As part of a backyard renovation, a builder in Lancaster PA was creating a beautiful pool house and outdoor living area. The architect had created the pool house design with a combination of exposed timbers, stone walls, and iron railings. On the south side of the building the stone countertop also created the bottom of the open windows. Then, french balcony railings were designed to inset into the recessed areas created by the stone columns and countertop. Additionally, there was an area where an iron railing was needed for safety reasons.
The original request from the builder was for a simple and straightforward iron railing design. When we met with the clients for a railing design discussion, the clients requested a more sophisticated iron railing design, to add beauty and old-world craftsmanship to their pool house project. They wanted the original weight, texture, and authenticity of wrought iron, but in todays A-36 steel material. They also desired the rails to have hot forged scroll ends, riveted connections, hot pressed overlaps and intertwining scrolls as the center piece at each iron railing panel. Then, they wanted to fill each end of the iron railing panel with plain pickets and forged quad scrolls.
To prevent rust, and add even more authenticity, we proposed the iron railing finish in CIW-2135-I. This finish starts with t
aking the material to a white blast, completely down to virgin metal and creating an etch. The next step was hot dip galvanizing. This is where we immersed the entire iron railing panel into molten zinc at 835 degrees. This allows the zinc to completely encapsulate the nooks and crannies of the intricate iron railing design. This hot-dip galvanize finish took care of any corrosion concerns, while also adding a layer of texture. Then, we cleaned and brush blasted the project to promote inter-coat adhesion. Next, we powder-coated it a matte black color.
This duplex finish process provided authenticity with it’s inconsistent and slightly unsmooth texture, while providing the appearance of an iron railing project forged 100 years ago. With the iron railing finish that was applied, and very minimal upkeep it now can provide grace and beauty for this Lancaster, PA property for the next 100 years.
