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Anti-corrosion front door furniture

Schnitger

pfm Member
This is hardly the most exciting of topics and very much a first world problem, I know. Nonetheless, I've just spent a mind numbingly dull few days restoring and painting the front door, which is a standard 6 panel mahogany Georgian design. The front door external furniture is satin brass and only 1 year old, yet the letter plate and door handle are already corroded (the door is exposed to strong winds and sun etc).

I think I'll try new door furniture as it seems a shame to put a corroded letter plate etc, back on the door. What type of finish is corrosion resistant? From what I can gather, chrome is good (hence its being used in bathrooms) and stainless steel is even better. PVD brass is also excellent in this regard, but I'm not overly fond of its yellow appearance.(Brass substrate also seems to be better than zinc alloy and I suspect the satin brass furniture I've got is plated zinc alloy.) My options are limited as the new letter plate needs to fit the existing door aperture.

Thanks for any advice. This is one issue I should have researched in more detail.
 
All I can say is this:

-When I had a hardwood front door with brass letter box and numerals etc.. despite best intentions..the brass spent more time looking dull than shiny and was frankly.. a PITA. The door wasn't much better and required frequent attention with Sikkens.

-When I saw sense and got a Rockdoor fitted, the company owner offered whatever door furniture I wanted at no additional cost. I got a nice Yale type lock, and a letter box... both in chrome finish. The letterbox appears to be chrome plated zinc/similar alloy. Someone has managed to scratch the chrome plating through to the alloy beneath and the whole thing is beginning to deteriorate.. but very slowly. From the street it looks perfect..and reasonably 'posh' in a sort of lower middle class way... A replacement won't cost much...when needed.
 
As a jazz fan, I quite like a bit of patina on brass
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Go to an architectural salvage yard and get heavy cast brass fittings or find a supplier of new. There’s also brass plated stainless steel.
This is who I use-
https://www.inbrass.co.uk/

they supply Sumburgh Head Lighthouse so I’m sure can advise on corrosion resistance!
 
Actual brass is a right pain in the butt to keep smart, no matter what lacquer is applied - it will not last long, then its down to weekly polishing,...
I should know, I sold tens of thousands of the damned things.

There are now finishes in brass that are totally weather resistant / tarnish proof - PVD coated, ie Physical Vapour Deposition. Brass is usually available in this finish reasonably easily (it is also called other names as well).
Basically it is a brass plate that has no pores open to the weather, so it stays bright and clean for years.
It will cost more than standard solid brass for sure, but worth seeking out.

This is the kind of thing I mean :- https://www.handles4u.co.uk/product...s+Steel+Letter+Plate+305mm+x+104mm/3794716250
Edit to add - plenty of dual finish in pvd available, which can look very smart - brushed stainless/brass/bronze.
I should have read your first post more thoroughly, you have seen pvd already.
 
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Actual brass is a right pain in the butt to keep smart, no matter what lacquer is applied - it will not last long, then its down to weekly polishing,...
I should know, I sold tens of thousands of the damned things.

There are now finishes in brass that are totally weather resistant / tarnish proof - PVD coated, ie Physical Vapour Deposition. Brass is usually available in this finish reasonably easily (it is also called other names as well).
Basically it is a brass plate that has no pores open to the weather, so it stays bright and clean for years.
It will cost more than standard solid brass for sure, but worth seeking out.

This is the kind of thing I mean :- https://www.handles4u.co.uk/product...s+Steel+Letter+Plate+305mm+x+104mm/3794716250
Edit to add - plenty of dual finish in pvd available, which can look very smart - brushed stainless/brass/bronze.
I should have read your first post more thoroughly, you have seen pvd already.

I'm not that keen on the appearance of PVD brass. The problem is finding a letter plate that fits: I've already enlarged the hole for the plate and would rather not do that again. If I could find something that fits in stainless steel or one of the dual finish PVD you mention, I'd consider them.
 
Weathered.aged bronzed appearance is so much nice than shineh.
Buy real brazen stuff,and don't care for it/ let it go dull.
 


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