Faucets, handles, knobs, cabinets, lights, and other hardware have various uses in different parts of your house, but they also add to the beauty of your home. One popular way to beautify your home is by selecting the right color of walls and hardware.
Another great way to make your home appearance top-notch is by selecting the right finish in your home hardware. For example, you can use luxurious materials such as gold and crystal. Some people suggest replacing gold with brass in new homes. Is that a good idea?
Which is trendier in home décor in 2022— brass or gold?
Brass and gold have their distinct advantages. For example, brass is cheaper, but gold is more luxurious. The purity, rarity, and other outstanding qualities allow gold to continue to be trendier than brass.
What are the fine qualities of gold? What other materials will trend in 2022? We answer these questions and more in the rest of this article.
Brass vs. Gold Hardware Compared
Gold is a pure, rare, and natural metal. Because of its quality, people use gold to make many products, including home hardware and decorations, computers, jewelry, etc. People also use gold as a form of currency and the worth of gold is ever increasing.
Brass is a yellow metal just like gold. Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper. This means that brass is not a naturally occurring metal; it is manufactured. While zinc and copper are in the highest amounts in brass, people can also mix in other elements in varying proportions.
As you can see, both gold and brass are yellow. This means that you can use one to replace the other. What should you consider before selecting either gold or brass for your home? Let us compare the advantages of both metals.
Advantages of Gold Hardware
Some advantages of gold are as follows:
1. Gold Is Best for Ornamental and Luxurious Hardware
If you want to define your wealth and prestige using your home decoration, you should use gold.
Gold is a good definition of luxury and quality. What’s more? You can boast the purity of your golden hardware. Surely, your home must be beautiful when you use golden hardware.
2. Gold Does Not Corrode
One fine quality of gold is that it does not corrode or get rusty like some other metals. This means that your gold will not rust no matter the levels of oxygen, moisture, and other factors that you expose it to. When you buy golden hardware, you know that you have bought quality.
3. Gold Has a Higher Melting Point
The melting point of gold is 1947.2°F (1064°C), while that of brass is somewhere between 1652 to 1724°F (900-940°C). This means that if there ever happens to be a fire incident around your hardware, the brass ones will lose their shape first. As you can see, gold is of higher quality.
4. Gold Remains Gold Forever
Considering that the quality of gold will always increase as it is used as a currency and also to create many products, you should consider buying gold. Gold also does not corrode, so you get what you buy forever.
5. Gold Is Trendier
Aside from its use as a currency, gold has always been fancy, and it will continue to be fancy for a very long time (probably forever).
Remember that gold is very expensive. Even if gold loses some of its value, it will not drop below the price of brass in 2022. This means that if you are considering what to buy between gold and brass in 2022 according to the trends, you should go for gold.
Advantages of Brass Hardware
Some advantages of brass are as follows:
1. Brass Hardware Is Cheaper
Brass can normally cost somewhere between $1.25 and $1.92 per pound. Gold, on the other hand, costs around $1,913 per ounce. Take note of the prices and the units attached to them (i.e. pound and ounce). Note that 16 ounces make a pound.
You simply cannot compare the cost of gold and brass. If you are thinking of cost and quantity, you should go for brass.
2. Brass Is Stronger and Harder
Even though brass is a soft metal just like gold, brass is stronger, harder, and more durable than gold. Gold scratches more easily than brass. Gold is also easier to bend. If durability is what you are after, you should go for brass hardware.
3. Brass Has Anti-Microbial Properties
Something not talked about often is how people spread germs. If there are germs on your hands, you can spread them when you use your hands to touch various surfaces.
Well, you do not need to worry too much when the surface that you touch is made of brass. Since copper has anti-microbial properties, brass also has those qualities.
Remember to always disinfect your home hardware and decorations, whether they have anti-microbial properties or not.
4. Brass Does Not Easily Conduct Electricity
The conductivity of gold is 315 watts per meter-kelvin. Brass has a conductivity of 109 watts per meter-kelvin. This means that when it comes to safety (in the context of electrical accidents), brass is safer than gold.
5. Brass Is Best for Everyday Uses
Considering the durability, strength, hardness, and anti-microbial properties of brass, it is best for everyday uses. Using brass as doorknobs, handles, your lighting system, and kitchen cabinets is definitely not a waste.
Considering the advantages of gold and brass, which should you use in your home this year?
Should You Buy Brass or Gold in 2022?
Ultimately, the choice remains yours. It is up to you to select either gold or brass in your hardware. Here are some factors that you should consider:
- Consider Your Budget: Gold is very expensive, and you just can’t compare its price with that of brass. If you have enough money to spend on golden hardware, you should go for gold. You, however, should consider cost and quality when you do not have enough money for gold and go for brass.
- Following the Trends: If you want to follow the trends and do not care about the cost, then you should go for gold. Gold will always be talked about and will continue to be luxurious. Follow the trends and buy some golden hardware.
- Consult the Experts: Interior designers and architects will always know what is trendy and cheap at the moment. If you are still having doubts about what to buy between gold and brass, you should ask an expert.
