Cabinet Hardware – What Finishes Are Available?
Many cabinet hardware styles and finishes are available. Each variety is designed to accompany popular styles while maintaining a beautiful appearance over time. Some of the most popular finishes today will be discussed here.
Some finishes are more commonly used in cabinet hardware today than others. Satin or brushed nickel is a finish known by two names. In modern kitchens, it is a popular finish because it mimics steel. Since modern is one of the most common styles at the moment, this finish is used quite often. While not much different from stainless steel, it offers more variety in styles because the finish can be achieved on a variety of metals. In fact, the most common metals that receive this finish are brass and zinc. Oil rubbed bronze is another finish that is primarily implemented on brass or zinc. This finish is used to apply an Old World look or something more modern and contemporary. Some of the variations of oil rubbed bronze appear to have an amber or copper hue. Others appear dark brown or almost black.
Polished finishes are used to create a different feel. Polished brass was once, about a decade ago, one of the most popular finishes. Zinc Polished Brass is Cabinet Hardware and Door Hinges. Polished chrome is used to create an Art Deco look. This finish has a silver polished mirror finish that lasts a long time because it hardly ever tarnishes. With this finish, like all mirror polished finishes, fingerprints will show easily. However, cleaning them is simple and easily returns the metal to a new look.
Antique finishes give cabinet hardware a traditional look. Antique brass is quite a process. The hardware is coated black and then brushed, creating the appearance of aged brass. Without lacquer, the product would fog up, so after brushing it, a lacquer is applied and then the product is baked. Antique copper is another popular finish. Finishes like antique copper make it possible for contemporary designs to be completed with a traditional finish. It is another finish that is commonly applied to brass or zinc. To create this look, the cabinet hardware is dipped in a flash of copper, silver plated in black, and brushed to create the antique look. While many other styles are popular and available in cabinet hardware today, these options provide a good starting point to look at.