How to Clean Old, Stainless Steel Railings

Webmaster April 1, 2022

Stainless steel railings may seem like they don’t need any maintenance but, as all things, they do need some love every once in a while. If you’ve got some old, stainless steel railings that have seen better days, you might be wondering what to do. Pro Weld is here to help. Let us walk you through what’s necessary to clean old, stainless steel railings.

Clean Stainless Steel Railings

The first step to clean old, stainless steel railings is to actually wash them down. Unless your railings have every inch covered in rust, they should get a good wash down before going further. Just use a bucket with some warm, soapy water and an old rag. This wash will remove dirt and any loose flakes of rust. Be sure to get at the joints, as this area will need rust protection and the area needs to be clean before applying that.

Remove Rust

If your railings have a lot of rust on them, you should find a good rust remover and apply it as instructed. If your railings are polished stainless steel, apply this with the grain, rather than against it. You may find that, by the time you’re done with removing rust, the earlier railings have begun to get some rust spots again. This isn’t anything to worry about and will be dealt with during rust prevention.

Protect Stainless Steel Railings from Future Rust

The reason stainless steel railings don’t usually rust is because stainless steel goes through a process with the atmosphere called passivation. Near the joints where the railings have been welded together, the alloy is altered by the heat of the welding process. Because of this, the welded parts at the joints of your railings will not go through passivation properly and are more likely to become rusted. Fortunately, there are products made to replicate this process and prevent rust from developing.

As described here, Wichard offers a paste called Wichinox that can be applied to stainless steel railings and will help along the passivation process. That means it will prevent rusting for a period of time. Depending on the weather, your proximity to saltwater, and more, you may have to clean and reapply this every 6 months to a year. However, after cleaning up your old railings the first time, this process should be quick and mild.

Replace Stainless Steel Railings

If your stainless steel railings are beyond a quick clean, you might be better off just replacing them. Rust will eat through metal over time, so very rusty and very old railings might not even be sound enough to protect people from dangerous falls.

Call us today at Pro Weld to get more information on how to clean stainless steel railings, or how you can replace them.

Wrought Iron Fence Repair and Paint

Webmaster April 1, 2022

Do you have an old wrought iron fence that’s seen better days? Don’t fret; wrought iron fences can be repaired. Pro Weld can repair any wrought iron fence in Toronto or the GTA. When you want to breathe life back into your wrought iron fence, this is how you can repair it to the point of looking new.

Wrought Iron Fence Repair in Toronto

A lot of old homes have wrought iron fences surround them or bordering their front. However, these fences were built and installed decades ago. Many of these fences don’t actually do anything to improve the appearance of the house anymore. But, that doesn’t mean that they never will again.

If you’ve got an old, broken, or rusted wrought iron fence, you’ve got the potential for a beautiful, like-new, solid black wrought iron fence. The only thing standing between the two is a call to Pro Weld for some help with wrought iron fence repair and paint.

When we repair your fence, we’ll make it look how it was meant to. Anyone can slap some rust remover on a metal fence. We do more. We can create replacement pieces for any part of the fence that has broken off over the years. Then, we’ll weld those pieces into place. In the end, you’ll be left with a whole fence, instead of just part of one.

Replicate Destroyed Fences

Many wrought iron fences have taken too much damage over time to be repaired. If rust has eaten through the metal to the point that it’s no longer strong enough for repair, there’s another solution. Pro Weld makes wrought iron fences and railings all the time, including custom designs. We would love to create a replica of your fence so that it can be replaced with something that looks as the original designer intended. We can also do this replication process for any sections of a reparable fence that are missing or destroyed.

Wrought Iron Fence Painting

Removing rust and replacing missing pieces will get your fence looking whole again, but it won’t get it looking good again. That piece of the puzzle relies heavily on the final step in wrought iron fence repair: painting it. Wrought iron fences rely on a coating of black paint to prevent rust and weathering. This paint is incredibly important as it keeps rain from touching the metal directly, which would lead to rust.

