|
|
The Care and Maintenance of Polished
Brass Door Hardware
The tarnishing of polished brass door hardware, especially
on an exterior application, is a natural process. This is due to a
breakdown of the lacquer coating as it's exposed to environmental
conditions such as salt air, ultra violet rays, chemical, and air
pollutants. Some areas are more affected by these conditions than others.
(Painting the door with hardware installed and
installing the hardware on non-cured paint or stain are the number one
reasons for finish failure.)
When purchasing exterior Polished Brass door
hardware, we recommend hardware with a Lifetime Finish Warranty, if
available and meets your budget. Polished Brass hardware with a Lifetime
Finish Warranty is coated with a PVD process. PVD coating known as
cathodic arc coating process is extremely versatile and allows monolayer,
multilayer, alloy films to be deposited on brass substrates at various
processing temperatures. Because of its extremely high ionization rate,
the cathodic arc process deposits a very dense film with excellent
adhesion to the brass substrate and is less susceptible to the above
mentioned conditions.
To prolong the original finish, several
steps can be taken to retard the tarnishing process.
These are:
- Apply a non-abrasive polymer-based
automobile wax to new brass before installation. This wax should be
applied two or three times a year.
- Do not install brass door hardware until
after the treating of the door has been completed (paints and stains)
and the treatment has cured. These chemicals will accelerate the
breakdown of the lacquer coating. You may want to contact the
manufacturer of the treating compound to determine when they consider
the curing process complete.
- To clean, use a soft cloth dampened with
mild, soapy water.
- Do not use harsh chemical or abrasive
cleaners on polished brass door hardware.
When tarnishing occurs, you may want
to consider the following three steps to renew the finish. These are:
- Remove the old lacquer coating. This can
be done using an extra fine (0000 grade) steel wool and paint stripper.
- Polish the brass. Use whatever brass
polish you prefer (e.g., Brasso or Noxon).
- Re-seal the finish with either a high
quality, non-abrasive, polymer car wax or clean thoroughly with a
solvent cleaner, followed with a coating of exterior polyurethane
sealer. Either way is acceptable, although if a polyurethane is used,
future coatings require that the coating be removed in the same manner
as the original lacquer.
Note: Once the original lacquer is removed,
if not re-sealed with polyurethane, polishing will be required every
several months .
Did this help?
Continue shopping.
Still have
questions? Search help or
contact us.
|
