Faucets, hardware, lighting fixtures, and other elements throughout your home often come in numerous finishes, including antique brass and champagne bronze. In recent years, bronze and brass finishes have become quite popular, stealing the spotlight from other options, such as nickel and stainless steel.
These finishes pair beautifully with warmer color palettes and traditional themes, where warm undertones shine. However, selecting the perfect faucet finish can be tricky, even if you narrow it down to brass or bronze. How so? Well, each finish has multiple options, so it’s not as simple as you might think.
This article compares antique brass and champagne bronze finishes to help you decide which option is best for your home, so continue reading to learn more!
Antique Brass
Brass faucets come in a few options, including satin brass, polished brass, and antique brass. Antique brass is a popular finish available on the market today. The color of antique brass is usually a rich, deep shade of brown with golden highlights and undertones, which gives it an aged appearance. This finish features a low-luster surface, although its highlights beautifully catch the light.
While antique brass is similar to natural brass, it won’t tarnish or patina, so its appearance remains consistent over time. Antique brass works well in colonial, vintage, and Victorian-styled rooms, although it can work in nearly any setting. How you decide to style antique brass is entirely up to you.
Pros And Cons
Like any product or faucet finish, antique brass faucets have a few unique pros and cons. As you debate between finish options, it doesn’t hurt to consider the benefits and drawbacks of each option. Here are a few notable pros of antique brass finishes:
- Durable
- Long-lasting
- Consistent, unchanging appearance
- Low luster finish
- Easy to clean
- Hides grime and fingerprints better
On the flip side, here are a few potential drawbacks to consider:
- Requires regular maintenance
- May be damaged by improper cleaners
- Might tarnish
How To Maintain Antique Brass
Antique brass finishes require careful cleaning and maintenance, whether naturally made or chemically accelerated, to achieve the final result. With these faucets, it’s important to avoid harsh or abrasive chemicals, as they can damage the lacquer, leading to more damage down the road.
So, stick with mild cleaning solutions. For routine cleaning purposes, use diluted dish detergent. Fill a bucket with warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap to create a bubbly mixture. Dip a soft sponge in the soapy water and gently wipe the faucet’s surface to remove caked-on dirt and grime.
Rinse the sponge or rag with clean water, then wipe away the soapy residue. Dry the faucet with a soft cloth.
For tarnishing or challenging stains, use an equal mixture of salt, vinegar, and flour to create a thick paste. Apply the paste to the brass, then let it sit for an hour to remove tarnished spots. Wash the faucet with a mild soap and water solution, then buff the surface dry with a soft cloth.
Alternatively, you can also use tomato paste or baking soda and lemon to tackle tarnished areas or troublesome stains. Leave tomato paste on the surface of the faucet for about an hour, then clean it with mild dish soap and water.
Use two teaspoons of baking soda and three tablespoons of lemon juice to create a slurry, then apply it to the faucet with a soft cloth. Let it sit for 30 minutes for heavy tarnish and less for mild tarnish. Clean the faucet with mild dish soap and water, then dry it with a soft cloth.
Champagne Bronze
Champagne bronze effortlessly combines the rich golden brown hues of bronze with the classic lighter brass-like color. The result? A beautiful finish featuring a goldish tone with pinkish and brown undertones. While it’s strikingly similar to gold, the undertones create a different hue altogether.
The finish is warm and reflective, offering the perfect touch to any space, whether it’s a kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere else in your home. Although the color pairs wonderfully with modern spaces, it also blends seamlessly with traditional styles.
Delta offers most of the champagne faucets on the market today, with numerous kitchen and bathroom fixtures available from its lineup.
Pros And Cons
Champagne bronze is a relatively new finish option on the scene, and like every other option, it has a few pros and cons. As you consider this option, here are a few upsides to keep in mind:
- Durable
- Blends seamlessly with various themes
- Pairs well with warm color palettes
- Elegant
- Easy to clean
- Offers better spot resistance
On the other hand, a few potential drawbacks to consider may include:
- Can be pricey
- May not blend with cool metal finishes or color palettes
- Requires regular maintenance
How To Maintain Champagne Bronze
Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential for keeping your faucet in tip-top shape. Use diluted vinegar to remove hard water and mineral deposits on and around the faucet. You can mix white vinegar and water together in a spray bottle (half vinegar, half water) and keep that on hand for basic cleaning.
Remember to wipe down the faucet with a soft cloth after cleaning to remove residue. If you want to use something other than vinegar to clean the faucet, stick with mild cleaners. For example, dilute mild dish detergent in warm water to create a sudsy mixture, then use a soft sponge to wipe the faucet clean.
Rinse away the residue with clean water, then dry the faucet with a soft cloth.
Which One Is Better?
Every faucet finish has advantages and disadvantages, so the final decision between the two options is ultimately up to you. If you love the looks of both finishes and can’t decide between the two, add both to your home. These finishes, while quite different, appear similar in nature, so they blend well together.
Or, if you prefer the looks of one over the other, go with that option. Both finishes offer a beautiful touch to any space, so you can’t go wrong with either.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do Champagne Bronze And Antique Brass Match?
Although similar, champagne bronze and antique brass have different notes. That said, while they aren’t identical, they complement each other well. If you enjoy a bit of variation throughout your home, you could mix and match faucet finishes.
Remember that some finishes might not pair well, such as stainless steel (which goes well with cooler palettes) and champagne bronze (which pairs well with warmer palettes). Ultimately, it’s your home – if you want to mix and match fixture finishes, that is entirely up to you.
Can You Tell The Difference Between Champagne Bronze And Antique Brass?
While the differences between champagne bronze and antique brass might be obvious to some folks, they might not be as apparent to others. If you have both metals scattered throughout your home in light fixtures, faucets, and hardware (cabinet pulls, doorknobs, etc.), it might be tricky to tell the difference, especially if the lighting varies in your home,
To an inexperienced (or unobservant) eye, the metals might look the same. But upon closer consideration, antique brass has yellowish notes among the deep brown notes, whereas champagne bronze is somewhat lighter with golden notes.
Does Champagne Bronze Look Like Brass?
Although champagne bronze somewhat resembles brass, it isn’t quite identical. Champagne bronze has a deeper golden hue, whereas bronze appears more yellowed or orangeish. In addition, champagne bronze can be more durable than brass, as it isn’t nearly as susceptible to tarnishing.