Unlacquered Brass Emtek Door Hardware

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An honest review of our unlacquered Brass Emtek Door Hardware, how they’ve held up and how beautifully the unlacquered brass has aged over time.

Emtek Hardware Exterior View of Merrimack lever and Quincy Backplate — Emtek Hardware – Newly Installed

The exterior hardware in this post was gifted by Emtek. This post contains affiliate links where I will receive commission from your clicks and purchases. You can read more on the privacy and disclosures page.

It has been a year and a half since the completion of our barn conversion project, where we converted the 4-stable barn on our property into a 2-bedroom guest home. So much thought and detail went into designing this space, in an effort to maintain its original charm and character. I couldn’t be happier with those choices, and still love it as much as the day we moved in!

Emtek Hardware – A year and a half after installation

The interior doors installed in the barn were salvaged from an early 19th century home, set to be demolished for a new build. The doors were solid, gorgeous and came with the original crystal glass door hardware. The exterior doors, however, were new and required new door hardware of which would not only provide adequate security for our family and home, but that would match the character and charm of the home as well.

finished wood furniture piece stripped with oven cleaner room view — Antique, crystal door hardware in the barn

The barn has a salvaged aesthetic and it was important that the door hardware not look brand new… well not for too long at least. It is for this reason that I chose an unlacquered brass finish. Emtek has many finish choices and styles to choose from and this once fit the bill perfectly!

Our exterior doorsets are the Emtek Quincy Sideplate Single keyed in unlacquered brass with Merrimack Lever.

Emtek Hardware with dog in the background

What is Unlacquered Brass?

Unlacquered brass is a raw brass with a living finish, meaning it lacks a coated finish, allowing natural oxidation to take place. Unlacquered brass arrives looking similar to it’s polished cousin, however, as raw brass ages it will antique and darken over time, yielding a gorgeous patina and the look of time worn elegance, as you can see in the photo below.

This living finish can be found as an option for many types of hardware (cabinet pulls, door handles, sink faucets and more!). This gorgeous, aged patina made this finish the perfect choice for our “old” barn!

How Our Emtek Door Hardware Has Aged – Then vs Now

Being that we loved our Emtek door hardware so much, we decided to use the exact same sets (the Quincy Sideplate Single keyed in unlacquered brass with Merrimack Lever) on the front doors of our main home remodel as well. This provided the perfect opportunity to capture just how beautifully our barn handles have gracefully aged over the last year and a half!

When first installed, the our Emtek handles resembled a polished brass. It was shiny, beautiful and highly reflective. However, over time, the magic began to happen as the raw brass finish began to age with repeated handling and time.

The change is one that occurs progressively, and not unlike watching your children grow taller, you don’t quite realize the process until you look back and compare it to a new handle set.

The photos above and below beautifully demonstrate how the newly installed handles looks vs. the same handle set that was installed on the barn a year and a half ago.

Emtek Hardware – After a year and a half of use

Quality Door Hardware

Our Emtek Door Hardware is a single cylinder keyed entry door set that can be locked and unlocked from the exterior using a key and can be locked and unlocked from the interior using the locking mechanism. This door handles is the perfect choice for securing entrances, side doors, and anywhere else that needs a bit more security.

This door door set is not only gorgeous, but incredibly solid! After a year and a half of constant use ( by 2 adults, 3 kids and numerous friends / family) I can honestly say that we are extremely happy with how our Emtek Door Hardware has held up and continues to perform to this day!

Emtek Hardware on black door with a dog at the door

If you are in looking to change up or add new door hardware (interior or exterior), I would highly recommend checking out Emtek. The quality is wonderful and the choices are endless, lending themselves to any style of home!