When choosing metal finishes for your kitchen and bathroom hardware, you must considers how the metal finish affects the appearance of the room. The metal finish is important because the metal finish will determine whether the metal in the room will make the room feel warm or cool. While you may not notice the metal finish for your hardware immediately, the metal finish is the reason the room could feel incorrect.
In addition to being a functional component of your hardware, the metal finish will also affect how your hardware age and how often you will have to clean your hardware. Different metal finishes require different levels of maintenance. The chart allows you to compare the different metal finish for your hardware side by side.
Choosing Metal Finishes for Your Kitchen and Bathroom
By comparing metal finishes for your hardware, you can see how they will react to moisture. Since many people choose hardware for there kitchen and bathroom after you have installed the cabinets and the paint, you have to choose a metal finish that will compliment the colors that has already been chosen for your kitchen or bathroom. If you choose a metal finish that does not compliment the colors of your kitchen or bathroom, the metal finish will make your room incorrect in its color choice.
Brushed nickel metal finishes is common for bathroom and kitchen hardware. Brushed nickel metal finishes have a brushed texture that hides the fingerprints on the hardware better than a metal finish with a mirror polish. Additionally, brushed nickel metal finishes are more resistant to moisture than many metal finishes, which is a benefit for kitchens and bathrooms that contain water.
Brushed nickel metal finishes will give your hardware a silver appearance that dont feel cold to the touch. Matte black metal finishes are also common for both kitchen and bathrooms. Matte black metal finishes are beneficial for moddern or industrial bathrooms and kitchens because they creates a contrast with the cabinets and they pair well with both light and dark cabinetry.
Additionally, the less reflective nature of the matte black metal finish will make the metal hide water spot that could appear on other metals. Brass metal finishes come in two different types: lacquered and unlacquered. If you choose lacquered brass, the brass will retain its golden tone and require very little work to maintain its appearance.
If you choose unlacquered brass, the brass will develop a patina over time. If you choose unlacquered brass, you must accept that the brass will change its appearance over time. You must decide whether you want the brass to remain the same as the day that you installed the hardware or if you want it to change over time.
Metal finishes of copper will also develop a patina over time. The copper will also require maintenance if you want to preserve the original color of the copper. Copper metal finishes are common for kitchens and bathrooms with rustic or farmhouse theme because many people enjoy the way the copper changes color over time.
You must understand that the copper will not look the same in six month as it did on the day that you installed the hardware. It is also possible to choose more than one metal finish for your hardware. However, you should limit yourself to only using two metal finishes: one dominant metal finish for your hardware and one accent metal finish.
You should limit the use of the accent metal finish to only a few pieces of hardware in your kitchen or bathroom. Metals like brass are warm metals and will work well with warm tones in your room. Metals like chrome and nickel are cool metals and will work well with cool tones in your room.
If you do not take note of the undertones of the colors of your cabinetry and appliances, your choice of metals for your hardware will look accidental rather than intentional. The maintenance of the metal finishes for your hardware will also affect the way that you have to clean your metal finishes. Metal finishes that hide marks will require less frequent cleaning of your hardware than metals that show marks.
Metal finishes that will develop a patina over time require you to accept that the metal finish will change over time rather than working to prevent that change in the metal finish. If you choose a metal finish that complements the remainder of your room and if you choose a metal finish that is resistant to the environment in which you will use the hardware, the hardware will function as part of the background of your kitchen or bathroom.
