Choosing Your Spigot Finish For a Frameless Glass Pool Fence - Satin or Polished?

We often get asked by customers as to whether they should purchase our polished or satin stainless steel spigots. A common question is “what looks better, polish or satin?” The answer to this is quite subjective - some people like bright and shiny, while others prefer a more minimal, raw look. Here are a few pointers when trying to decide which spigot finish to go for:

In our view, the decision becomes a very easy one if you are using the spigots near the ocean - use a spigot with a polished finish. Here's why... A satin finish is achieved by brushing the surface of the metal, leaving miniature grooves in the surface. Whilst care is taken to seal this surface, the spigots are more susceptible to rust, and can often develop “tea staining” if exposed to high salt environments. This is where particles come to rest on the satin surface of the spigot and allow small amounts of water to come into contact with unprotected steel. Small spots of rust (which look like tea) will gradually appear on the spigots, creating quite an ugly look. For this reason, we strongly recommend choosing a polished finish if installing a glass pool fence in a high salt environment, such as near the ocean. Polished spigots are very well protected from the elements, and you won’t have any issues to worry about in terms of rusting.

It is worth noting that products have been developed to protect satin surfaces from rusting in high salt environments. A common one is Enduroshield. This can be purchased from most fencing retailers or hardware stores, and can provide a barrier against corrosion for the spigot for a number of years.

One downside to polished spigots is that they show marks (such as fingerprints) much more than satin spigots will. If you have kids or grandchildren that are likely to touch the spigots, they will leave hand and finger prints quite clearly on the spigots. They also show water droplets much more than satin spigots will. These can be wiped off very easily, but to avoid that, satin spigots are a very easy option.

Ultimately, for most people, the decision will come down to looks. Both polished and satin spigots are identical in shape and strength, so if you aren’t near the ocean and aren’t worried about marking on polished spigots, it all comes down to whether you want a bright and shiny finish or a softer, minimal look. Satin spigots are generally considered to be a more modern or “designer” finish, but by no means does that mean polished spigots don’t look great either!

It is important to make sure that your pool gate hinges and latch are also in the same finish as the spigots to keep everything matching. Fence Guru offers hinges and latches in both satin and polished finishes to allow for this.

Lastly, if you’re still having trouble deciding or just don’t think a standard polished or satin finish will look nice, it is well worth considering our matte black spigots! They are a little more expensive than spigots with other finishes, but provide a very modern and elegant look to your pool fence! Matte black as a finish is growing tremendously in popularity, and doesn't mark or rust at all, so it avoids both problems sometimes caused by polished or satin spigots. Matte black spigots are our favourite, so we strongly recommend having a look at them before deciding on polished or satin.

If you do want any help at all with deciding, or if you have any general questions about our spigots or any other products, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team! We are happy to help out. Contact details can be found on our contact page or at the bottom of every page on our site.