When we’ve repaired the damage to your fence, we’ll also give it a fresh coat of paint so that it’s ready to withstand the test of time once more. Hopefully, with some TLC from Pro Weld, your repaired wrought iron fence will last as many years as it has until now. Maybe decades from now, your descendants will give the future members of Pro Weld a call for a touch up!

Apartment Balcony Railing Installation in Toronto

Webmaster February 28, 2022

Apartment complexes come with a wide variety of upkeep needs. Many of them relate to utility or appearance. However, there’s one thing that is vital to safety: the balcony railings. Almost every apartment complex has balcony railings. Whether you have a high rise apartment building, or a complex with many 2-story residences, balconies are present – and a lot of them. Here’s how Pro Weld can help you with apartment balcony railing installation in Toronto.

Choose a Material

The first step to replacing apartment balcony railings is deciding on a style and design. This may seem simple, but there’s more to it than first meets the eye.

For example, the style includes the material, which can have a profound effect on the longevity of the railings, the upkeep, and the price. Many suburban apartments line wooden balconies with wooden railings. These are quick to degrade and can become unsafe in less than a decade. Just the moisture of being outdoors can be enough to weaken the balusters and make the railing wobbly.

Even if your balconies are made of wood, opt for railings that are made of something stronger. Stainless steel or wrought iron are much sturdier, easier to repair, and will save you money in the long run.

Replace Stairs Too

If you’re in the market for railings, you may also be in need of new stairs. While cement stairways can last ages, the wooden stairways that are often found in smaller complex buildings don’t. If you’re planning to replace apartment balcony railings, you may want to update your stairs to match.

Pro Weld offers a selection of metal staircases, appropriate for both indoors and outdoors. These stairs will look nicer, last longer, and accommodate metal railings better than wooden ones would.

Improve Apartment Appearance

Metal apartment balcony railings look much nicer than wooden ones. Therefore, they can improve the property value as well as the curb appeal of the complex or building. Not only does this improve the reputation of your apartments, it can allow for a rise in rent prices and an influx of tenants.

Apartment Balcony Railing Installation

Once your railing designs are picked out and the railings are made, they’re ready to install. Pro Weld doesn’t just craft beautiful, metal railings; we also install them.

Apartment balcony railings installation can be a long process if there are many apartments to outfit. This is a job for professionals only, as work is done close to a ledge and appropriate safety precautions should be taken.

Give us a call today if you’re interested in apartment balcony railing installation in Toronto. We look forward to working with you to find the right style and design for your new railings. We can also offer a quote ahead of time so that you can make the right decision for your budget.

Replace Railings That Don’t Meet Code

Webmaster February 28, 2022

Toronto railing codes may seem like they’re just there to bother business owners, but they’re there for a reason. While certain details may seem arbitrary, the code is made up of railing specifications that have proven to be the safest option. Keeping your business’ railings up to code isn’t just a matter of dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s, it’s a matter of keeping customers and clients safe. Plus, if you’re worried about money now, wait until you get a lawsuit! Instead, protect clients and your wallet and replace railings that don’t meet code. Here’s how Pro Weld can help.

Assess Existing Railings

The first thing you should do when buying a new commercial building is have it checked by professionals to make sure it’s up to code. While most real estate and property managers will have this done before sale, some don’t. If you haven’t been shown something formal, saying everything meets code, take matters into your own hands. That, or find out there’s a discrepancy after someone sues you. We think the former is better.

If you aren’t sure if your new building’s railings are up to code, who better to check than the railing experts? Our experts at Pro Weld know exactly what standards your railings need to meet. We can help make sure your railings are up to standard and fix them if they aren’t.

Alter and Repair Railings to Meet Code

Getting completely new railings can be pricey. If there’s nothing wrong with the bones of your current railings, you may be able to simply alter or repair them where needed. This is especially easy with railings already made of something like wrought iron. Adding decoration or bars to iron railings is only a matter of creating the new pieces and welding them on.

Replace Railings That Don’t Meet Code

If your current railings are looking a bit ragged or don’t look how you want them to, replacing them is the way to go. When you replace railings that don’t meet code, you kill two birds with one stone. Not only will you be up to code when we’re through with installing them, they’ll look better too.

