Chrome or nickel plating in a bathroom?

[JoceAndChris]

We're ordering the bathroom from Imperial and aren't sure whether to go for chrome or nickel plating in valves, taps, toilet brackets etc. The nickel adds an extra £500 to the overall cost.

Is it worth it? Anyone had any experience of the nickel fittings? Do they look better for longer?

 

[mims&pip]

Hi Joce

Pip has experience in such matters and says whilst Nickel looks good if that's what you want, it can oxidise over time, dependent on how hard your water is and how you look after it :wink:

Mims x

 

[JoceAndChris]

Eek. Not sure I want to be polishing all the nickel every week! I already created a ton of work for myself here! :lol:

The water is a funny mix of hard and soft depending on if we're using well or rain. It's mainly rain unless that runs out in which case we switch the entire system over to well, which is extremely hard water.

 

[paulc]

Chrome is usually plated over the top of nickel (which in turn is plated over a layer of copper plating) - From that perspective, I don't see how just nickel plating would add £500 to the cost.

For that sort of money, you might want to consider gold plating.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Not sure about the process of making it and how laborious it is for them but I do know that the gold plate is way way more! And not really my taste, perhaps a bit Saudi princess?

The nickel supposedly apes the soft gleam of silver whereas chrome is chrome!

Nickel

Chrome

Tempted by nickel!

 

[MatthewC]

Hi Joce

Pip has experience in such matters and says whilst Nickel looks good if that's what you want, it can oxidise over time, dependent on how hard your water is and how you look after it :wink:

Mims x

Really? I am quite surprised by that. A long time ago I was in charge of an electro-plating shop in the RAF, and I actually nickel plated some bits of a motorbike instead of chrome - it looked great but I don't have it any more so I can't say if there has been any oxidation. However, a quick search of the internet only suggests that nickel oxidises at very high temperatures, although I also found one reference to it being oxidised by iodine (present in tap water still?)

Mind you, I was never very good at chemistry (scraped a pass at O level) so I hope there is someone out there who can explain the possible reactions between nickel and hard water at temperatures below 100 deg C.

 

[Flyfisher]

Perhaps it all depends on the grade of the nickel and the thickness of the plating? As ever, almost everything is available in varying quality

 

[88v8]

Nickel was the go-to.
Then chrome came along. More durable more glitzy needs no polishing.
But nickel is more Period.

Ivor

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think it looks more period too.

 

[philpjuk100]

The best plating is "triple",copper,nickel then chrome,the motor trade used to call this "bathroom quality" chrome is porous on it`s own.Early japanese motorcycles had chrome on bare metal which peeled off!phil.

 

[Zebra]

It's one of those impossible decisions, isn't it. It may be that you think "oh hang it," buy the chrome, fit it, and never think about it again, and then in three years time, it'll occur to you that you almost forgot you were going to choose nickel. I can think of a few things here where I was going to go to town more (antique cupboard handles, antique bedroom light fitting), gave up, went for the cheap option, and didn't ever think about it again.
However, the other possible outcome if you choose the cheap option, is that every time you turn the tap, you think "Do you know, nickel would have looked much better, wouldn't it?"
I don't know how one knows how one will feel in the future, but I'm sure you'll make the choice that's right for you.

 

[plasticpigeon]

I have a 1950s toilet cistern, and it had a nickel plated flush pipe and handle. The flush pipe was beginning to look a bit pitted where it connected to the pan, but the handle was pretty perfect. I got the pipe chromed, but I much prefer the handle. I think after 60 years for the handle to be pristine and the flush pipe to be a bit pitted proves that nickel can survive a decent amount of time.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I reckon the nickel is better and probably worth the extra.

Zebra - you're right though - we tend to go with our decisions and not fuss over the one we didn't do, usually! I usually think if things are that annoying they can be revisited in future, like our decision to leave the hideous, huge, flat white rads of the previous owner in place! It perhaps wasn't the right decision but it speeded the job up and we can go back to that!

Likewise if you want to treat yourself to some fancy fittings in future there's nothing to stop you!

Taps are a bit different though! I expect when they're wrecked the whole bathroom is wrecked and I hope that's a long way off!

