Pulling my hair out over replacing door handles

[Bladders73]

We have 14 white panel internal doors that are all lovely but the handles are brass and have tarnished, they look awful.

I can buy replacement handles but the separate latch set is a pain to replace as I'm finding that the hole in the doors are too small to accommodate the rectangular face plate that goes over the latch, the face plate doesn't match up with the hole that's there so filling in will need to be done too.

Apart from chiselling out a bigger rectangle and filling in each door (cba) is there a spray I can use to smarten up the existing face plate to get rid of the tarnish or a metal looking paint that I can paint over the top?

I really don't want to have to change the doors altogether but need to smarten them up a bit.

I used white hammerite to paint over all the tarnished brass handles and light fittings in my new (badly shabby not been decorated since 1970). Am trying to source new but they actually look ok.

Hammerite! Thanks that's a great idea :)

Brasso? Would shine them up and remove the tarnish

You might be able to send them away to be refurbished.

I'd try fine wire wool so they have an even matt look and replace the handles.

I replaced all the interal handles, and a few doors, in my current house but didn't do the latch mechanisms.

The problem with paint on contact parts like the latch is it adds thickness and will wear quite quickly and may cause fi problems - on the plate it could be good.

You could remove the latch and plate, wire wool the latch and paint the plate.

I see what you mean about paint adding thickness. I'll be replacing the brass handles with satin chrome so do need something Matt or white. I'll give the fine wire wool a go first with paint a last resort.