[Journal](https://betton.erpixel.com/en/blog) · Materials

# Barcelona’s hard water and your taps

Source: https://betton.erpixel.com/en/blog/hard-water

July 20, 2026 · 6 min

Limescale behaves differently on chrome, on PVD and on matt. What to clean with, and what not to buy for this city.

Barcelona’s water is hard: 30–35 French degrees against 12–15 in Madrid. On a tap you see it within a week — a whitish crust round the edge of the aerator, streaks on the spout, dull patches on the shower head. Here the material matters more than the price.

## How the finishes behave

All four are available from our factories, and the difference in upkeep between them is bigger than the difference in the invoice.

- 01 Polished chrome The scale shows at once, but it comes off more easily than on anything else. The classic for this city: a cloth after the shower and the tap looks new.
- 02 PVD The coating is applied in a vacuum; it is harder than chrome and does not wear off. Limescale grips it less well, but on dark finishes the streaks are more visible.
- 03 Matt black Beautiful right up to the first shower. Every drop leaves a white dot, and it has to be wiped after every use.
- 04 Unlacquered brass It patinates and lives a life of its own. Limescale doesn’t show on it — it simply becomes part of the patina.

Three weeks without wiping. Chrome on the left, matt black on the right, the same water.

## What to clean with, and what never to use

Acid limescale removers kill PVD and matt finishes in a handful of applications: first light patches appear, then the coating comes away in flakes. What works is warm water, a soft cloth and, if things have gone too far, a citric acid solution for five minutes — on chrome only. No abrasives and no bleach.

> A matt black tap in Barcelona means a cloth every day. Don’t buy one if you are not up for that ritual.

## Finishes and hard water

| Finish | Scale shows | How to clean it | Acid |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Polished chrome | at once | water and a cloth | occasionally |
| PVD | slightly | soft cloth | never |
| Matt black | very much | after every use | never |
| Unlacquered brass | not at all | nothing at all | never |

The aerator unscrews in a minute and can be soaked separately. That is half the problem solved.

## One thing to do once

Fit a water softener for the flat. It costs about as much as one good tap, goes in at the mains and settles the question for every fitting at once — including the boiler, the washing machine and the glass shower screens, where limescale leaves a cloudy mark that never comes off.

If there will be no softener, choose chrome or brass and stay away from matt. We say this to everyone who picks a black tap from a photo.

## Brands from the article

[Gessi — PVD and polished chrome](https://betton.erpixel.com/en/brands/gessi) [Ceramica Cielo — Sanitaryware matched to the tap](https://betton.erpixel.com/en/brands/ceramica-cielo) [Flaminia — Sanitaryware and accessories](https://betton.erpixel.com/en/brands/flaminia) [Sanycces — Shower trays and columns](https://betton.erpixel.com/en/brands/sanycces)

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