Pamela is correct. Cook the hinges in the crockpot and then plunge the hinges into ice water. Most of the paint should come right off.

Ok thanks. What if I don’t want to take the door off the hinges? Is there a shortcut workaround?

Ok thanks, A follow up question is if i'm paying a contractor to remodel a bathroom should i expect this would be something they should take care of?

Unfortunately, I don't see a shortcut. Those hinges need removed and cleaned up.

Ok thanks for the comments. It wasn't discussed ahead of time or put in the contract.

If going through all the hassle of removing them to boil, why not just get new ones? it really isn't a big deal to switch them out. really, it isn't.

if you want to try stripping them in place, get a gel stripper like SoyGel and paint it on, tape off everything around it. let it sit for 30-40 mins. repeat if more then one coat of paint is on there. use a steel wire brush to remove dead paint. clean up w/a brillo pad or stainless steel wool pads.

you could also try taking a 60 grit sandpaper to them. that might work. again, be careful not to grind down the paint on the door or moldings.

A. New hinges may not have the same exact hole pattern, so you'd have to fill the old holes with plugs and glue, wait for the glue to dry, mortise for new plates (if they don't match exactly) drill new holes, and, finally mount the hinges and door.

B. Paint stripper in situ. Seriously? All that time and scraping and taping and mess?

C. Take a hinge out. Throw it in hot water overnight in a crockpot. Pull the sheet of paint off in the morning. Put the hinge back in. Total active time: 5 minutes.

It simply cannot get any easier or cleaner than C.

tatts, calm down. she asked for alternatives. just because I give someone 3 different alternatives, doesn't mean you have to poo on it. she could apply stripper and wrap a baggie around it. there's more than one way to skin a cat.

I let people judge what they want to do. as for drilling holes and all that, she can get the same type of hinges at any restoration hardware company. they have thousands of sizes and shapes. Besides, after removing the paint, she may not like the original color. up to her.

So I currently have seven loose doors and a bucket full of the hardware that goes with them sitting in a spare room waiting for me to get around to paint stripping and refinishing (thanks previous owner for slathering paint on everything). Then when those are done I have nine more doors + hardware to deal with.

Taking out the one door and stripping/cleaning a couple hinges is no big deal. It'll be WAY more of a hassle to try to do this in place. Stripping is messy business.

Also, please do not sand them to try to remove the paint. Chances are they are brass plate, and sandpaper will trash the brass layer. If you're lucky and they are solid brass, then still don't sand them - you don't want to scratch them up. But if they are solid, you can certainly buff them.

Stick with chemical paint stripper and/or heat gun.

And I wouldn't spray paint them (or paint them in any manner). Hinges move and paint on them will start to wear and come off, leading you back to your current situation eventually. They aren't really intended to have paint on them (though they end up getting covered with paint because homeowners and painters can be cheap/lazy and don't want to take the doors apart to do it right)