Unlacquered Brass: A Guide to the Living Brass Finish

Supplied by Trade Door Handles, trusted UK supplier of architectural ironmongery since 1976, with quick nationwide delivery.

Unlacquered brass is brass exactly as it comes: solid metal with no clear coat on top. It starts bright and slowly mellows to a warm, natural patina, which is why designers call it a living finish. This guide explains what unlacquered brass is, how it differs from lacquered brass, how it ages, how to clean or polish it, and where to use it, with the Heritage Brass unlacquered range by M.Marcus as the example.

Unlacquered brass is one of the finishes customers most like to see in person at our Kendal and Carlisle showrooms, because the way it changes is hard to judge from a photo.

Quick answer: unlacquered brass is solid brass with no protective lacquer. It tarnishes and darkens naturally with air, moisture and handling, and you can polish it back to bright brass whenever you like. Choose it if you love an aged, lived in look. Choose lacquered brass if you want the colour to stay the same.

Most brass hardware is lacquered: after polishing or brushing, a clear coat is applied to seal the surface and keep the colour. Unlacquered brass skips that step, so the metal is exposed and reacts with its surroundings.

	Unlacquered brass	Lacquered brass
Surface	Bare solid brass	Solid brass sealed with clear lacquer
Colour over time	Darkens to a warm patina	Stays the same until the lacquer wears
Cleaning	Brass polish if you want it bright	Soft cloth only, no metal polish
Can it be polished back?	Yes, at any time	No, polish damages the lacquer
Best for	Period homes, kitchens, front doors with character	A consistent look that does not change

In the Heritage Brass range, polished brass and satin brass are lacquered finishes. Our solid brass finishes guide compares every finish side by side.

With no lacquer, the brass reacts with air, moisture and the natural oils from hands. Over weeks and months it moves from bright yellow to a softer gold, then to a deeper, browner tone. The most handled areas change first, so the grip of a pull handle or the edge of a knocker develops its own character. No two pieces age quite the same way.

• Indoors, in a dry room, the change is gradual.
• In kitchens and bathrooms, moisture speeds it up.
• Outdoors on a front door, weather speeds it up again.
• Handling polishes some areas while others darken, giving a natural, lived in look.

If you want to know how to age brass, the honest answer is to fit it and use it. Unlacquered brass ages on its own with everyday use, and that natural patina is the look most people are after.

1. Wipe away dust and fingermarks with a soft, dry or lightly damp cloth.
2. Dry it straight away. Do not leave unlacquered brass wet.
3. Avoid abrasive pads, bleach and harsh chemical cleaners.

1. Apply a brass polish with a soft cloth, following the polish instructions.
2. Buff off all of the residue, as polish left in corners will mark.
3. The brass will begin to age again from that point, so repeat as often as you like.

External fittings such as knockers and window stays also benefit from a periodic light oiling of springs and moving parts.

The largest part of the Heritage Brass range is unlacquered brass kitchen and cabinet hardware. There are unlacquered brass pull handles in Metro, Bauhaus, Apollo, Durham, Colonial, Traditional and knurled designs from 76mm to 480mm fixing centres, unlacquered brass knobs in Victorian, reeded, knurled, hammered and ball designs, and edge pulls. For more on kitchen handles, see our brass kitchen handles guide.

The unlacquered brass window furniture includes Fitch, hook plate and Brighton sash fasteners, several in lockable versions, a sash lift and sash ring, plus ball end casement fasteners and stays and lockable espagnolette handles. It is a natural fit for period sash windows.

For the front door there are unlacquered brass door knockers in urn, reeded urn, slim, doctors and ring designs, letter plates, centre door knobs, concealed fix house numbers, bell pushes and a cylinder pull. See all unlacquered brass door furniture.

Heritage Brass makes its unlacquered range mainly for kitchens, windows and front doors, rather than internal lever handles. For internal doors, polished brass door handles are the closest match, and sit well alongside unlacquered kitchen and window fittings as the brass ages.

• Choose it if you like a natural, aged look, live in a period home, or want brass that can always be polished back.
• Choose it if you do not mind the colour changing, or enjoy polishing brass now and then.
• Avoid it if you want every fitting to look exactly the same for years, or do not want any upkeep.
• Avoid it if you are matching to lacquered fittings that will not change at the same rate.

• Fit all the unlacquered brass in a room at the same time, so it ages together.
• Expect new pieces to look brighter than older ones. They will catch up within months.
• If you have mixed unlacquered and lacquered brass in one room, polish the unlacquered pieces occasionally to keep them close in colour.
• Ask us to show you aged and new unlacquered brass side by side in the showroom before you decide.