If the brass plating/color has been removed, then both clean it up and paint it first with a thin coat of RustOleum 2x rust reformer to help seal it against getting grungy again and then paint it with your your choice of RustOleum 2x spray paint. Use multiple thin coats permitted to dry between coats. Dries fairly quickly..

https://www.zoro.com/rust-oleum-spray-paint-burnished-brass-11-oz-7275830/i/G8609402/feature-product?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0fnZnqux5wIVFKSzCh1gegxBEAQYASABEgKzPPD_BwE

If they're solid brass, you might not need to paint them if you can get some info from a pro on how to clean it properly..

Beautiful knobs! And you painted the brass? Good to know that it paints well. The other option I have (and I just edited my initial question) is to paint it black so that it matches the color of the hardware on the other doors.

I used a light spray (metallic) in two diff gold shades. You don't want it to look fake and painted. I wanted to keep some of the distressing on mine. but clean well, sand off or smooth the plate, and give light coats. (not heavy ones) May take 3-4 coats to get what you want. the RubnBuff is more of a matte finish. comes in silver too.

I think I may have hit it w/steel wool once dry to get the edges a little distressed

spray the screws too

try Brasso and steel wool on yours, or steel wool and BarKeepers friend cleanser

Will there be brass anywhere else in the room? Light fixtures, cabinet pulls? If not I think the black is a good choice.

you could paint it so that it looks like this

just use a flat or satin black paint. they also have a ORB spray or a black that looks more metallic looking. Rustoleum. try some of those

Thank you. Yes, that might be a better option. There will be no other brass in sight! I had initially thought black and then they showed us these at the antique store and suddenly I was thinking brass. But if paint will work good on it then maybe I should paint black.

RustOleum has a black Rust Reformer that makes a good primer and has and both shiny and a matte finish black RustOleum 2x paints that will adhere to almost (tends to scrape off glass easily) anything, especially metals.

Next question... I’ll probably create a second post once my door is close to being finished...Any suggestions on what I can do to conceal the deadbolt hole? I would like to leave the door stained instead of painted. Unfortunately that makes this part harder.

Hi,

There are "hole covers" available on Amazon, but there is nothing pretty about them

Hole Filler

Can you go back to the salvage place where you got the door plates and see if they have something that will work? You may need to use your imagination a bit to find a piece of hardware that will cover well. Especially if you end up painting the hardware as suggested above, even a new piece of hardware could be painted to match.

Something like this might work but I think it might be a bit long for your door. It could cover the hole and if painted to match the backer plate for the handle, I think it could blend right into the scenery.

Push plate 3 X 12

Or, put a lock into that space but make it a dummy - non-working lock. That might be the most authentic thing to do. I'll bet your vintage hardware place has something that would fit it.

If you find that the wood once stripped, isn't as nice looking as you thought and you end up painting it, then the hole can be filled with a wood block and filler putty, sanded smooth and then painted - done well it should disappear.

If you are going to strip the door and refinish, why not glue a big dowel in the hole and sand smooth? Then stain and finish the whole door. You will likely see the patch a bit, but it’s certainly better than a big piece of metal there.

There are many flat round things that could be used as cover plates. Go to the hardware store and look in electrical, lighting, etc with an open mind to other uses.

I bought vintage door plates and knobs for my interior doors and had them replated in the finish I wanted.