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How to Remove a Brass Door Knocker from a Door

Kenneth Crawford

Brass knockers are attractive additions to your entry doors unless they have developed heavy tarnish due to weathering. When this happens, you can either replace or clean the brass door knocker. Replacing the knocker, however, requires the removal of the existing one.

Removing a brass door knocker from a door is similar to removing other types of door knockers. The key lies in finding the screws securing the knocker in place. Brass door knockers can be surface-mounted or mounted through the door.

  1. Locate the screws securing the brass door knocker to the door. While most brass knockers have screws on the front of the knocker, some knockers have securing screws going through the door, meaning that the screw heads are found on the inside of the door. The screws are usually covered with a decorative cap.

  2. Pry the caps off with a flat-head screwdriver to expose the screw heads.

  3. Remove the screws with a flat- or Phillips-head screwdriver. There are usually two screws attaching the brass knocker to the door: one near the top and one near the bottom.

  4. Slip a putty knife between the knocker and the door.

  5. Pry the knocker away from the door.

Tip

Some knockers might not have any screws; instead, they attach to a bracket under the knocker. The removal of these knockers requires a specialty jig available from the manufacturer. Place the jig over the knocker and drill through the holes to release the knocker pins from the mounting plate.