Pro Weld can create custom wrought iron railings for you. So, if you have a particular appearance in mind, just let us know what you’re imagining. Or, if you want something exact, you can bring us digital designs or even hand-drawn sketches. We’ll take whatever direction you give us and provide you with something that makes you smile every time you see it.

Consider New Styles

If the old railings weren’t doing the building’s appearance any favors, opt for a new style. Pro Weld has a variety of railing styles, from wrought iron to stainless steel. If you want something more modern, we can even do glass. Take a look at our railing options and find what suits your building’s design needs. There’s no reason you shouldn’t use your need to replace railings that don’t meet code as an excuse to beautify the place.

Give us a call if you have questions or are looking for a quote!

The Relationship Between Railings and Accessibility

Webmaster February 1, 2022

Accessibility for the disabled is something that flies under many people’s radar. And, while there are laws in place to ensure publicly accessible buildings meet accessibility standards, there are simply so many people who violate them that it’s a struggle for those laws to be enforced. But, if we take laws out of the equation, what it really comes down to is allowing people with mobility impairments to access your shop or office. One of the most important parts of building accessibility is railings. Let’s take a moment to look at the relationship between railings and accessibility.

Railings and Accessibility

Railings are an incredibly important part of building accessibility. They:

Line ramps and ensure wheelchairs and their users don’t end up over the side of a ramp. Tripping up the stairs is one thing when you can walk. When you’re on a set of wheels, going in an unexpected direction is a much higher risk.
Provide a grip for people with muscle and/or joint conditions to climb stairs safely.
Vastly lower the chance of someone’s fall becoming deadly by guarding the edges of any height that could cause injury.

If you’re not well-versed in accessibility, you may not realize that some railings are more accessible than others. What is it, exactly, that makes a railing accessible or not?

Easy to Grip

The first sign of an accessible railing is one that is easy to grab. For example, stainless steel railings with wide, round bars are a great choice. These railings provide an easy grip for hands that may struggle or be pained by smaller or more squared bars.

Some examples of railings that are less ideal for gripping are glass and iron railings. Both of these choices look fantastic, but are made more for emergency safety and appearance than for grip functionality. The narrow edges of these railings make them uncomfortable to hold and lean on. Glass railings, being made with a glass pane, are not able to be grabbed and held on to unless they are paired with a mounted bar on the inner side.

Placement

The placement of railings has a large impact on their accessibility. If you have accessible railings all throughout your building, but not on the stairs to the door, disaster can strike before people even get inside.

Stairways

As a general rule, all stairways should have railings on both sides. This provides safety, ensuring no one falls and gets injured. These aren’t just accessible railings, they’re also safety railings. Even young, abled people are able to trip up the stairs or be bumped by someone else and end up falling.

However, to add to accessibility, you should also include a railing up the middle of any stairways that are more than 5 feet wide. This allows people with difficulty traversing stairs to hold on to railings at both sides. It also ensures a grip, should the stairway be crowded or high-traffic. Then, even those forced to travel more toward the middle of the stairway will have something to hold on to.

Ramps

If your building doesn’t have any wheelchair accessibility ramps, you absolutely must rethink your building design. The entry should always be accessible for wheelchairs. In addition to ramps, ramp railings are also a must-have. Railings that line wheelchair ramps do two things:

They provide a grip for wheelchair users and non-wheelchair users alike. Non-wheelchair users with disabilities may use ramps because they are safer for them than stairs. They need the stability of a railing to grip while walking up the ramp. This is true even for abled people using the ramp.
They provide a safety net for anyone traversing the ramp. Just as with stairs, ensuring no one falls from a ramp is important.

Order from Pro Weld

If you’re in the market for accessible railings, Pro Weld is the #1 provider in Toronto. Give us a call if you have questions about what and how to order. We look forward to hearing from you!

Mobile Welding That Comes to You

Webmaster February 1, 2022

Got metal that needs repair? Mobile welding is the service for you. For vehicles and small machines, bringing it into a shop for repair is easy. However, when you have a damaged machine the size of a house, you have to bring the shop to you. Pro Weld’s mobile welding services are the perfect solution. Our team will bring all the equipment necessary to fix your machine and have it back up and running in no time at all.

