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Copper Patina Finishes

 

 

SoLuna Copper Sinks come in five beautiful finishes, or patinas. Below is a guide on how each finish is achieved, it’s characteristics and how you can expect each finish to age over time.


If after reading the following descriptions you still can't decide which copper patina is right for your situation, you can see them in person by ordering a set of 4” x 4” copper sample tiles, each with a different finish. 

 

Click here for the sampler set of all 5 unique finishes we offered on SoLuna products.

 

For customers only interested in purchasing a kitchen sink we recommend clicking here, for the set of 4 unique finishes.  We do not recommend polished finishes or lacquer on high-use areas such as kitchen sinks.

 


 

Polished Copper

 

Polished Copper is similar in color to our Matte Copper finish, though it has been polished to a shine, and sealed with a Permalac® protective clear top coat to extend the life and luster. Polished Copper is available in bath and bar sinks, bathtubs, and lighting. However, we do not offer Polished Copper for our kitchen sinks as we do not recommend polished finishes or lacquer on high-use areas such as kitchen sinks.

 

Cleaning Polished Copper sinks is simple, all you need is soap and water. While waxing is not necessary for Polished Copper finishes, (the lacquer seals the finish) wax does support easy cleanup on both lacquered and unlacquered sinks, and will not harm the lacquer.

 

Faucet finishes that go well with Polished Copper are Polished Copper made by Waterstone.

 


 

Matte Copper

 

Copper Kitchen Sink With Matte Copper Finish

Keeping the bright shiny look will require regular polishing with a commercial copper polish. You can extend the time between polishing with an application of Renaissance Wax. The natural patina look will require the patience to let nature takes its course. Your sink begins changing color as soon as it is made. You can choose our pre-waxing service to prevent changes in patina during transit time.

 

You can get an idea of the color a Matte Copper sink will naturally develop by pulling a few pennies out of your pocket. You will find some bright, some with a few darkened spots, and some that appear to have been dipped in milk chocolate. If you choose to let the Matte Copper darken, eventually your sink will look similar to SoLuna’s Café Natural finish but will never get as dark as the Dark Smoke or Rio Grande.

 

Alternatively, if you want to retain the bright look of Matte Copper and prevent darkening of the patina, we do offer lacquer on some Matte Copper items, including bath and bar sinks, bathtubs, and lighting. We do not offer lacquer for kitchen sinks because we do not recommend polished finishes or lacquer on high-use areas such as kitchen sinks

 

Faucet finishes that go well with Matte Copper are Antique Copper made by Waterstone, and Vintage Bronze by Banner.

 


 

Café Natural

 

SoLuna’s Café Natural patina was developed to replicate the look of aged copper in a new sink. The overall look of a sink finished in Café Natural is of an even colored surface, there is not much variation in color over the surface of a particular Café Natural sink.

Farmhouse Sink With Cafe Natural Finish

 

Between several sinks finished in Café Natural though there can be quite a difference in tone. One sink finished in Café Natural may look similar to brown sugar, another may resemble mocha, and the hue of a third may be something like pumpkin pie.

 

Your Café Natural finished sink will continue to change in tone and may develop some lighter and darker areas with time. You can maintain the even coloration by regular applications of Renaissance Wax or carnauba wax.

 

Do not use copper cleaner, copper polish, harsh chemical cleaners or scouring pads on a Café Natural sink. All these products will remove the patina. Acidic foods such as lemons, tomato juice, salsa and ketchup can also lighten the patina. This will not harm the sink and the patina will return in time.

 

Faucet finishes that go well with Café Natural are Oil Rubbed Bronze (most manufacturers), Olive Bronze (Graff), Parisian Bronze (Premier), and Weathered Copper (Waterstone).


 

Rio Grande

 

The Rio Grande finish is created through a two-step process. SoLuna first creates the Dark Smoke patina on the sink, then buffs the patina off the ridges of the hammer marks, leaving the dark color in the low spots. The colors of this finish include black, espresso, dark chocolate and red tones, all highlighted by a pattern of revealed natural copper. Rio is a dark finish, closer in tone to Dark Smoke than to Café Natural.

Farmhouse Sink with Rio Grande Finish

 

Rio Grande has a lot of movement and energy to it. It works very well as the focal point in a monochromatic room, but is also especially well-suited to a textured ethnic decor.

 

This is not a natural patina—in order to achieve these dark colors the copper has to go through an accelerated aging process using high heat. With use the color will lighten slightly.

 

To maintain the Rio Grande finish SoLuna recommends waxing with Renaissance Wax or carnauba wax. Be sure to avoid copper cleaners, copper polishes, chemical cleaners and scrubbing pads. Acidic foods such as lemon, salsa and ketchup can lighten the finish. The patina will darken again but natural darkening will not result in as dark a finish as the original. To darken light spots further dissolve 1 tsp salt in ¼ cup ammonia. Apply the solution to the light areas, let dry for 30 minutes and repeat until the spot matches the rest of the sink. Once the color is as dark as you want it, lightly buff just the ridges with fine sand paper to bring the raw copper highlights out again. Then apply a coat of Renaissance Wax to protect the newly patinaed area.

 

Faucet finishes that go well with Rio Grande are Oil Rubbed Bronze (most manufacturers), Olive Bronze (Graff), and Parisian Bronze (Premier).


 

Dark Smoke

 

Dark Smoke is our most popular SoLuna finish. A relatively uniform patina, Dark Smoke includes black, espresso and dark chocolate brown tones. Sometimes there are also reddish highlights. Overall, the color resembles oil rubbed bronze. A Dark Smoke sink is dramatic and eye-catching and fits well in modern or ethnic style rooms.

 

SoLuna Copper Globe Pendant in Dark Smoke Finish

 

Dark Smoke is a darker patina than would naturally occur on a copper sink. In order to achieve these dark colors SoLuna puts the sink through an accelerated aging process using high heat. With use the color will lighten slightly.

 

To maintain the Dark Smoke color SoLuna recommends waxing the sink regularly with Renaissance Wax or carnauba wax. Stay away from copper cleaners, copper polishes, chemical cleaners and scrubbing pads. Acidic foods such as lemon, salsa and ketchup can lighten the finish. This will not hurt the sink and the patina will darken again. Natural darkening will not result in as dark a finish as the Dark Smoke patina. To darken light spots further, you can make a home darkening remedy by dissolving 1 tsp salt in ¼ cup ammonia. Apply the solution to the light areas, let dry for 30 minutes and repeat until the spot matches the rest of the sink. Apply Renaissance Wax to protect the newly patinaed area.

 

 

 

Faucet finishes that go well with Dark Smoke are Oil Rubbed Bronze (most manufacturers), Olive Bronze (Graff), Parisian Bronze (Premier), and Satin Nickel (most manufacturers).