Though faucets appear to be made from different materials, most are made from brass and are given any of several finishes, from powder-coated enamel to gold plating. Parts may be fabricated-machine stamped or pressed- or cast in molds, the better of the two methods.
Because brass is composed of copper, zinc and lead, brass faucets can leach tiny amounts of lead into drinking water, creating a health risk. To minimize this risk, the Safe Drinking Water Act requires faucet manufacturers to use no more than 8 percent lead in brass faucets. Manufacturers are working on techniques to further reduce the amount of lead in their brass.
Typical finishes include polished and brushed chrome; high-gloss, satin and antique brass; gold-plating; and powder-coated decorator colors such as white, black, red, gray and almond. Many companies combine colors, giving the faucet body one color and accenting with another. Powder-coated colors are electrostatically applied, then baked on, providing a durable finish that should last as long as the faucet.
Brass faucets are actually nickel-plated before a layer of brass plating is applied. If you choose a high-gloss brass finish, a factory-applied clear-coat will save you from bi-monthly cleaning and polishing. Chrome faucets are also nickel-plated before chrome is applied, but because chrome doesn't tarnish like brass, it's left uncoated.
You can also buy brass faucets that retain their brass shine and are virtually unscratchable--Delta's Brilliance brass finish is a great example of this new technology.
Some companies offer better finishes in their higher-priced models. Some, such as Kohler, use the same special-finish processes and performance requirements for all of their faucets, from top-of-the-line units such as their premier Cirrus Gold-Stripe faucet to their competitively-priced Coralais.
