Chrome, brass or black: how finishes endure

Finishes are usually discussed in the language of taste — which tone suits which tile. The more important question is asked far less often: how will this surface look after years of daily water, soap and cleaning? The answer depends less on the colour and more on the technology beneath it.

Chrome is the benchmark for a reason. Electroplated chrome is hard, dense and chemically calm — which is why a chrome mixer forgives the most: harder water and more careless cleaning alike. Its weakness is optical, not technical: on a polished mirror surface, every droplet and every fingerprint shows.

PVD is the abbreviation worth knowing if you are choosing a finish beyond chrome. Physical Vapour Deposition is a process in which a thin, exceptionally dense layer is deposited onto the metal in a vacuum chamber. The result is a coating noticeably harder and more wear-resistant than classic electroplating — it is how the lasting brushed brasses, bronzes, graphites and black tones of premium manufacturers are made.

Not every black equals every other black, though. A matte black finish may be PVD, or it may be a powder or lacquer coating — and those are softer and more sensitive to abrasion. The difference does not show in a photograph; it shows in the third year. So with coloured finishes, ask how the coating of the specific model is executed — serious manufacturers state it without hesitation.

How matte black lives: it hides fingerprints better than polished chrome but shows limescale traces — a dried droplet leaves a light mark on a dark ground. The ritual is short and simple: a soft cloth after the day's last use. It is not more care — just different care.

Brushed surfaces — nickel, brass, graphite — are the quiet champions of practicality: the fine texture scatters light and hides both droplets and fingerprints better than polished and matte alike. In hard water, this is the finish that looks composed with the least effort.

Uncoated, 'living' brass is a separate story: it has no protective layer and patinates deliberately — darkening and gaining character over the years. That is a choice made with intent, not by accident. Most contemporary brass finishes, however, are PVD and hold their tone steady — if you expect brass to stay as it was on installation day, look specifically for PVD.

The universal rules of care apply to every finish: a soft cloth or sponge, a mild soap solution, a rinse and a dry. Off limits are abrasive pads and pastes, and acidic or chlorine-based cleaners. The hardest coating can be defeated by a wire sponge — none has ever been defeated by a microfibre cloth.

Limescale is removed in time, not all at once: built-up scale demands an aggression finishes do not enjoy. Regularly drying the visible surfaces is the cheapest insurance — and with brushed finishes even that is more habit than necessity.

Choose the tone by your tiles and light, and the endurance by the technology. Then repeat the finish in accessories from the same family, so the bathroom reads as one idea — which is exactly why we arrange both mixers and accessories by finish. In doubt, write to us — we will tell you honestly how each finish lives.