Things You'll Need
1.Unfinished, ready to paint drawer knobs or pulls
2.Tracing &/or graphite paper (if desired for making patterns)
3.Paint - latex house paint or acrylics artist colors
4.Water-based polyurethane (I like Diamond brand)
5.Artist Paint brushes: 1" flat for basing and finishing, #5 round for decorating
6.220 grit sandpaper
7.Primer - appropriate for the surface you're painting on.
Steps
1.Prep the knobs (see specific notes in Tips section below).
2.Base the knobs with 2 - 3 coats of paint. It's best to keep paint off the bottom of the knob (the part that will go against the drawer or cabinet face) as this can cause a ridge that makes it hard to get the knob to screw in tightly. Let each coat dry thoroughly before re-coating.
3.Design your knob. It's best to figure this out before you start painting. Keep it simple or go wild. Look to fabrics or wallpaper in the room for inspiration. In the beginning, keep it simple! A couple lines for a stripe, a few more for a plaid. You can base your designs on the fabrics & wallpaper in the room. Just take the original material to your local copy shop, (along with the knob for scale) and reduce or enlarge them to fit the knob.
4.Make a pattern. Trace the knob shape onto paper - then transfer your design to the traced shape. You can transfer this design to the knob after you've base-coated it by using graphite paper - or you can do it freehand.
5.Decorate your knob. Here's the fun part. If you transferred your design with the graphite paper it'll be just like those paint-by-number projects you did when you were a kid. Keep a damp sponge handy - if you don't like what you've painted, and you've let your earlier coats dry completely - you can wipe off anything you don't like. Just do it quickly. If it's dried and you're not happy, just grab some sandpaper and take it down to what you do like!
6.Varnish your knobs when you've got them just the way you like them. Use 4 - 5 coats for a kid's room. And be sure to use water-based varnish. It dries quickly, is really durable and safer for kids to be around.

Click to download complete instructions in .pdf format and to purchase knobs in great shapes that are ready to paint.

Things You'll Need

Ruler or tape measure
Knobs with appropriate screws (see Step 3 below)
Screwdriver
Washers, if needed
Drill with appropriate bits

Steps

1. Count & measure. First count exactly how many knobs you'll need. Remember to count every cabinet, closet, drawer and door. Then do it again. You'll be really annoyed with yourself if you miscount and have to wait to get more knobs! Then, if you're replacing pulls, measure the distance between the centers of the screw holes to determine the size of the pulls you'll need (or read the notes below for suggestions on switching from 2 hole pulls to knobs.)

2. Next, decide what size knobs you want. The trend right now is for large scale knobs - but you need to be careful - huge knobs on small scale furniture can look a bit cartoonish - which may be just the look you're after! If you have frame and panel doors and drawers, you'll want to consider the width of the rails. As a general rule, knobs or pulls no wider than half the rail width look best.

3. Now figure out what size screws you need. Knobs generally ship with a 1 ½ - 2" screw, and you should check to be sure this will work for your installation. Doors and drawers will sometimes need two different screw lengths and different pieces of furniture may need different sizes. Drawers with faces applied as a separate piece will require screws to pass through 1 ¼" - 1 ½ " of wood or substrate. Doors are usually made of ¾" lumber so 1" screws usually work. You can measure the depth of the face where the screw will go in. In addition to length, you must have screws that are the correct diameter. This won't be an issue if you can use the screws that came with your knobs. But if the screws that came with your knob aren't the right length, the best thing to do is figure out the length you need and take the knob to the hardware store with you so that you're sure to get a screw that is the correct diameter.

4. It's time to install. Drill holes if needed. The holes you drill should be the correct diameter, and should be drilled perpendicular to the surface. If you drill at an angle it can be hard to get the knobs to screw in tightly. Once your holes are drilled all you've got to do is screw your knobs in, then step back and admire your work!

Replacing a double hole pull with a single screw knob.
If you are removing a drawer pull with two holes, and can't find pulls you like that are the correct size you can fill the existing holes, repaint the surface and then drill a new hole. The best way to do this is to get a piece of 1/4" wood doweling. Drill the existing holes 1/4" so that you can insert the doweling with a bit of glue. After the glue has dried, sand down the surface. Fill any uneven bits with a little putty, sand again and you're ready to paint. We find this works better than just filling the hole with putty - somehow that never comes out looking smooth enough.

- or -

If you don't want to repaint the furniture try using two knobs instead - one in each of the holes. Make it playful and fun - mix a dragonfly with a butterfly, or a car with a plane.

- and -

Another option is to glue on an escutcheon or flat wooden embellishment that will cover the two holes. You can paint it before you glue it on if you're not painting the furniture. Then drill a hole or holes to fit your new pull.

If your screw is too long

and the knob won't tighten you can always add a washer (or as many as you need) between the screw and the face.

How to do it:

1. Find a wooden tissue box cover. Oriental trading has some - but they're made of really thin wood and a pain to assemble.

2. Pick an image. I found a piece of toile giftwrap which I