I live in a long narrow ranch, which means I’ve got a hallway full of doors that reminds me of The Matrix.

Okay, well… maybe not exactly.

There are nine swinging interior doors on the main floor of my house: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, three closets, and one staircase. The doors were trimmed with a mix of handles and knobs… mostly shiny yellow brass, but some chrome mixed in just for good measure. I had given the once-ivory doors a first coat of white paint, but it was a half-complete job.

The hall is a pale grey with white doors and trim, so I decided brushed nickel would look best. It also matches the bathroom fixtures.

The downstairs has two doors, both a medium blonde wood tone. I decided it was less important to have doors on different floors match each other, so these doors will get the same shape handle, but in aged bronze.

With a mix of rooms and doors, I needed to pay attention to the “passage” versus “privacy” handle types, but Schlage “Sacramento” handles are designed to be flipped so that I didn’t need to worry about left- or right-hand openings. I’ll save this handy graphic for next time I need it… hopefully never.

This left me with the conundrum over what to do with the exterior doors. Both sets of French doors (one wood tone, one white paint) have shiny yellow-brass handles. The locking mechanism is more complicated than a normal door, and I couldn’t find a replacement until I went to the Anderson website. Boy, I was in for a shock. Weighing in at nearly $900 per door, I became highly motivated to find a way to re-color the existing hardware. There are many opinions (and failed spray-paint attempts) out on the interwebs, so I’ll do some experimenting with the box of discarded handles. I’ve read good things about self-etching primer, as well as autobody services. I’ll keep ya posted.