Regular steel items are recommended for indoor applications, excluding areas that may be wet or humid such as bathrooms. Regular steel can also be used outside as long as it does not get wet and/or is not exposed to salty air. Stainless steel items are recommended for drapery hardware in high humidity or wet environments such as outdoors, bathrooms, and kitchens. Stainless steel is also great for salty air environments since it will not corrode. Normally, you will want all items on your order made of stainless steel.
You will also want to select stainless steel parts if you'd like the Brushed Stainless or Glossy Brass finish. Note that in addition to these finishes, stainless steel can be powder-coated in any of our other finishes.
If your drapery hardware will be outside and will receive lots of direct sunlight, we recommend the Brushed Stainless finish. Our other finishes are also great for outdoors but may dull over the years if exposed to significant amounts of sunlight. We do not recommend the Glossy Brass finish if the hardware is receiving even a moderate amount of direct sunlight.
Note that if stainless steel is exposed to any chemical that ends in "-ine" or "-ide", it may rust. We normally recommend keeping it clean with plain water, but stainless steel cleaners can be used as well.
