Updating Home Finishes and Fixtures

LESLIE: Alright. We’ve got Renee from North Carolina on the line who is looking to update some finishes. What can we do for you today?

RENEE: Our home was built in the 80s. All the finishes in our home are brass, down to our doorknobs, light fixtures [1] and hinges on our doors. I’d like to update some of those finishes. Obviously, I can’t change everything out. What is the best metal to go to when you want to update your home but you are not able to do everything?

LESLIE: Hmm. You’d actually be surprised to hear that brass is kind of making a comeback, so if you kind of hang in there …

TOM: But not at Renee’s house.

LESLIE: Right.

RENEE: But yeah.

LESLIE: I know you’re probably so tired of it but it’s actually seeing a resurgence; this sort of high-polished brass. Even an antique brass. But I think a lot of people are leaning towards antique bronzes or that oil-rubbed bronze, which has like a black-ish, sort of antique-y finish to it that looks kind of neutral, if you will. I feel like something that’s not so shiny is a little bit better to stand the test of time; more like a satin nickel or something in the silver family that doesn’t have too much of a sheen to it.

With faucets and fixtures, you want to make sure that whatever color that you go with has a coating on it that will allow that finish to really stand the test of time because sometimes faucets, whether they’re for a sink or a tub, they can be on the higher end price-wise. And you want to make sure that that finish isn’t going to rub off or wear over time or start to change its patina as it ages.

I don’t think you need to do everything at once but I will say that if you do tackle anything, tackle it as a suite; handle an entire bathroom at once. Don’t sort of leave a brass fixture and then add a satin-nickel faucet, because it’s going to seem kind of weird.

RENEE: OK. Great. Thank you so much.

TOM: You’re very welcome, Renee. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.