Shower Head Finishes
Most of the shower heads we sell are made from brass, plastic or a combination of both. Some manufacturers also make shower heads from zinc, copper and stainless steel. Many can be ordered in a variety of finishes, some of which we will try to describe below.
The image above (click to enlarge) shows our most common finishes available on the NEATitems.com website.
Click on the color name below to see a sample of that finish. A new window will pop-up. Close window to return to this page.
Black Nickel (PVD) - see titanium gold below. The same PVD process can be used to make several different colors.
Brushed Nickel - one of the most beautiful and most expensive finishes available. The surface of the item is chrome plated and then hand brushed to give it a slight matte finish. The light brush marks (imagine taking a wire brush to a chrome surface) are clearly visible. It is very durable but replacement parts and matching components can be hard to find.
Chrome Plated - this is the most common finish and one of the most durable. It is simply a shiny chrome plating over brass or plastic.
Gold Plating - usually used on plastic shower heads and trim. Generally more durable than polished brass but not nearly as hard as titanium gold. Can be used with polished brass or titanium gold finishes.
Painted (Powder Coated) - not commonly used on shower heads but we do stock some. All of our 'painted' shower heads are powder coated for added durability. Powder coating is an advanced process of electrostatically applying powder consisting of finely ground resin and pigment to any the brass surface of a shower head. Powder coating is far more chip and scratch resistant than standard painting.
Polished Brass - the most common finish for 'gold' shower heads and fixtures. The bare metal of the shower head, valve, etc. is buffed to a high shine. The bare brass will tarnish in a short time if left unprotected so most items are coated with a protective coating (usually lacquer) to protect the brass. When the lacquer breaks down with abrasion or wear, the brass will begin to corrode and tarnish. The brass can be re-buffed and coated again with lacquer with good results as long as the base metal has not been allowed to corrode too long. Can be used with gold or titanium gold finishes.
Titanium Gold (PVD) - the hardest of all the finishes. Why Titanium Gold (PVD - Physical Vapor Deposition) instead of polished brass? Titanium gold is a durable, cost-effective alternative to traditional polished brass shower heads and fixtures. The process is 100% environmentally friendly and produces finishes with exceptional physical properties that will not tarnish or corrode. The finished surface is unaffected by the elements and the wear and tear of daily use, including non-abrasive household cleaners and chemicals. The dry vacuum process coats the chrome plated brass surface with ultra hard zirconium and titanium nitrides producing a lustrous bright gold finish that matches well with traditional polished brass and gold plated fixtures.
Satin (Nickel Satin) - there are several types of satin finish. There are also manufacturers that sell satin copper, satin brass, satin bronze, etc. Basically, a satin finish is just a flat finish instead of a shiny finish such as chrome. The plastic satin finishes are made by coloring the plastic to get the satin finish. The brass satin finishes are an epoxy coating put onto the brass to give it the satin look. Both are reasonably durable finishes. (Click here to compare Satin finish to Brushed Nickel.)
White - usually plastic unless it is one our brass powder coated shower heads (see painted above.)
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