Both satin brushing and mirror polishing are surface finish of stainless steel parts. Shall we give you some advice at these particularly popular finishes and lists out a few distinctions between them?

Mirror polished stainless steel balustrade

Mirror polishing process creates a great texture and overall appearance of the steel. A mirror polish finish is achieved by pre-grinding the metal to remove surface defects, and then bright-buffing the metal to a smooth, reflective finish.

Mirror polished stainless steel balustrades are particularly good for outdoor applications because of the ease of maintenance. The smooth surface allows dust, dirt and grit to be easily wiped off with a clean cloth. Mirror finish with stronger resistance to the salt particles in the air will prevent corrosion for longer time.

The only downside is that smooth surfaces such as mirror polish finishes will easily show marks and fingerprints, necessitating frequent cleaning.

Satin brushed stainless steel balustrade

The satin brushing process provides a matte finish that is perfect for architectural applications. A satin finish is achieved by polishing the metal’s surface with a grit belt and then softened with a Scotch-Brite cloth belt. Although it may lack the brilliant sheen of a mirror polish finish, satin finish have a high aesthetic value, especially for their silky matte finish without any clear grit lines or grinding scores.

Since the surface is not reflective, a satin finish stainless steel balustrade requires less maintenance with small amounts of dirt or oil largely remaining invisible. However, being slightly rough in texture, the small grooves in satin finish could trap tiny particles of dust, dirt and salt, especially in coastal and high humidity areas, resulting in deterioration.

These two finishes make stainless steel balustrade surfaces easy to keep clean for pretty long time. However, that does not mean there is no need of maintenance for them. No matter what stainless steel finish you choose, we recommend sincerely that the better baluster requires maintenance every few months.