A Crash Course in Bathroom Faucet Finishes

Choosing a bathroom faucet finish frequently stumps people. What is the difference between polished and brushed nickel? What are the advantages of satin brass versus satin bronze? Fear not. Here’s a crash course in faucet endings that will elevate your knowledge in less time than it takes you to brush your teeth.

Indigo & ochre layout

Keep in mind that many taps have a lifetime warranty in regards to finishes, so if you have an old favourite faucet that is looking drab, try calling the manufacturer to see what the warranty coverage is.

If you are new to choosing finishes, it is a fantastic idea to get the rest of the fixtures and accessories in a matching colour. Some endings are a typical colour, like chrome and many brushed-nickel finishes, although not all finishes from various companies look the same.

To ensure you are getting the specific same finish, purchase all of the accessories and fixtures from precisely the exact same company. While shopping for additional fittings, have a sample with you to fit.

Polished Brass

An all time favourite. A polished brass faucet helps give the toilet shown here a classic appearance.

Advantages: Simple to clean and easy to find. A finish. Easy to fit with accessories and other fittings.

Disadvantages: More expensive than other endings, such as chrome and brushed nickel.

Designs it works together: Polished brass is really coming back in style, so it looks great in modern, traditional and eclectic settings.

Satin Brass

A nice twist on polished brass, the brushed-gold appearance has a lot of class. It’s bold without being overly showy. Do not be surprised if you see a lot more of the colour in bathroom remodeling.

Advantages: Offers a wonderful accent shade with no polished appearance. Durable. Being a matte finish, it won’t show fingerprints and water spots.

Disadvantages: It’s hard to find and more expensive. Additionally, it is tough to match accessories and other fittings to satin brass.

Designs it works together: Piggybacking off the success of polished brass, this satin counterpart is going to be increasingly common. Great settings for it are traditional, modern and contemporary.

Shane D. Inman

Oil-Rubbed Bronze

An excellent aesthetic alternative to standard kitchen and brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze gives the bathroom a more traditional look and texture.

Working on a budget? In the event you do not want to buy all of the matching accessories and you have other brass items in your toilet, such as an old light switch plate or cupboard knobs, you may always make use of a brass darkening option to make all of the hardware match.

Advantages: Durable, easy to clean and easy to find. Additionally, it is easy to fit oil-rubbed bronze with accessories and other fittings. It won’t show water spots or fingerprints.

Disadvantages: More expensive than other endings, such as chrome and brushed nickel.

Designs it works together:Oil-rubbed bronze goes hand in hand with traditional and Tuscan or Mediterranean settings.

Andre Rothblatt Architecture

Copper

Copper is unmistakable and bold. It offers the bathroom a wealthy feeling, especially when blended with a subtler material, like marble onto a countertop.

Advantages: Copper has natural antibacterial properties. It’s fairly easy to find and has the capability to “heal” itself. Over a brief time period, a scrape in copper will become darker and blend together with the patina.

Disadvantages: A shiny copper finish might require a little more maintenance than brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze and chrome, but if you let it age naturally, copper will develop a gorgeous patina. It’s harder to fit accessories and other fittings to copper, and it is not quite as durable as other endings.

Designs it works together:Tuscan and farmhouse. And, needless to say, steampunk.

Satin Bronze

Satin bronze features a nice, smooth finish that is in between copper and oil-rubbed bronze. Possessing a subtler colour gives this complete more flexibility for different bathroom styles and settings.

Advantages: Durable and easy to clean and maintain, this is a terrific alternative to copper and a milder option than oil-rubbed bronze. Water spots and fingerprints won’t show.

Disadvantages: Difficult to find and more expensive. It’s difficult to match accessories and other fittings to satin bronze.

Designs it works together: Conventional, Mediterranean and eclectic.

Change Your Bathroom, Inc..

Polished Nickel

If you enjoy a smooth, shiny finish but are tired of chrome, then try polished nickel. It’s thinner than chrome, and with various degrees of lighting, it may seem to change in colour.

Advantages: Simple to clean. A lasting finish. A fantastic alternative to brushed nickel.

Disadvantages: More expensive. It’s hard to find matching accessories or fittings for it.

Designs it works together: Like chrome, it looks great in a number of settings: modern, contemporary, traditional and eclectic.

VIGO

Brushed Nickel

The delicate metallic appearance of brushed nickel has stood the test of time.

Advantages: This really is one of the most lasting finishes; it’s a tendency to maintain its finish longer than oil-rubbed bronze and chrome. It doesn’t show wear, fingerprints or water spots. It’s easy to clean, easy to find and easy to match with accessories and other fittings. It’s relatively cheap. Brushed nickel will be more expensive than chrome but doesn’t cost as much as oil-rubbed bronze.

Disadvantages: doesn’t coordinate well with stainless steel; it blends in rather of being a statement piece.

Designs it works together: Almost every style.

Chrome

Chrome is currently among the most well-known finishes because of its versatility.

Advantages: It’s generally the most inexpensive finish. It’s a very easy finish to clean and maintain. It’s durable, easy to find and easy to match with accessories and other fittings.

Disadvantages: Shows water spots and fingerprints.

Designs it works together: Almost every style.

The Art of Room Design

Matte Black

Black taps are getting to be increasingly more popular in the bathroom, because of their capacity to match other items, like vanities and accent pieces. If you want to make a classy statement, or you’re just doing a small renovation that doesn’t involve changing all elements of your toilet, matte black may be the perfect finish for you.

Advantages: Simple to clean. Does not show dirt, fingerprints or water spots. It’s easy to coordinate a matte black faucet with toilet accessories.

Disadvantages: It’s difficult to match other fixtures to it, difficult to find and pricey in comparison with much more popular finishes, such as chrome and brushed nickel.

Designs it works together: Modern and eclectic.

Red Egg Design Group

White

Looking for a clean, colorful finish? Proceed with a white faucet as a contrasting statement piece or something that blends beautifully in an all-white bathroom. The white finish comes from durable plastic or porcelain.

Advantages: Simple to clean. Does not show water spots or fingerprints.

Disadvantages: Porcelain fittings are more fragile than metal, which makes them more prone to chipping. Porcelain can be expensive, too.

Designs it works together: Farmhouse and modern.

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More: The best way to combine metal finishes at a toilet layout

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