Polished Nickel vs Polished Chrome

One of the most common questions we get concerning our vast array of color finishes is the difference between polished chrome and polished nickel. To an untrained eye, these two color finishes can be difficult to discern. We hope that the following pointer tips below will assist you in deciding with color finish is a better fit for you.

How to Tell the Difference Between Polished Nickel and Polished Chrome

Because both finishes have polished, reflective surfaces, the way they appear in photos is dependent on the lighting of the environment in which the photo was taken. As such, looking at pictures may not be a reliable way to tell what color the faucet you’re looking at is. However, telling them apart gets easier if you know what to look for.

 

Try looking into the brightest point on the faucet and determine whether it is true silver or more yellow-silver. In general, polished nickel has a warmer, yellow-tone reflection while polished chrome has a silver reflection.

 

Polished Nickel

If you have an interior color palate that leans more towards warm-toned colors, polished nickel is a good choice that will compliment that palate. That said, polished nickel can also be statement because polished nickel faucets can look more expensive than polished chrome faucet. It gives a space a delicately elegant, feminine feeling. Polished nickel is also a great choice for traditional styling.

Polished Chrome

Chrome is a popular faucet choice because it will go with almost any design color palette and any design style. It is a flexible color finish that is timeless and can grow with the changing design trends. Although it can go with a wide variety of styles, chrome is particularly great for modern design styles. Additionally, polished chrome is generally a better match for cool-toned schemes than polished nickel is.

Polished Brass vs Polished Nickel

We say that nickel is yellow in comparison to chrome, but how is nickel different from gold, otherwise known as brass? For comparison’s sake, here’s how nickel and chrome compare to a true gold faucet:

We hoped these pointer tips helped you better understand the differences between our color finishes. Should you ever need more assistance, feel free to contact us!