Stainless Steel Although technically challenging, Electroplating stainless steel is possible. Please contact us for more information.
Types of finish
The following are some of our more well known finishes. They can be applied to any of the base materials listed above. If you don't see the finish you are interested in listed here, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Bright Nickel Bright Nickel is a highly decorative finish with a slight yellow tint. It is used for bath fittings and light fittings and is first applied to items prior to chrome plating. (see below) Many pre 1940's cars were finished in nickel rather than chrome.
Semi Bright Nickel As it's name suggests this finish is not as reflective as bright nickel. The bright work on many classic vehicles was orginally finished in semi bright nickel. It was then polished to achieve the reflectivity desired and on later cars followed up with chrome to prevent tarnishing. Semi bright nickel (also known as dull nickel) has better corrosion resistance properties than a standard bright nickel. Matt Nickel At the other end of the spectrum matt nickel gives little or no reflectivity. Sometimes knows as ''pearl nickel'' it is a very attractive finish with many applications including shopfittings, bathrooms, kitchens and lighting.
Chrome Chrome is applied to a base coat of nickel to prevent the nickel from tarnishing. It is sometimes decsribed as having a more ''silver'' look than nickel.
Satin Nickel/ Satin ChromeBy manually aplying a line to the nickel it is possible to achive a satin or ''brushed'' effect. This can then be followed with chrome if preferred.
Black Chrome Black chrome has been described as giving a similar effect to the finish on a black snooker ball. It's uses include motor bike parts, engine components and when applied to matt nickel gives a completely non reflective finish suitable for machinery used in the film/photographic industry.
BronzeWe at Colonnade pride ourselves on being one of the most well know bronze platers in the UK. The list of different bronze effects that can be achived is long and varied so please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Gold A very attractive finish used mainly for bathroom and bar/restaurant fittings. Rather than applying a lacquer to prevent tarnishing, the gold solution is infused with nickel to achieve a hard deposit able to withstand regular cleaning.
Please contact usif you require any more information on the finish we offer.
