Mirror vs Satin Finishes

Consider the location and volume of foot traffic when determining which finish is best for your architectural metal work

When I began writing this blog I was focused on Metal Finishes, you know, mirror brass or mirror stainless steel vs satin. Then it occurred to me, this applies to any sort of finish, on any material. We could be talking about painted, stained, and clear coated, as well as metal surfaces. With gloss or mirror finishes the more light you have reflected off of a surface, the more detail and/or defect you will see.

The opposite is true for a flatter finish. They tend to absorb more light therefore you have less light coming back to your eye making it more difficult to see defects.

Sheen or the level of gloss can change the way we interpret color. For example, let’s say you want to paint a room at home – you decide on a color, but you are not quite sure what sheen you are looking for. You pick up four samples, flat, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss. You paint them on the same wall. Once they are dry each color looks slightly different. The color is the same it is just the amount of light coming back to our eye.

Example of a sheen adjustment on elevator doors on a recent project located in Hartford, CT. In this case, OFS refinished the highly reflective mirror brass finish on the left to a modern, brushed satin finish, right.

Many of our clients have been requesting to have their current mirror stainless steel or brass finish transformed to a brushed satin finish. Our metal finishing teams here at OFS have successfully completed multiple sheen transformations over the past several years. These projects can be completed in place, after hours and at a fraction of the cost of replacement. Lowering the sheen to a brushed satin finish also reduces maintenance costs as less wear and tear will be visible.

OFS metal finishing teams hard at work at our South Windsor facility producing a blackened steel finish for a recent project in Hartford, CT.

As a notable quote, Henry Ford once said, “Give them any color they want as long as it’s black!”

Fortunately, today we live in a world full of options – Our talented metal crews are now producing amazing blackened / blued steel for your high-end architectural projects.