Other Trending Hardware Materials You Should Consider Using in 2022
Some other materials that you should consider are:
- Stainless Steel: Best for kitchen sinks and other water-related products. Stainless steel is a lifesaver as it is the final choice for homeowners that cannot decide the best material they should use for their hardware.
- Chrome: Since chrome reflects light, it is more suitable in the bathroom. Gives your bathroom a beautiful appearance and is also rust-resistant.
- Nickel: This material feels modern and looks very soft. It is a cool addition to your office hardware such as drawer handles.
- Matte Black: Matte black looks classic, but it is contemporary. Fingerprints do not show in this material, and its color fits with any color you paint your home with.
- Bronze: Bronze is very durable, and its brown color gives your home a matured look.
Which hardware material will you consider using in your next project?
Related Questions and Answers
1. Is Brass Just a Fake Gold?
Fake gold is simply any non-gold metal that sellers brand as gold. Brass, copper, iron, and other metals can be coated and branded with gold. Some can be sprayed with gold paint and then sold as gold.
This means that brass can be sold as fake gold, but it is not the only material that people sell as fake gold.
2. What Is the Difference Between Brass and Gold?
Sometimes, you may not distinguish between gold and brass because they look similar. Here are some ways to tell them apart:
- Color: Gold is shinier and more yellow than brass. Brass looks duller and can also come in some whiter variations (according to the proportion in the mixture of copper and zinc).
- Hardness: Brass is harder than gold. A material with hardness levels between gold and brass is ceramic. If you scratch ceramic with gold, you will see some pieces of gold on the ceramic. Brass, however, will remain unscratched.
- Density: Grab pieces of gold and brass of the same weight and size. Throw them up and catch them. Gold will feel heavier when you catch it because gold has a higher density than brass.
- Karat Count: Karat count is used to measure the ratio of pure gold in a piece of metal. Some metals tagged as gold are not 100% percent gold. 24-karat is the purest gold. You should check the product label to know if there is gold in it or not. Brass does not have a karat count.
- Cost: Brass is very cheap, so if a trader tags a product as gold, but it seems ridiculously cheap, it is probably fake gold.
Make sure that you buy what you really want to buy.
3. How Can You Differentiate Real from Fake Gold?
There is fake gold in the market. Use the tips below to distinguish between real and fake gold:
- Color: Even though gold is shiny, it does not blind your eyes by reflecting too many rays of light. If a product looks too shiny, it may not be real gold.
- Cross-Section: If you cut gold in half, you will not see any color difference between the surface and the inside. If the color is different, it could be another metal coated with gold.
- Magnet: Original or pure gold does not attract magnets. If you can use magnets to attract your hardware, there is another metal in the hardware.
- Acid Test: Gold does not usually react with a lot of elements. This is why it does not corrode quickly. If you test your gold with acid and you see reactions, it is not 100% pure gold.
- Corrosion: If your hardware shows some signs of rust after using it for some months or years, it is fake gold.
Don’t forget that not all golden hardware is made with 100% pure gold. Some products are not 24-karat, so they may act like other types of metals.
4. What Colors Match Gold or Brass?
Gold and brass are yellow, so if you are considering them for your interior decoration or hardware, you should use matching colors. Some matching colors for gold and brass in your home are:
- Black or White: Black and white combine well with every other color. It does not matter if your home is black or white; you can use golden or brass hardware. Yellow and white are heavenly, and yellow and black are rich and mysterious.
- Blue: People often combine blue and yellow to create magic. You should try it in your home too.
- Pink: If you are rich and you love pink, you can give your home a tone of luxury by adding your yellow-colored golden and brass hardware. A good combination.
- Red: While red is very beautiful when you use it alone, a gold or brass combination takes your red home to another dimension of beauty and splendor. Why not go for red?
- Green: Yellow makes a good hardware color for homes with green paint as yellow and green have mutual tones. To give your home a satisfactory look, go for green.
Which color will you use in your home to complement your gold or brass hardware?
5. Which Is Easier To Maintain: Brass or Gold?
Both metals are easy to maintain. Brass has anti-microbial properties, and gold does not tarnish quickly. With a warm and damp cloth, you can clean your hardware to maintain its spark.
Final Thoughts
Now you know what you should consider when selecting what type of hardware you should use in 2022. Gold is more expensive but gives your home a touch of luxury. Brass, however, is cheap and offers equal quality. The choice of what to buy remains yours to make.
Resources
- https://learnaboutgold.com/blog/brass-vs-gold/
- https://www.qualitydiamonds.co.uk/expert-advice/buying-guides/choosing-your-setting-metal/yellow-gold/
- https://www.aerodraperyandblind.com/what-goes-with-gold-classic-color-pairs/
- https://thekitchencompany.com/content/metal-hardware-for-kitchen
- https://www.airykitchens.com/blog/2018/6/3/hardware-finishes-whats-the-difference-between-unlacquered-brass-and-polished-brass