The other issue I have with the metal finish business is how matching does it need to be? I don't think I can get a nickel radiator, it's probably going to be one of those period style heated towel rails in chrome. I wonder if it will matter having nickel taps and shower and a chrome radiator? What about the light fittings? Can they be antique brass? :?

Not had this issue elsewhere in the house, just gone for Jim Lawrence antique brass everywhere and love it and definitely think worth the effort.

But is it going to be horribly cluttered looking to have Jim
Lawrence antique brass light fittings, light pull, sash locks, then a chrome radiator and nickel taps?

Urrggh. Confusing.

 

[noj]

Brass and nickel would go well together - not sure about mixing chrome and nickel though...

You can get 'period' nickel towel radiators for a price (or white enamel could be an alternative)

http://www.rutland-radiators.co.uk/store/Traditional-style-towel-rails

 

[JoceAndChris]

Noj that's so very helpful, thank you. Didn't know the nickel rads existed. Thank you for the feedback on mixing chrome with antique brass, I'm inclined to agree.
Perhaps I can find a nickel light and then it will be all a shiny nickel unclashing bathing heaven :lol:

 

[88v8]

If you buy a period chrome light fitting on eBay, it can be stripped by a plater, and redone in copper+nickel. Likewise brass can be plated.

Some people never notice, bur if one is the sort of person that does notice things, it will niggle.

The thing that annoys me with taps is where they fit in the square holes in the basin, often the taps don't have squares anymore so they just depend on the fittings being done up tight and then they move when turned off. Often notice this in B&B and hotel bathrooms.
This problem existed even in 1991 when I did our bathroom, I had to add my own squares to the tap stems.
Perhaps that should be a Grump.

Ivor

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Joce, go for the very best you can afford--the taps on my basin are solid brass---(refer to the picture I MSM.d you). Those taps are Armitage and Shanks & I bought them in 2003 for Foxgloves in BM. The house was sold twice and I found that basin and taps from Foxgloves, complete at Norfolk Reclaim in 2013 so I bought it back for £40.00 , kept it and had it installed here. Those taps are fantastic, despite the really hard water here in Creake. Stupidly , here I short changed the shower fitting and hand rail , they are gold but nothing like the posh one I had at Foxgloves when money was no object.I shall be looking to replace the shower next year for something decent. With regard to your light fittings you can now get chandeliers that are partp cleared for bathrooms, and, somewhere in one of my magazines I saw a firm specialising in bathroom light fittings.

Whatever you choose, Nickle, Chrome, Brass or Gold--go for the best, and let the lighting follow on. In hard water area anything will present you with a cleaning problem, but at least with brass you get a lovely verdigris!!!!!!

 

[MatthewC]

If you buy a period chrome light fitting on eBay, it can be stripped by a plater, and redone in copper+nickel.

But that's a lot of work...!

The best plating is "triple",copper,nickel then chrome,the motor trade used to call this "bathroom quality" chrome is porous on its own. Early japanese motorcycles had chrome on bare metal which peeled off!phil.

That was why I had to re-plate the bits on my motorcycle (page 1) and, as I recall, that's also the way I did it (under supervision). In fact, I think it's the lack of a nickel coat that causes the chrome to flake off (as well as being too thin).

 

[JoceAndChris]

Interesting posts - many thanks!


Joss I think that's good advice! How amazing you were reunited with your taps, how very satisfying!

We just bought this but in nickel! 8)

https://www.castironbath.co.uk/imperial-victorian-rigid-riser-with-5-inch-flowmaster-shower-head-victorian-shower-set-and-handset.html?gclid=CL2lnoKZxNACFXAo0wod0mEOxQ

And matching taps for bath and basin and bidet. So excited now! I've made do with the previous owner's 1980s bathroom since we moved in in 2008! Heartily sick of it now and have never felt it was really mine!

I've gone for a good quality plastic bath by Imperial at a reasonable price of £300. I hope I won't regret that. We were limited - by space, predominantly, ( having to site the shower over the bath) and then by the fact i don't like the chilliness of cast iron. Chris is going to replicate the wood panels for tha bath panel.

We've also gone for the Imperial Radcliffe bidet which is going to be interesting! At least I can soak my poor hens' feet in it if nothing else!