Most bathroom faucets are made from brass. Their parts are either cast in molds or machine-stamped. Of the two types, cast faucets are better.
During manufacture, faucets are given any of several finishes, such as chrome, brushed chrome, polished brass, pewter, stainless or gold plating, or powder-coated enamel in colors.
Powder coating is a baked-on finish that should last as long as the faucet. It can produce any number (or combination) of decorator colors such as white, black, red, gray, and almond.
A brass-finished faucet is first nickel-plated and then plated with brass that can be polished to a sheen. A high-gloss brass finish is easiest to maintain if it receives a factory-applied clear-coat.
Although a chrome faucet is also nickel-plated before the chrome plating is applied, it can be left uncoated because the chrome will not tarnish the way brass does.
You can also buy brass faucets that retain their brass shine and are almost impervious to scratching-—Delta's Brilliance brass finish is one example of this new technology.
As a rule, manufacturers tend to offer better finishes in their higher-priced models. On the other hand, some, such as Kohler, may employ the same processes and performance requirements throughout their entire line.
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