holding up well, but they do not get daily use yet. They are on my new craft cabinets for my studio, which is still being finished. Maybe try clear nail polish or a clear top coat as other commenters have suggested.

  63. I LOVE this idea. Do you think it would be possible to do this on already colored knobs? I have round yellow porcelain ones on all my kitchen cabinets. Maybe I will try doing just one. Also, maybe the Poly-something-or=other – I think it’s polyurethane – clear coat would be best for a kitchen/bathroom applications as those knobs not only get a lot of wear, but must be cleaned often, too (grease and dirt).

    • polyurethane will yellow. need a spray varnish that specifically says won’t yellow.

  64. I read on another pin to bake @350 for 30 min., I used the bic perm marker and mine didnt turn to jade or crack just thought I’d let everyone know :-)

  65. have you tried spray-varnishing them? the varnish should protect the sharpie from rubbing off.

    i made a mug using this technique and it eventually started rubbing off and needed touching up, but varnish wasn’t an option then obviously.

  66. Those are awesome looking knobs. Thanks so much for sharing. I would like to do this for my daughters dresser.

  67. Just what I need for a shelf I’m making for my grandson! been struggling with ideas for the knobs for awhile! thanks for a great idea!

  68. These look fantastic! They really pop on that white cabinet. I must admit I shouldn’t even be reading this post, I already have too many knobs hoarded in my studio area waiting for a home!

  70. Great use of the sharpie. I love and use them myself for furniture touch-up on a regular basis. I always have extras around of all colors. I have also used them to cover up scuffs on various leather products. I have found endless uses for the sharpie and today you can find them in so many colors.

  71. You can use a clear gloss on the knob . In my case I would cover up the brass. They look amazing.

  73. With glass knobs I wonder if you could do like cracking marbles. bake the put in cool water for a different affect?

  74. Very nice idea. Will have to try it out. Don’t touch them with chemicals – isopropyl alcohol and acetone (rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover) will dissolve sharpie ink, even after baking. Over time, finger oil will also degrade them. Might want to coat them all with a clear gloss-coat spray-paint to protect the color.

  75. “these look like marbling” or “a piece of jewelry” is what my husband-to-be said when I showed him the pictures! He is amazed at how easy it was to created the look with a simple sharpie! Thanks for the detailed tutorial on how it was done!

    • Hi Iona. Sharpie is a brand of permanent marker in the US. They come in “fine tip” which I used for this project. They are also available in a huge variety of colors.

  78. LOVE the way they turned out! This inspires me to do something similar for the desk in my craft room!

    simphomemade.blogspot.com

  81. You have a bazillion comments on this!! As well you should!!! This had my heart racing reading step by step how you did this! I tell you..I ‘like’ teal…but now…I LOVE TEAL!!! LOL…well done. I found you thru a Pinterest pic!! Love it and will be checking on you now!!

  84. Those are amazing! (I don’t usually comment on blogs, etc., but these warrant it!) Thumbs up to you!

  85. You just blew me away with this. I just have to try it!! Going to feature this on my FB page in a couple minutes :) Thank you for the inspiration Jackie! ~ Julie

  86. I followed the directions to a T…they did turn out beautiful, however, the color rubbed off after a few uses. Kinda discouraged. So, my suggestion is to do this with knobs that are strictly decorative – which I don’t have. Bummer.

  87. I had a problem with the color rubbing off on my hands. But I didn’t let them dry very long before baking. I think I am going to try again but wait 24 hrs until baking and then see what happens. But they have turned out great and I’ve bought more colored Sharpies and more knobs.

  90. Just came across your site and i just love this idea. I have 2 dressers that could use a face lift and what a great way to do it. thanks for posting.

  91. So does this have to be ceramic knobs. I have metal ones in my kitchen was wondering if it would work on those?

    • Melissa, I honestly don’t know if this would work on metal. I have only tried Sharpies on this one project. If you have an extra knob I would say give it a test run.

  93. Absolutely brilliant – thanks so much for sharing! I just know that this is going to come in useful. Gorgeous and thrify, my favourite combination :)

  94. I just saw this on pinterest,it’s amazing! The knobs look like beautiful pieces of turquoise stone & If I did this I think I would paint the base with copper spray paint to match it! Makes you want to go out & buy a bunch of porcelain to try different colors on!

  96. Does this only work with porcelain handles? Is there any other material that it would work with? (Metal or wood, etc)

  97. I was so excited that I wanted to share.
    I’ve been looking for Sharpie pens in pretty colors and at a reasonable price for awhile, so I could try this project. My wait finally paid off today. Office Depot has them on sale this week for $.50 each (regularly $1.69 each)! Even the 12 pack set was $19.99, so you can’t beat the individual price. Plus you get to pick your colors. I don’t know if this is everywhere, but you may look at the front page of the sale’s flyer. http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/OfficeDepot/Entry/LandingContent?storeid=2502053&sneakpeek=N&listingid=0

    My store had at least 25 colors in fine pt, extra fine, and some in paint brush style. I believe the color you used is Turquoise. I even bought a bunch to make up a gift ‘group’ for one of my sisters.

    • Constance,

      Thank you for the info. I am going to have to make a trip to Office Depot. Some new color Sharpies are in my future :)

  98. I’m sorry Jackie, I meant to first say how beautiful the knobs are. I can’t wait to try it myself. Good for you for being frugal and thank you so much for sharing your amazing talent and creativity.

