Unlacquered Brass is polished, unfinished raw brass that darkens and develops patina as it ages. Today, we’re guiding you through the ins and outs of choosing unlacquered brass hardware for your home.
Keep reading to learn more about it along with the knobs, pulls, hinges and cabinet latches.
Unlacquered brass hardware. It’s classic, timeless, and yet much more difficult to find than I had ever dreamed when we were remodeling our kitchen.
However, some things are worth searching for. Raw brass has my heart and was worth every minute of the search. Is it normal to spend countless hours searching for just the right hinge?
Unlacquered Brass Hardware
We’ve renovated many homes during the last 20 years, and I am always thrilled to pass along the knowledge we’ve gained along the way. See the complete Before and After tour of our St. Louis home here, and our modern Table Rock Lake Cottage as well.
In fact, we recently updated the lake kitchen to include unlacquered brass hardware (shown below), and we’ll share the sources for these as well!
Today, I’m answering frequently asked questions and sharing our unlacquered brass hardware sources. I hope this guide answers all your questions and makes your own search a little easier!
What is Unlacquered Brass?
Tips and Notes
- You can mix stainless steel appliances and brass. Mixed metals create interest!
- Worried about placement? Don’t skip our Cabinet Knob Placement guide!
- If you don’t love the look of aging and darkened spots, don’t choose unlacquered brass. Choose polished brass for a consistently brighter finish that is sealed for protection. To maintain it’s shine unlacquered brass needs to be frequently polished.
- Unlacquered brass will age gracefully over time. Much like our Danby Marble countertops, imperfections add a certain patina that are unmatched in a “new” finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
This metal will not corrode, but oxidation will occur: this is the tarnishing and darkening of the metal over time. However, it will not corrode and it will not rust.
It becomes tarnished when exposed to air, so naturally, it will age over time. You might be surprised at how quickly it will patina!
Other factors contribute as well – The oils of your hands, minerals in water and other factors contribute. Weathered brass or antique brass attempt to simulate natural patina of unlacquered brass, but they still have a protective coating.
To keep it shiny, clean regularly. Using a soft cloth and dish soap, wipe the surface gently. You can also polish it with brass polish and a soft cloth, then rinse with water and dry.
Did you know?
The patina of your unlacquered brass can depend on your home’s location and surroundings. The brass will tarnish green if you are located near an ocean, where humidity is higher and the air is salty.
Brown or gray patina can often be indicative of a more urban environment. The water in your home (hard vs soft) can also change the patina over time.
How to Test if Brass is Lacquered
Dip in acetone or nail polish for two minutes. If clear film starts to separate, it is lacquered brass.
De-Lacquering Brass
- Submerge brass pieces in acetone or stripper to expose raw brass.
- Once it has become gummy, rinse.
- Repeat as needed.
Tips for Cleaning + Polishing Unlacquered Brass
- Brass Polish – To polish, just apply your favorite cleaner to surface. Using a damp rag, apply pressure to wipe clean. Rinse thoroughly using a clean cloth.
- Soap + Water – Clean for sanitation purposes, of course. We just use soap and water for that, but allow them to patina over time.
- Note – Using abrasive cleaners on this finish is never a good idea. And even though using traditional brass cleaners can work beautifully, they can damage surrounding marble and stone, so use with caution.
Our Hardware 6+ Years Later
I have received several questions about how our hardware has aged and I’m happy to say, beautifully!
Well, of course that is in the eye of the beholder. I know it’s not for everyone, which is perfectly fine by me!
The below photos are a year and a half worth of aging, and again, in the current state, which is over six years after installation.
You can see where little hands reach and I think it’s oh so sweet!
Our Unlacquered Brass Hardware Sources
Unlacquered Brass Knobs
Our Knobs
We selected 1-1/4″ unlacquered brass knobs which is often smaller than what you see in kitchens, but I like the understated elegance they add to the kitchen without detracting from other features.
Unlacquered Brass Cabinet Latches
We have a complete guide to Cabinet Latches here – don’t miss it!
Our Cabinet Latch
I adore the vintage charm that these add to our kitchen.
Unlacquered Brass Drawer Pulls
While these are listed as drawer pulls, they’ve held up beautifully for us on our refrigerator. Click through to our guide to Appliance Pulls to see how we did it!
