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Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Change chrome bathroom to oil rubbed bronze

RFQ: I have a house built in 1954 or so, and the handles stems and escutcheons are chrome plated. I want to get them stripped and re-plated in oil rubbed bronze.

Jon Duff
handyman - Wickliffe, Ohio
December 13, 2023
privately respond to this RFQ
Ed. note: As always, gentle readers: technical replies in public and commercial replies in private please (huh? why?)

⇩ Related postings, oldest first ⇩

RFQ: I am looking to find a plater/coater to put a oil rubbed bronze finish on some plumbing hardware (two single valve handle shower faucets and two towel bars for a shower door).
We are building a new home and the plumbing valves for our shower stalls have been installed, walls plastered and painted. Unfortunately we have changed our mind about going with chrome and now want oil rubbed bronze (a finish the valve manufacturer does not make).
Rather than putting large holes in the wall to replace the valve we are looking to refinish the trim/handle for the shower faucet.

Lisa F [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Rochester, Massachusetts
2003

Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)

RFQ: I have three (3) single-lever bathroom faucets in that I would like to change from a chrome finish to oil rubbed bronze. Is this a possibility?

Jolene D [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
consumer - Houston, Texas
2006

A. Hi, Jolene.

Unfortunately, economy of scale means it usually costs more to replate objects like this than to buy replacements. If they are special for any reason (replacements don't fit, heirlooms, sentimental value) there is no problem having them plated. But if they take a couple of hours each, and the plater has to charge what a plumber or mechanic charges, it can cost more than you are comfortable with. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

RFQ: Need a chrome faucet and handles refinished to oil rubbed bronze. Need ASAP

Matthew N [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
homeowner - Morrisville, Pennsylvania, USA
June 26, 2008

Q. We have a fairly new bathroom with chrome fixtures. I would like to change them all to an oil rubbed bronze look. We have 2 light fixtures, two sinks, a shower set and a tub set. Is there a way to do this? I have seen a lot of paints available, but think that this is not the way to go.

Travis Chillemi
hobbyist - Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
January 8, 2009

A. Hi, Travis. Anything can be done, but some things aren't very practical. Paint should hold up on the light fixtures, but is more questionable on the towel racks, and might prove almost worthless on the faucet sets.

Stripping and re-plating these items can certainly be done but it is a labor-intensive, one at a time, manual process at domestic labor rates, whereas new items are manufactured thousands at a time on automated machinery at Asian labor rates. So sending them to a plating shop for replating will usually exceed the cost of replacements and is generally restricted to heirlooms, exceptionally expensive items, or components with special dimensions that can't be obtained today.

I am certainly not trying to encourage you to landfill your stuff and import replacement crap from China! ... but neither would I want you to waste your time and the plating shops' time without understanding that just replating existing fixtures is likely to cost more than replacing them, maybe a lot more :-(

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 16, 2009

Q. I have just moved into a new house. The shower has the usual chrome around the door. I am switching the faucets to a burnished bronze. Is there any treatment that would let me turn the chrome to this color?
Thank you

Janice Smith
- saraland, Alabama
April 5, 2015

A. Hi Janice. Although you say "chrome", "usual" tells me you probably mean bright aluminum rather than actual chrome plating. I think a self-etching primer ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] followed by a burnished bronze decorative paint ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] probably has a good chance of sticking to clean, lightly sanded, aluminum.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 2015

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