What Do We Weld?

Welding may seem straightforward, but not every welding company specializes in the same things. Not every welding team is created equal, and some don’t come prepared for certain types of metal. We want you to know who you’re hiring when you hire us at Pro Weld. Here’s what we can do:

First, we weld both sheet metal and heavy plate metal. No team can reliably create prototypes or repair heavy machinery without that capability. So, no matter the weight of your metal, we can weld it.

We also don’t limit ourselves to one type of material. Both hard and soft materials are within our scope. All hard materials are covered for welding and repair.

We can weld carbon steel, stainless steel, and even aluminum. Don’t limit yourselves on our watch. We’ve got you covered. Additionally, we offer copper, bronze, and brass brazing.

Machine Welding & Repairs

If your business runs on machinery, you know a machine going down is a huge problem. A damaged machine can bring production to a complete standstill in seconds. Staff end up on standby and your production numbers stop immediately, leaving you behind schedule for orders that were put in weeks ago.

Fortunately, Pro Weld’s mobile welding services can come in ASAP and get you back to regular production fast. Falling behind will be a thing of the past when our team is here to help.

Create Prototypes

Our mobile welding team can also create machine prototypes for you. Want to test out a new design? You’ll probably need some professional help to create it. That’s where Pro Weld comes in.

Our team at Pro Weld comes prepared for prototype creation with tig, mig, and arc welding machines. We have a welding vacuum system for clean facilities such as laboratories and medical. We even offer orbital welding.

Precision

Welding may have a reputation for being almost brutish, but that’s nothing more than a stereotype for metalworking. Welding can actually take a lot of precision. That’s why it’s important for you to know that Pro Weld is experienced in close tolerance machining. If you need a precise outcome, you can count on us to deliver.

Give us a call if you need assistance from our mobile welding team. We look forward to hearing from you.

How to Clean Interior Iron Railings

Webmaster December 31, 2021

The pandemic has made store and homeowners everywhere a lot more conscious of how they clean – especially regarding things like railings, which are touched by a lot of people. The question is, how do you clean interior iron railings? Will washing them make them rust faster? Is there a wrong way to clean them? Pro Weld – Toronto’s local iron experts – are here to help you figure things out. Let’s talk about how to properly clean interior iron railings to keep you safe and healthy without damaging the railings.

Home Vs. Store Railings

When it comes to the difference between home and store railings, the main one is level of use. Store railings are going to be touched by a lot more people in a day. That makes it even more important to clean store railings than the ones at home. As long as no strangers who might have COVID-19 are touching your indoor railings at home, you can probably ignore them safely.

However, you need to clean interior iron railings in a store space. Too many people who could be carrying COVID-19 are touching your store railings to safely ignore them. So, how do you clean them?

Killing Germs

While people jump to use antibacterial soap, it has no effect against COVID. COVID-19 is a virus, not a bacteria. Both of those things are types of germs, but they’re not the same. The good news is, any old soap – antibacterial or not – will kill COVID-19. The part that makes soap, well, soap, can break down the proteins surrounding the virus and kill it. So, while alcohol in a spray bottle is good for cleaning other kinds of surface, we recommend some good ol’ soap for your railings. Simply fill a bucket with some nice, soapy water and give any regularly touched railings a nice wash down every day.

Preventing Damage

While it’s good to clean interior iron railings in a store setting, washing iron railings repeatedly, and frequently, can damage them. Why is that? Well, water on iron can lead to rust. How do you prevent rust when cleaning your railings regularly? There are two options.

Cover the railings with some kind of plastic. This is less attractive but is a lot less work in the long run. Plus, it’s better for your railings and makes it less likely they’ll get damaged. At the end of each day, you can just sanitize the plastic covering instead of the railings themselves.
You can repeatedly wash your railings and regularly touch up the coating on them. This is a lot of work. Wrought iron railings are painted with a black coating to prevent rust and damage. If you wash them a lot, that coating is going to wear away really quickly. You may end up need to do touch-ups every week or so, as iron railings aren’t meant to be scrubbed at as often as COVID requires.

