TL;DR: Chrome is the safest all-round choice, brushed nickel and brushed brass are the easiest to keep looking clean, and polished nickel or antique gold suit period bathrooms best.
- Polished finishes show water marks and fingerprints; brushed finishes hide them.
- Clean with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Avoid bleach, abrasives and polishes, especially on nickel and gold.
- Use one finish for taps, shower, bath feet and accessories, and don't put chrome next to polished nickel.
- Imperial lead times: chrome roughly one week, other finishes roughly four weeks.
Bathroom tap finishes do more work than you might expect. The finish you choose sets the tone for the whole room, affects how often you reach for a cloth and decides what everything else, from bath feet to towel rails, needs to match.
The Imperial brassware we supply is cast in solid brass and hand finished in five options: Chrome, Polished Nickel, Brushed Nickel, Brushed Brass and Antique Gold. Here is how they compare in real life, not just in a brochure photo.
Bathroom tap finishes at a glance
| Finish | Look | Fingerprints and water marks | Works well with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Bright, mirror-like, slightly cool | Shows them, but easy to wipe clean | White sanitaryware, grey or blue schemes, almost anything |
| Polished Nickel | Mirror-like with a softer, warmer tone than chrome | Shows them, like any polished finish | Period bathrooms, warm whites, painted baths |
| Brushed Nickel | Soft satin sheen, warm grey | Hides them well | Busy family bathrooms, stone and marble-effect tiles |
| Brushed Brass | Warm, muted gold with a satin texture | Hides them well | Greens, deep blues, natural wood, patterned tiles |
| Antique Gold | Rich, aged gold for a heritage look | Fairly forgiving | Traditional and Art Deco schemes, dark paint colours |
The five finishes in more detail
Chrome
Chrome is the classic choice for good reason. It is bright, reflective and goes with almost any colour scheme. It shows splashes and fingerprints, but a quick wipe brings it straight back. If you are unsure, chrome is the safe option, and it is also the quickest to arrive (more on lead times below).
Polished Nickel
From a distance polished nickel looks similar to chrome, but side by side it has a warmer, softer tone. That gentler colour suits period homes and pairs well with cream or off-white sanitaryware and painted cast iron baths. Like any polished finish, it will show water marks if left to dry on.
Brushed Nickel
Brushed nickel has a fine satin texture instead of a mirror shine. That texture is its big practical advantage: fingerprints and dried water spots are much less obvious. It is a good choice for a family bathroom or a second shower that gets heavy use.
Brushed Brass
Brushed brass gives you warmth without shine. It looks particularly good against greens, deep blues and natural materials, and like brushed nickel it is forgiving of everyday marks.
Antique Gold
Antique gold is the most characterful of the five, with an aged, heritage feel. It suits traditional Victorian and Edwardian schemes and bolder Art Deco rooms. It works best when used with confidence across the room rather than on a single tap.
Fingerprints, water marks and limescale
The biggest everyday difference between finishes is how they show water. Polished finishes (chrome and polished nickel) reflect light, so every dried droplet and fingerprint shows. Brushed finishes scatter light and hide most of it.
How much this matters depends partly on your water. Hard water leaves more mineral residue behind as it dries, which shows up as white spots and, over time, limescale around spouts and aerators. Birmingham has long been supplied largely with water from the Elan Valley in Wales, but hardness varies from one area to another and can change if the supply source changes. The easiest way to know is to enter your postcode on your water supplier's website.
Whatever your water, the best habit is simple: give taps a quick wipe with a soft, dry cloth after use. It stops marks building up and saves heavier cleaning later.
How to clean and care for your taps
Imperial's care advice for its plated brassware (Chrome, Nickel and Antique Gold) is to clean with warm soapy water and dry with a soft cloth. It specifically warns against bleach, abrasive cleaners, polishes and detergents on plated surfaces, and especially on nickel and gold, because they can damage the finish.
In practice that means:
- Use a soft cloth or sponge, never a scourer.
- Rinse off any soap, toothpaste or cleaning product that splashes on to the tap.
- Dry the tap after cleaning to avoid water marks.
- Check with us or the manufacturer before using any limescale remover on a plated finish.
Matching finishes across the room
Taps are only part of the picture. Once you have chosen a finish, it helps to list everything else in the room that is metal:
- Shower valves, risers and heads, such as the Edwardian wall-mounted bath shower mixer.
- Bath feet. Imperial cast iron bath feet come in Chrome, Polished Nickel, Brushed Nickel, Brass plated, Gold, Cast iron or White enamelled.
- Basin stand legs and console frames.
- Accessories like towel rails, robe hooks and toilet roll holders from our bathroom accessories range.
- Radiators, towel warmers and valves from our heating collection.
- Cistern levers, flush pipes and exposed wastes on traditional WCs and roll top baths.
- Mirror frames and wall lights.
Matching everything in one finish gives a calm, finished look. Mixing can work too, but make it deliberate: for example, brushed brass taps with matching bath feet and accessories, set against a painted bath and white ceramics. What rarely works is two similar-but-different metals side by side, such as chrome taps next to a polished nickel shower, because the difference in tone looks like a mistake.
Buying taps, shower and fittings from one range, such as Imperial's Lichfield, Edwardian or Radcliffe collections, makes matching much easier. The Lichfield mono basin mixer is a good example of a design available across a full suite of bath, basin and shower fittings. Browse the full range in our taps and showers collection.
Lead times by finish
Imperial finishes are made to order. As a guide, chrome takes roughly one week and the other finishes roughly four weeks. It is worth factoring that into your project plan so your fitter is not waiting on a tap.
Frequently asked questions
Which bathroom tap finish is easiest to keep clean?
Brushed finishes, such as brushed nickel and brushed brass, hide fingerprints and water spots best. Chrome shows marks but is quick to wipe clean.
Is polished nickel the same as chrome?
No. Both are shiny, but polished nickel has a warmer, softer tone. Side by side the difference is clear, so avoid mixing the two in one room.
Can I mix tap finishes in one bathroom?
You can, as long as it looks intentional. Keep one main finish for taps, shower and accessories, and use a contrast sparingly, rather than mixing two similar metals.
Does hard water damage tap finishes?
Hard water leaves mineral marks and limescale if taps are left wet. Wiping taps dry and cleaning gently with warm soapy water, as Imperial recommends, keeps any finish looking its best.
See the finishes in person
Finishes look different under your own lighting, so it is well worth seeing them side by side before you decide. Visit our showroom at 32 Manor Park Rd, Birmingham B36 0DJ (Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm), or book a free one-to-one consultation and we will help you plan finishes across the whole room. If you are also choosing a bath, read our guide to cast iron vs acrylic baths.