  99. That is so awesome, I can never think of cool stuff like that I always have to steal someones idea. I have to go check all the sharpie colors.

  100. This might be a silly question but how safe is it to put these in the oven? I have never attempted a project like this.

  101. Wow, they look smashing! But it’ been a few months now. How are they holding up?

    • Hi Nancy, Mine have held up pretty well. They are rubbing off slightly on the back of the knob where my fingers touch. I plan to touch them up and give them a clear coat like other commenters have suggested.

  102. does anyone think this would work on gold knobs? or what else would possibly come up with this result for gold?

  103. wow..they look stunning im going to try that idea..you did a great job.thank you for shharing this idea….

  105. Those are absolutely beautiful. They look exactly like a precious stone. I cannot wait to start replacing knobs in my house.

  109. Hi Jackie – I did exactly as you said and they looked gorgeous before I baked them…. when I took them out of the oven after 30 minutes at 350 degrees, they BOTH were cracked right down the center. Any ideas what went wrong???
    I loved them before the bake, but I’m sure if I didn’t bake the finish on – it wouldn’t hold for long. BUMMED!!

    • Kathy, So sorry to hear that. It must be the type of knobs could not handle the heat. You could try coloring a new set, skip the baking, and use a clear spray finish to make them permanent. Even mine that were baked are rubbing off. I plan to redo and spray them with a clear coat. Hope that helps.

  110. Have y’all seen the Sharpie Paint pens? I love those for my craft projects. They are different from the regular Sharpie pens. And I just love your drawer knobs!

  111. I love this technique and tried it out with a dark azure blue sharpie. I put the knob in the oven at 450 after I had cooked something, and after about 20 minutes, it had melted. Oops! I will try it again with a lower temperature.

  115. These are awesome but when I tried doing, the sharpie ink seemed to separate during the heating process and the white underneath showed through. I tried doing twice just as the instructions directed and came out with the same results. Any thoughts or suggestions on what might be going wrong? Thanks!

    • Sorry Denise. It is really hard for me to troubleshoot for you. I am guessing all Sharpies are created equal, so it must have something to do with the knobs, like a coating they have on them or something. Sorry I can’t help more.

  116. I was just wondering – after a few months of use, how did the finish hold up? This is such a creative way to add a pop of colour and with an all (well,mostly) white color scheme i need all the “pop” ideas I can get ! thanx….

    • Krysti, My knobs are holding up well. I have seen some small areas of wear, where the color has rubbed off to reveal the white knob color. It hasn’t been enough to bother me yet. When it is, I plan to recolor them the same way and then use a clear finish spray (like polycrylic) or clear nail polish to seal them.

  117. I usually don’t reply to posts like this, but you went into such detail and this is such a SUPER easy project! What a unique thing to do. You could literally do this for any room in any color! This is going on my pinterest board! Thanks for posting!!!!!

  118. Those came out gorgeous! You’re absolutely spot on by describing them as having “movement”.
    p.s. You weren’t in the “throws” of a month-long home spending hiatus. You were in the throes.

  119. What a great find! I recently redid a small side table and I have been going crazy to find some knobs I had planned to use for this project. All I could find was a pair of very plain Jane porcelain knobs, but it wasn’t the look I wanted, tho the style would have worked. I am so glad I gave into the impulse purchase of a set of colored Sharpies! I didn’t get the marker marks you got, but I was able to get a color I needed to go with the cabinet. Can’t wait to put them on!

  123. Today’s the day! Have an old martha washington sewing table which needs a new more colorful, modern life. The sharpy knobs will be the finishing touch :)

  124. I was wondering how many Sharpies you used fir your project. The first knob I did looks great, but every subsequent knob after that had less and less marker adhere to it. By the 5th knob it had more white than color. I am using a metallic Sharpie. Do you think that might be why?

    • Jen, I only needed one Sharpie for all my knobs and the color was perfect all the way through. I have tried Metallic sharpies for another project and found they run out super fast. In fact, I bought several of them, but still was unable to finish the wall project I was working on. I decided it wasn’t meant to be. I know the metallic ones need to be stored tip down, so give them a break and let them rest point down…hopefully there is more ink in there.

  126. WOW! I’m so hitting the flea market tomorrow! I’m gonna look for knobs like these!. It’s going to look great on my old desk drawer’s… Thanks for the idea!!!

  127. Wow!!! I am so trying this! Thanks for sharing such a great idea (and your tutorial instructions are excellent). By the way, I am totally green with envy re: your craft room/studio pic. It’s gorgeous! You’re so lucky! Due to space restrictions most of my crafting/DIY-ing is done either at the dining room table or in the garage. Not exactly conducive to ‘creative inspiration’ :(

  128. Awesome idea! But how long did you bake them and on what temperature?? I was wondering so I could try it out too!

  129. Hi!

    Just found you on Pinterest and LOVE this idea, as I have the same, boring, yucky knobs on those great Martha Stewart pieces, (in green). I am now TOTALLY inspired to do something really artsy with the knobs – thank you!!
    I am wondering – how did you find/get a “deep discount” on your MS piece(s)? I am going to buy two or three more pieces and REALLY need the discount as I was laid-off in February. :/
    Thanks for any insight you can give me!

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