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Many of you come to see us to explore our various materials, discover our products, and specifically ask for brass for the hardware accessories you plan to choose. Our wide variety of materials—and especially brass—allows us to offer you a broad range of products.
Brass is one of the ideal materials for accessories. Indeed, its technical properties make it suitable for a wide variety of shapes and uses, and it possesses a sense of elegance that is often sought after in interior design.
Brasshas a distinctive yellow color that makes it look like gold. When it oxidizes upon contact with moisture,brass takes ona green color called “verdigris.” Other materials besides brass also oxidize, but we’ll discuss that later.
What is brass made of?
To learn more about metals in general, feel free to check out our article on metals.
As a reminder, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc (5 to 45 percent). It is a yellow metal that can appear golden depending on the alloy’s composition and how it is polished. This material is very easy to machine and is suitable for producing small, precise parts through turning.
Brass is also remarkably well-suited to surface treatments and coatings (varnish, nickel plating, chrome plating, etc.). This material is therefore not only widely used but also highly valued for hardware accessories.
What are the different finishes available for brass?
Together, we’ll focus on the finishes that can be achieved with raw brass—in other words, without any surface treatments or coatings that would cause it to lose its so-called “gold” color. We’ll focus solely on these finishes. We’ll be sure to cover the other finishes in a future blog post.
In fact, you often ask us for products with finishes such as natural brass, varnished, or brushed gold… all of these finishes are achieved using brass in particular.
We'll focus on the most common and/or most requested ones:
Natural brass (sometimes called “gold”):
This is brass that has been only lightly polished and has no protective finish applied. The object will develop a patina over time and with use. It is quite simply a living material that will oxidize and age depending on how you use it, giving it an unmatched patina.
When you receive your products, they will be shiny because time hasn't had a chance to take its toll yet, but little by little, over the weeks and with use, a patina will gradually and delicately develop.
Polished brass (sometimes called “polished gold”):
Unlike natural brass, polished brass has been polished by the manufacturer and will therefore have a shiny, mirror-like finish. However, it has the same characteristics as natural brass, and no protective varnish is applied.
It will therefore develop the same characteristics over time—patina, oxidation, etc.—which will also give it its unique charm.
Polished, lacquered brass (sometimes called “Shiny Gold”):
It is simply polished brass that has been coated with a protective varnish. Therefore, it will not develop a patina over time and will retain its shiny, mirror-like appearance.
Brushed brass (sometimes called “brushed gold”):
Brass can also have a matte finish, which is very popular right now. This way, you’ll have a product with that highly sought-after yellow/gold color as well as that matte finish.
There are many other designations depending on the work performed on the metal, and each manufacturer has its own finishing techniques that result in a unique finish, unlike any other product that may bear the same designation.
We therefore recommend that you take the time to choose a product line with the same finish from the same manufacturer to ensure a perfect match.
Our teams are here to share their expertise with you regarding each finish you select. We recommend that you take the time to choose the material you want and then the finish you’re looking for to ensure that the result meets your expectations.
How do you care for your brass products?
There’s only one way to avoid disappointment: use a soft cloth and avoid harsh chemicals, which could permanently damage or ruin the finish you’ve chosen. If you have any questions, please contact us—we’ll be happy to offer advice to help your decorative items stand the test of time.
However, if you’re dealing with unsightly stains or want to restore the original finish, there are products specifically designed for brass care. At La Quincaillerie, we often recommend Mirror; others recommend Majoline cream. Whichever product you choose, select it carefully and use it gently. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us.