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Polished or brushed nickel??? (cross posted in Bathrooms)

7 years ago

We are in the beginning stages of a complete master bath remodel and have been looking at faucets and shower heads/controls. We have been looking at polished nickel, but I'm wondering now how much upkeep there is to keep the faucets looking nice and shiny. Anyone with the polished finish - how much work is it to keep everything looking good????

As I indicated in the title, I have cross posted this in Bathrooms, but this forum seems busier than that one. Thanks!!!

Featured Answer

PRO

Anglophilia

7 years ago

It really depends on the brand. I got my polished nickel from Signature Hardware (many on GW don't approve, but I'm still pleased after 5 years). I have had no problems with it at all - just wipe it down with a micro cloth from time to time. OTOH, a friend bought Rohl and she actually has to use metal polish from time to time as hers tarnishes badly (they say it's a "living" finish").

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Comments (9)

Yayagal
7 years ago
Because I like muted tones, I prefer brushed nickel. I also prefer clean lines so there are no raised areas that making cleaning a chore.
bac717 thanked Yayagal
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I think you're absolutely right, monicakm, it must depend on the manufacturer because, as I said before, there is no consensus. So, the faucet I am thinking about is a Toto (also getting a Toto pedestal sink and toilet). Anyone have Toto faucets in polished chrome or brushed nickel who wants to chime in? Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: Toto faucet
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Thanks for the Scotch Brite idea. Since my post here, my DH heated the hinges with a torch until they were red, then when they cooled down, they were gray matte color. I believe that the heat took off the protective coating as well as the nickel plating and just left the original steel hinge. Some of the hinges had blue or rainbow areas around the edges, so he heated them up again, thinking that maybe all the finish wasn't off in those areas. I haven't seen them after the second heating, but he says the rainbow look is blue now. That led to another problem though...evidently they had brass pins in the hinge, and three of them melted. So...he had to drill out the brass and is now looking for some tiny rods to weld back on the hinge (at least I think that's what he said :) So...in light of all this, do you thing I can still brush them with the green pad for the finish? Should I now spray them with the acrylic matte coating to keep them from rusting since the other coating has been heated away? Thanks so much for your help. Terry
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lkplatow
7 years ago
We did our faucets in chrome except for the cabinet latches, which weren't available in chrome so the cabinet guy substituted polished nickel. I think PN is gorgeous and I was tempted to go for it for all our fixtures but I am so glad I didn't...those stupid cabinet knobs tarnish if you so much as look at them the wrong way. I had to ask my husband to please be careful to only open them with clean dry hands (kind of annoying in a bathroom when you are applying makeup, lotion, etc.) I have heard there is a type of polish I can get to clean them up (brasstech is the name, I think) but I haven't ordered it yet. I need to do it though. If I had to do it over again, I would change the knob style before going with polished nickel -- I can see that they are going to be a serious maintenance headache over the years.
bac717 thanked lkplatow
User
7 years ago
I love the look of the PN, but went with brushed instead for the vanity area because we have really hard water. I'm glad we did because the BN is very very easy to keep clean.
bac717 thanked User
Renee Texas
7 years ago
with kids potentially spitting on it, I take brushed :p lol
bac717 thanked Renee Texas
mayflowers
7 years ago
I also have polished nickel vanity pulls and they do get a little tarnished. My chrome faucet is easy maintenance. I think whether you choose polished or brushed depends on the style of the bathroom, your colors, and the faucet style. I wanted a pretty, feminine guest bath so I went for the sparkle of chrome with my Delta Cassidy faucet. Shiny chrome seems to go best with white, gray, and blue colors.
bac717 thanked mayflowers
just_terrilynn
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I have shiny chrome Hansgrohe facets but wanted the best of both worlds cleaning wise. I picked a single lever faucet style and had it installed 5" out from the wall to my rectangular sink. I can get my whole hand around the whole thing for quick easy cleaning. No more squeezing around a tight back to clean and no more little nooks and crannies of handle areas for debris to settle.

My tub has the Hansgrohe Axor which is a fancy shiny contraption that requires a few more moments but it's so pretty and blingy I don't mind.
bac717 thanked just_terrilynn
bac717
Original Author
7 years ago
I think I do prefer the shiny finish to the brushed, but had no idea about the tarnishing that could occur with the polished nickel. I think I should be looking at polished chrome, after all it's been around forever, right?
bbnny
7 years ago
We have polished nickel fixtures by Kohler in our bathrooms and kitchen and don't have a problem with tarnish. We have an older home (1935) and went with polished nickel during our remodel since it was more appropriate to the house. Nickel actually pre-dates chrome for bathroom fixtures and chrome wasn't yet the standard when our home was built (although it was becoming so).

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