Railing Repair Services

If you’ve been washing your railings and noticing the coating has started to wear off or they’ve started to rust, it’s not too late. Give us a call and our team at Pro Weld can bring our railing repair services right to you.

Custom Floating Staircases in Toronto

Webmaster December 31, 2021

Floating staircases come with a lot of perks. First, they’re beautiful. Second, they allow a lot of natural light flow in your home or business. And, finally, they allow visibility without completely blocking off large parts of your building. Let’s dip our toes into some of the style choices in which you can get custom floating staircases in Toronto.

Glass Railings

Custom floating staircases offer a very open appearance. Because we don’t want to take away from that, putting glass railings on your custom floating staircase is a great choice. This provides a safety net for anyone using the stairs without destroying the boost in visibility.

Plus, glass railings and floating staircases are both very contemporary in appearance. They go together well. This is especially true if you opt for a floating staircase with a black, metal frame. If your glass railings also have a metal frame, the two will compliment each other.

Industrial Steps

For interiores with an industrial aesthetic, or for actual industrial buildings, industrial steps are a huge plus. These steps are grated and metal. They offer a lot of extra traction and won’t allow a buildup of sediment or water. That means no risk of slipping on wet stairs, no scratching a nice set of wooden steps with the gravel stuck in your work boots, and no need to fuss with cleaning. If you’re looking for something grungy or practical, these are for you.

Modern Wood

On the other hand, if fancy and wooden is what you’re looking for, wooden steps are exactly what you need. Take a look at our custom floating staircases and see how modern wooden steps combine elegantly with black iron framework. The rich tones of the wood combines with the stark black of iron mix wonderfully. There’s nothing quite so eye-catching.

This type of design is great in a modern home or coffee shop with a loft. This contrast between strength and beauty is sure to draw in people with all manner of aesthetics. It’s something you can’t say no to.

Contemporary Metal

If you want something metal that’s a bit more on the aesthetic side, rather than industrial, go for contemporary metal steps. We offer custom floating staircases with metal framework and metal steps. For non-industrial, metal steps, you can get all kinds of styles. Something that looks flat and solid, or a design that’s more elegant bold.

Give us a call at Pro Weld and ask us about our custom floating staircases in Toronto. We can take some time to discuss the possibilities. Bounce your ideas off of us. We love doing custom metalwork and look forward to making something new, just for you.

Protect Your Property with a Metal Gate

Webmaster November 30, 2021

There are a lot of things to like about having a metal gate and fence for your property. The addition of privacy, safety, and security can save you money, worry, and more. That’s why you should protect your property with a metal gate and fence. Pro Weld provides the highest quality metal gate and fence combos in Toronto. Here are some of the benefits.

Privacy in Your Home

When you protect your property with a metal gate and fence, your property becomes off-limits to those who might wander through it. Cutting through your yard just got a lot harder. While someone walking on your lawn may not be a big deal to you, approaching your home means seeing things you may deem private.

For example, if you have a large property, you may undress in front of open windows without thinking much of it. If no one is in your yard, they’re not in the right place to see. However, if someone is walking through your yard – or worse, intentionally spying, your perceived privacy disappears. When access to your yard is cut off to outsiders, you don’t have to worry about your privacy being stripped away.

A Safer Yard for Kids

Want to improve yard safety for your kids? Protect your property with metal fencing. Having a large yard means giving your kids a lot of space to play and roam free. However, if they’re young enough to not understand the danger the outside world poses, they may ander off. Putting a clear barrier around the yard means you can let your kids play outside without worrying they’ll end up blocks away.

Plus, we can’t forget stranger danger. While most random people are harmless, it’s not unheard of for children to get abducted from their yards. This risk is higher if your yard is large and not all visible from the kitchen window. Putting up a fence makes it impossible to just swoop in and grab a child playing on the lawn.

Restricted Pool Access

If you have a pool in a suburban area with teenagers, there’s a good chance they’ve used it, whether you know it or not. Even if you haven’t caught strangers using your pool, it’s probably happened. When you go away on vacation, your pool becomes unsupervised. With no adults to come out and yell at them, local teenagers who don’t have a pool at their own house are quick to take action.

