It is a fairly quick and easy project to restore rusty weight plates. To restore these four weights, it took maybe an hour of my time.

Tools and materials were pretty inexpensive, if you already have a cordless drill the cost of the rest of materials is about $36. After this initial investment, you’ll be able to restore a lot of weight plates and dumbbells.

The tools and materials I used:

Cordless drill

Wire wheel brush set

Nylon brush wheel set

Rustoleum hammered black spray paint

Rustoleum hammered antique pewter spray paint

Silver leafing pen

This post is not sponsored. Some of the links are affiliates which means if you purchase through the link, I’ll receive a small commission.

The first and most important step is removing the rust. There are several ways to do this, but I have found the quickest way is to use wire brush wheels and a cordless drill.

I use a smaller brush head to get in between the letters and numbers.

Once I have all, or most, of the rust off, I use a nylon brush head to remove the rust dust. This dust is dangerous to breathe. Always wear a proper fitting dust mask.

In order for the spray paint to properly adhere to the weight, you’ll need to be sure to remove as much dust as possible. Last step before painting is to wipe down the weights with a cleaning wipe.

I primarily use two different paint colors, depending on the weights I am restoring. Rustoleum hammered black and Rustoleum hammered antique pewter. The colors are spot on and the texture is pretty similar to what the weights originally came with.

After painting one side, I let the paint dry overnight before painting the other side.

The last step is not completely necessary, but adds a nice finishing touch if you’re so inclined. I use a silver leafing pen to paint the letters and numbers on the front of the weights. It doesn’t take long and really makes the weights pop.

And that’s it, they almost look brand new. I give the paint another 24 hours to fully dry before using the weights.

Of course, you can paint the weights any color you want. The guys over at Chosen Restoration have used a wide variety of color schemes and they’re all pretty amazing.

Check out my other DIY tutorials for quick tips and fun builds. Don’t forget to follow on Instagram and subscribe on Youtube.