From the way the question is worded, it sounds as though the renovator wants to rechrome cabinet hardware specifically. While that can certainly be done, rechroming anything is usually an expensive process. For that reason, I would first encourage her to be very diligent in looking for replacement parts of similar design. Lowes, Home Depot, and many of the kitchen/bath hardware specialty stores are becoming attuned to the emerging Mid-Century Modern renovation market, so it may be easier and far less expensive to simply buy new parts that have a MCM look and feel.

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If, however, she really wants to rechrome the pieces she already has, begin by looking in the yellow pages under “Plating” and/or “Metal Plating.” She lives in a suburb of St Louis, and I find numerous metal-plating companies in the area when using Google. Take the parts around to several of them to get a number of estimates. Parts made with steel or brass as the substrate (the metal under the chrome) are easier and less expensive to strip and re-plate than is zinc. Cabinet hinges usually have a steel or brass substrate, but handles and door pulls are often zinc, which sometimes reacts negatively to the acids used to remove the old chrome. Existing pitting on a zinc substrate, for example, can actually become worse if the technician is not extremely careful. One way to find out which company is good and which is less so would be to contact a local antique or classic auto club for their recommendation. Interior auto trim is almost always zinc based, so auto nuts really know who is who when it comes to replating in your area.

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Replating a small number of pieces, as opposed to hundreds at a time, is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process when done correctly, so the cost is usually correspondingly high. The parts must be disassembled and immersed in a series of acid washes that removes all of the old chrome and its supporting layers. The items are then suspended in a chemical bath that has a weak electric current flowing through it, causing one or more layers of transitional metals to adhere, usually brass and/or nickel. This process can take anywhere from several hours to a couple of days. The same process is then repeated using a chromium bath. The parts must then be hand-polished individually on a polishing wheel and inspected for flaws.

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Expect the overall cost of replating to be in excess of ten times the cost of simply buying a new-made replacement part. A cabinet pull knob that might be replaced with one of similar design for $4 may cost as much as $40 to replate. Also expect a minimum charge of $50 to $75, and ask about additional fees for hazardous waste disposal, EPA and OSHA compliance, etc, all of which together can be as much as 15-20% of the base estimate.

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Good luck!

Stephan