Shower heads can have a complete finish or contain finished accents on their collar or along the spray patterns where the water comes out. Finishes include brass, polished brass, brushed nickel, chrome, oil rubbed bronze, polished nickel, and stainless steel.
Chrome Shower Head
Far and away the most popular Finish on the market, Chrome is known for it's super reflective, metallic look. And no, it's not necessarily made of Chrome. Rather, it has a Chrome like look. It's really the one Finish that has proven to be timeless.
The majority of shower faucets have a 1/2-inch thread, and most shower hoses are standardized on them (on both sides). Much rarer is the 3/4-inch thread. (Here's a tip: Connectors make these connections suitable for 1/2-inch hoses).
While stainless steel is not fully stain-proof, it is much more resistant to staining, corrosion, and rust than chrome. Stainless steel can also be highly polished to provide a stylish and modern appearance.
Some brass faucets or plumbing systems have a high lead content. With prolonged humidity exposure, high levels of lead can leach into the water, making it toxic. Known for being acid-resistant, alkali-resistant and non-corrosive, stainless steel does not release harmful substances into the water.
Porous surfaces are also more prone to staining and attracting mold and mildew growth. Shower materials that are easier to clean are therefore those with smooth and nonporous surfaces such as glass, fiberglass, and acrylic.
Are there metals that won't tarnish? Actually, yes. Medical-grade titanium or recycled stainless steel don't have the same oxidation problem as other tarnishable metals so nothing happens to their surfaces when exposed to air and water.
Metals like brass, nickel and bronze are common since they stand up to moisture and rubbing quite well. Iron is less commonly used as it can oxidize and rust over time, leading many homeowners to replace it with stainless steel or cover it with a water-resistant coating.
Chrome is used on car parts, tools, and kitchen utensils, to name a few applications. Chrome is shinier than stainless steel, so it is often used to add aesthetic value to items.
Brushed nickel adds a low-key modern and sleek look to your kitchen since it's not as shiny as chrome. Plus, unlike chrome, brushed nickel withstands fingerprints, so you won't have to clean it often. If you're looking for an understated finish that will still make a statement, brushed nickel is the way to go.
It's important to choose a shower head design that's built with safety and long-term endurance in mind. The best material choices for shower heads are brass, stainless steel or ABS plastic.
Choosing the Right Pressure of Water
If your home doesn't have enough water pressure for the head you choose, water won't be able to flow with enough strength or consistency to be effective. Most shower heads need between 40 and 60 psi. Check your home's water pressure and purchase a showerhead that will work for it.
As matt surfaces have better traction than gloss, they're the obvious choice for flooring – and particularly in bathrooms and wet-rooms. We do not recommend using a gloss tile for flooring in a wet-room or bathroom.
A fixed shower head, aka wall mount shower head, is one of the most common types of shower heads and what most people have in their home. It's no-frills and is typically smaller in size, with diameters from 5 inches or less.
A jet shower head is more powerful and the pressure is directed towards a smaller surface area. A rain shower head takes a more natural approach and is designed to give you the sensation of showering in rainfall. Many have different pressure settings so you can determine how powerful you want your shower to be.
If you're going for a shiny, super-clean look, chrome is the clear winner. If you don't want that super shine, you may prefer brushed nickel, which is a softer-looking metal that complements stainless steel appliances.
In a test of durability, stainless steel will always come out on top. This is because stainless steel kitchen hardware is composed of solid metal, as opposed to chrome and brushed nickel plating.
While it fell out of style for some time, chrome eventually reemerged and popped up in all sorts of places. For the last five years, designers have watched chrome come and go in home decor. However, after so many years of stepping in and out of the spotlight, we can be fairly certain that chrome is here to stay.
Out of all of the shower materials on the market, acrylic is by far the easiest to clean!
When choosing your new shower tap, remember to match it to your bathtub faucet, if you have one, and other bathroom taps. Additionally, consider how the faucet fits in with the rest of your bathroom décor and the finish of your other bathroom fixtures.
Top tip – never, ever, EVER mix chrome and nickel. They are both silver tones, but with different undertones, and they will look awful together. Here we mixed polished nickel and brass. Both have warm undertones, making them a great match.
Wearing solid gold jewelry, white gold or yellow gold, in the shower will not harm the metal itself, however it can reduce the shine therefore it is not recommended. Showering with gold plated jewelry can eventually cause the gold layer to wear off completely, therefore you should definitely refrain from doing so.
Palladium
Palladium is highly inert, scratch-resistant, and it looks like sterling silver and platinum. This makes it an ideal jewelry metal since it won't tarnish. That means that it will shine like new, even after many years of continued wear.
Copper, Brass, and Bronze are another metal you may want to be cautious about showering in. Depending on the acidity and mineral content of your water, you could end up with discolored, stinky, and even pitted jewelry. It's best to suck it up, and take these off before playing in the rain.