While they may not be vandalizing anything or damaging the pool, there are other risks posed. If some teenager gets injured using your pool, you could end up liable for not having your pool blocked off.

Security and liability are both important and risky. Therefore, you should protect your property with a metal gate and fence to prevent unauthorized pool use.

Higher Security

And, finally, we can’t ignore the huge boost in security. After all, if there’s a whole street of houses and a burglar wants to case one of them, they’re not going to choose the one with a big fence around it. The added obstacle of a fence and gate, especially a tall one (perhaps with spikes at the top), is not attractive to a thief. They want to get in and out as fast as possible. That makes a fence one of the best security measures you can invest in. Even security cameras can be safely ignored if someone disguises themself well enough. A disguise won’t do anything to assist in fence-hopping.

Replace Broken Aluminum Railing Parts

Webmaster November 30, 2021

Aluminum Railings are a fantastic choice for many businesses or even homes. However, aluminum isn’t the strongest metal you can choose. It may break or get damaged faster than something like steel. The benefit it has, however, is that it’s much simpler to replace broken aluminum railing parts than steel or iron. Innovative Aluminum railings are made of prefabricated pieces, so replacing them is easy as pie. Here’s how Pro Weld can help.

Find the Right Part

The first step to replace broken aluminum railing parts is finding the right part to buy online. If you can’t find the right part, or are unsure if you’ve found the right part, give us a call. We know our way around railings of all kinds, including Innovative Aluminum. We can help you find the right part and can even assist you in making your order.

Order a Replacement

When you’ve found the part you need, simply put in your order and wait for it to arrive. It’s really that easy! When your part arrives, if you’re familiar with railing construction, you may be able to replace the part yourself. However, if you’re not familiar with railing construction, or just have better things to do, we can help.

Get Installation Assistance

One of the things we’re best at, here at Pro Weld, is installing railings. If you get your part and need some installation assistance, we can help. Let us know you need some help with installation and we’ll schedule a time to visit your home or business.

Replace Old Railings Completely

If your railings are getting old or have taken a lot of wear and tear, it might be time to replace them completely. Instead of opting to replace broken aluminum railing parts, you might opt for new railings altogether.

If you enjoyed having aluminum railings, you can go for a completely new set in aluminum. This will give you a chance to get rid of parts that are worn down but not broken. You can also choose aluminum railings of a slightly different style.

Sometimes a business or homeowner inherits railings from the previous property owner. Even if the railings still work, you may not be a fan. Therefore, if you would rather just replace your railings with something entirely new, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Pro Weld, we specialize in railing craftsmanship.

We offer railings of the following types:

Wrought Iron Railings
Our wrought iron railings bring back a classic railing style. These look great as accents in large houses.
Stainless Steel Railings
Stainless steel railings are the straightforward and effective choice for countless businesses. They come in many styles suitable for lining stairways, lofts, and more.
Glass Railings
Glass railings are the most modern choice in our repertoire. These are stunning choices for surrounding pools and lining lofts and stairways without hindering visibility.

No matter what railing style suits you, we can provide. Give us a call to schedule a consultation today.

Blog

Clean Stainless Steel Railings

Remove Rust

Protect Stainless Steel Railings from Future Rust

Replace Stainless Steel Railings

Wrought Iron Fence Repair in Toronto

Replicate Destroyed Fences

Wrought Iron Fence Painting

Choose a Material

Replace Stairs Too

Improve Apartment Appearance

Apartment Balcony Railing Installation

Assess Existing Railings

Alter and Repair Railings to Meet Code

Replace Railings That Don’t Meet Code

Consider New Styles

Railings and Accessibility

Easy to Grip

Placement

Stairways

Ramps

Order from Pro Weld

What Do We Weld?

Machine Welding & Repairs

Create Prototypes

Precision

Home Vs. Store Railings

Killing Germs

Preventing Damage

Railing Repair Services

Glass Railings

Industrial Steps

Modern Wood

Contemporary Metal

Privacy in Your Home

A Safer Yard for Kids

Restricted Pool Access

Higher Security

Find the Right Part

Order a Replacement

Get Installation Assistance

Replace Old Railings Completely

CONTACT US

EMAIL

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