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Polished Brass Faucets - Can they be Re-plated?

I recently bought an old house with elegant polished brass faucets in the bathroom. Unfortunately, there is about 1/2 inch of discoloration and corrosion on the sink and tub faucets where the water comes out - it looks like the lacquer finish wore away there. Can these faucets be refinished/re-plated? Is it cost-effective? Similar new fixtures are very expensive!

Daniel McParland
Homeowner - Columbus, Ohio
2006

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Sure... they CAN be replated. But that doesn't say much. If you search through the archives here on finishing.com you'll find countless letters on the subject, all breaking down to the fact that having a single piece replated can often cost more than buying a new one - economies of scale dictate that the manufacturer can get every step performed so much cheaper than the end user that it often isn't practical, on items costing less than $100 or so, to redo any given step.

That being said; first thing I would try would be to use the search engine to find some letters talking about brass polishing - there is some good advice to follow about making sure your actually dealing with brass and not a brass plate. Then I'd get some lacquer remover and some polish and try cleaning them up myself before going elsewhere. The next step would be to find a job shop in your area that is willing to take them and go get them replated.

Good luck!

Jim Gorsich
Compton, California, USA
2006

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Brass plated faucets may be pretty but they seldom hold up to the environment they are in. Some of the new powder coated stuff holds up pretty well. However chrome will always hold up better. If these are very old and ornate you may want to consider chrome rather than just getting rid of them for something new. Also sometimes that new stuff just doesn't fit right and may cost you more money and grief just trying to get them to work.
It's just a thought, Good luck, Frank

Frank DeGuire
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA
2006