What type of door fittings do I choose in my farrow and ball type kitchen ?

[recall]

Just about to tart up my kitchen in a farrow and ball greys and greens eggshell type of way. What door fittings go with that ? I was thinking polished chrome, to sort of mix old and new. It is in an old victorian house on a country estate, so doors are large and thick panelled.

???? Any ideas ????

Victorian chrome, you say? Surely wooden bun knobs, painted in a toning gloss? Or ceramic knobs, in cream, say?

Oh sorry, i should have said, I meant the main doors, not the cupboards. There are three doors, and lots of catches etc.

I have put new black wooden handles in our house, also victorian, a bit like these
www.blackcountrymetalworks.co.uk/Ribbed-End-Wooden-Door-Knob-home-accessories.htm
They look very smart.

Pewter beehive knobs on doors if you can find them. Oh and you could have hammered pewter on the cupboards, oooh!. I wish I were doing up my kitchen!

I have white porcelain door knobs in a white grey and green palette and they are fine--unobtrusive.

Chrome is, imo, nasty and nineties and makes me think of Changing Rooms "instant updates", unless you're doing full modern. Pewter's matt metallic grey sheen is modern (think MacBook Pro) but is still in sympathy with older fittings.

if it's for the room doors, I'd say ceramic or enamelled metal doorknobs

however be aware that modern 64mm tubular latches put the knob spindle very close to the edge of the door, so with knobs fitted, your knuckles will hit the frame (they are OK with lever handles). An experienced eye will immediately notice if you have these in your period home.

Victorian doors tended to have six-inch or five-inch horizontal sashlocks, where the keyhole is a couple of inches from the door edge and the knob spindle is five or four inches. You can still buy this kind of lock, as a rimlock or a mortice lock; but you can also buy three-inch tubular latches fairly easily, and four, five or six-inch ones with increasing difficulty or by mail order.

Tubular mortice latches are very easy to fit and are almost universally fitted on modern doors that do not require a lock.

Well, its a shame because the doors all have the original fittings, but have been painted over and over with gloss paint. They all have the sashlocks already, but I don't want to just paint over them. Could I restore them somehow? Or should I replace them. I don't particularly want it to be period, just to look stylish and in keeping.

They are like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=period+door+fittings+sashlock&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=ZwkVVjYsAmpHGM:&imgrefurl=www.theperiodironmonger.co.uk/gallery.asp&docid=E5Ng0cPD_91OXM&imgurl=www.theperiodironmonger.co.uk/asps/resources/extra38.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=0i3_TpP2HMeh8gP1uv1O&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=253&vpy=318&dur=4279&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=78&ty=246&sig=114561637355558297276&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=142&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0&biw=1024&bih=654" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this but not as neat as painted over and over.

how about if I painted the metal box part with black paint ? and wire brushed the handles ?? I also don't want to spend too much because we rent.

that's fine. What you have is a pressed-steel rimlock.

you can undo the screws round the edge and take them off (they may be stuck down with old paint) and dab them with paint stripper then wire brush off the old stuff, then they will paint up like new. Do the staple (keep) in the doorframe to match.

if the old knobs are brass, use wire wool to avoid scratching.

You can get new, round-head slotted screws if the old ones are rusty or damaged. "Black Japanned" screws come ready enamelled in black.

It will be easier to paint the doors and the locks nicely when they are separate

If any of the old screw-holes are loose, squirt a little no-more-nails or similar deep into the hole with the nozzle, and let it harden overnight or longer before putting the screws in.

What do I paint the locks in ? The same paint as the door ? Or black ?

could I dip them in anything to get all of the paint off and back to the original finish ?

"dips" are very aggressive and liable to make the metalwork go rusty. This will be especially awkward with the internal parts of a lock which are liable to seize up. I would recommend a paint-stripping chemical such as Nitromors. Do it outdoors as the fumes are irritant, and wear gloves, have some warm water ready to wash off any splashes on your skin, clothes or eyes.

If it was me I would paint them gloss black, after cleaning off the stripper thoroughly, using wire wool or wire brush on any remaining remnants of old paint, and applying an anti-rust primer (or red oxide primer) on the bare metal.

Wow thank you, such great advice, this will save me a bomb on fittings