Our 18″ Drawer Pull
I love that these feel a touch more delicate than many appliance pulls on the market.
Unlacquered Brass Cup Pulls
Call me boring, but I love these forever and ever. They’ll never go out of style!
Our Cup Pulls
They feel even more beautiful today than when we installed them, 5+ years ago. We used the 4″ size throughout our kitchen.
Brass Cabinet Hinges
Our hinges are lacquered – at the time of our renovation, unlacquered hinges were impossible to find. We love the subtle glimmer of these next to our unlacquered pieces and have been so happy with the way they’ve held up.
Our Hinges
While hingeless cabinetry is popular right now, I love the look of a little added jewelry on our cabinets.
Lake Cottage Unlacquered Brass Hardware
Did you know that we updated our modern lake cottage kitchen with unlacquered brass, too? Read more about our Ilve Range and our Paneled Dishwasher here.
Drawer Pulls
We love the clean, modern lines of these mission style pulls
Cup Pulls
Sturdy and showing a beautiful patina, these cup pulls are a gorgeous match to our range!
I love it! What paint color is on your cabinets? I am looking to do a similar color.
Hi Julie!! We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and I absolutely LOVE yours! We’re going with Alabaster shaker cabinets, urbane bronze island and stainless steel appliances. I’m wondering if you still love your brass hardware? We are also looking at un-lawyered brass cup pulls and knobs, have they held up well? The screws seem small, have they stripped? I’m having a hard time deciding between the cup pull that has the screws on the front face and the one that screws in from the back…
Hi Julie,
What hardware did you use on your paneled dishwasher?
Merci,
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
We have a cup pull on our dishwasher. You can find it here: https://rstyle.me/+rwUMSk8thEGgBdMp35Riww
Enjoy,
Julie
Bonjour Julie!
Did you need to get longer brass screws for the large Massey drawer pulls and the Vernon Bin pull for appliance use?
Merci,
Cheryl
PS_ yours is the one kitchen I keep coming back to
Awe, thank you! It depends on how your drawer fronts are constructed. Ours used the shorts, but they’re not accessible from inside the drawers. Does that make sense?
Hi there! I’m renovating my kitchen snd have chosen Rejuvenation Massey pulls and small classic round knobs in unlacquered brass for our cabinet hardware and gilded iron (brass look) Darlana Fancy hanging lanterns. I’m second guessing my choice of vent hood and would love to hear your opinion. Our appliances are stainless steel and I have purchased a SS chimney style vent hood. The vent hood is transitional in style, not super modern or sleek (Zephyr Titan Pro-series), so I felt it would be ok in our traditional space. But (if standing on the opposite side of our large island from the range wall) it will be positioned directly between two brass hanging chandeliers in the same height sight line. Is that going to compete with the lights? Should I have chosen a painted, cabinetry style vent hood that blends more with our cabinets as a backdrop for the lights? Our perimeter cabinets are SW high reflective white with brass hardware and soapstone countertops. The island is SW iron ore (very dark charcoal) with a white marble (Calacatta vagli). Our faucets will likely be polished nickel to break up the brass. And our kitchen faucet will be centered in the island, also between the lanterns and directly in front of the vent hood. If you need photos, I can send some.
Hi Amanda,
This all sounds so beautiful! I bet the vent hood will be beautiful – it will give you a little less traditional feel but sounds like you’ve got a great mix going on.
Enjoy the process and good luck!
Julie
Hi Julie! Since you were kind enough to answer my previous question I’m back with another question. We decided to go with unlacquered brass for our kitchen hardware and faucet (ordered newport brass one – thanks for the inspo). Now I’m curious how often you wipe down the brass (to keep the water spots and dirt out) and what you use. You had mentioned in this blog using a soft cloth and ammonia. And then you also linked Barkeeper’s Friend. I heard Barkeeper’s friend is really great if you want to polish your unlaquered brass back to its shiny state, which makes me think it keeps it from developing its patina. Do you use Barkeeper’s friend for regular maintenance? If not, what do you use to clean/maintain the unlacquered brass without stopping it from developing that patina? Thanks so much!
We use soap and water to clean, but let them patina.