Wrought Iron Accessories for Your Home

Webmaster June 1, 2022

While wrought iron railings are, perhaps, the most common use of wrought iron, they’re not all. There are many more fixtures and accessories for your home that can be made of wrought iron. If you’re a lover of the dark, classic metal, you’ll love some of these other wrought iron accessories you can use to decorate your home.

Wrought Iron Mailboxes

If you’re an appreciator of wrought iron, you’ll love having a wrought iron mailbox. These aren’t super common, since they can be difficult to craft and are easily mimicked with regular iron that’s coated in black paint.

The benefit of getting an actual wrought iron mailbox is that it will last longer than a cheap mockery. Plus, wrought iron bring with it the opportunity for customization. If you have a chunk of money that you want to put toward an artistic sculpture of a mailbox, it’s a great investment. You aren’t limited to the standard box-on-a-post type mailbox. You can go for any design you want.

Just as well as you can go for something really intricate, you can also get something simple. If you don’t have much of a yard or you prefer your mail to be delivered to your door, you can also opt for a wall-mounted mailbox. These simple little boxes are just right for a handful of letters or a small package. Mounted beside your front door, they also make retrieving the mail a breeze. Just be sure to make your mailman some brownies if you’re the only one in the neighborhood making him walk up the drive.

Wrought Iron Doorknockers

Doorknockers have gone mostly out of style in the past century. But, the key reason is because most people don’t have massive houses anymore – and, of course, the invention of the doorbell. These days, they’re more of a statement piece than anything, even if they do function when used.

If your home is large enough that a doorknocker won’t look silly on the front door, one might just spice up the aesthetic. Go for something big and gothic or something delicate and beautiful. No matter your taste, a wrought iron doorknocker is something that will become a memorable part of your home to guests and family alike.

Wrought Iron Window and Door Grates

Worried about security? Wrought iron window and door grates can keep burglars from getting in with a heavy rock. These grates don’t have to be the simplistic bars used to protect city townhouses. You can make them beautiful works of art that don’t take away from the beauty of your home.

The only thing that will take further consideration is fire safety. All window grates should have some kind of release from the inside to allow for a quick escape in case of emergencies. One of the reasons they’ve gone out of fashion is that fire safety laws meant the removal of many that didn’t come with an interior release. Since then, modern alarm systems have been more successful achieving their goals.

Buy Custom Wrought Iron from Pro Weld

If you’re looking for custom wrought iron crafting in Toronto, Pro Weld is here to help. We’re experts in our craft, making beautiful wrought iron railings, stairways, and more. If you have a custom design you’d like made, give us a call and let’s discuss the possibility.

Is Colored Wrought Iron Possible?

Webmaster June 1, 2022

If you have particularly strong tastes in home design, you may have wondered more than once about wrought iron. Many people adore the classic, black metal designs. In fact, they’ve made a bit of a comeback as restoration of old homes has become a known cause. However, what most people don’t wonder about is if that classic, black metal could be less classic and more colorful. Is colored wrought iron possible? Let’s take a look!

The Possibility

Let’s answer this quickly: yes, it’s possible! You can color your railings by painting them.

If done right, colored wrought iron can be just as good as classic wrought iron. However, if done incorrectly, it could not only end up looking bad, but damage the iron. So, let the experts at Pro Weld tell you a bit more about colored wrought iron, how to achieve it, and its uses.

The Uses of Colored Wrought Iron

Colored wrought iron is quite the statement. While you could technically use it anywhere normal wrought iron is found, it is better suited to certain places. We wouldn’t recommend making your wrought iron fence anything but black. However, if you want to make a real statement in your home, you could make your railings a certain color. This looks especially good in homes that rely on wrought iron to guard curved staircases.

Any color is possible, but some that look really great are gold and silver. These colors, naturally, can make your railings look as if they’re gilt or made of these metals. Just make sure that, if you do go for one of these two, you choose a color that reflect the natural tint of the metal. Otherwise, it will simply look fake and cheap, taking down the quality of the plain, black railings.

Preparing Your Rails

If you’re going to paint your railings, you can’t just go out and buy some paint and slap it on. Before painting them, you need to prepare them. The most important thing about preparing your railings for a new coat of paint is ensuring there’s no rust on them. Even a small amount of rust, if left beneath the new coat of paint, can eat further through your iron railings and spread.

So, check your railings thoroughly for any areas – even small ones – where the existing, black coating is chipped off and rust has begun to develop. You can treat this yourself with rust removal and prevention treatment. However, if you want to guarantee the future integrity of your iron railings, we recommend you get professional help for anything more than the smallest amounts of rust.

Choosing Your Paint

The most important part of coating your railings in something new is choosing the right paint. You can’t use just anything. If you choose the wrong paint, you could end up with railings that are tacky or that chip with the slightest wear. Use exterior-grade enamel paint. This is paint that’s made to withstand outdoor weathering, will appear shiny when dry, and will better resist things like skin oils. Once your enamel is on, you might even consider a metallic top coat to increase the illusion of your railings being made of something other than iron.

Complete Home Railing Restoration

Webmaster April 30, 2022

Is your house home to a set of beautiful iron railings? If your railings are rusting or damaged, you may not even be sure! When iron railings begin to age, their beauty and appeal quickly disappears. However, there’s good news where iron railings come from: they’re possible to completely restore. If you want complete home railing restoration done, Pro Weld is the #1 iron specialist in Toronto to get the job done. Here’s what you can look forward to.

Remove Rust from Iron Railings

One of the most common things to ravage aging iron railings is rust. A complete set of interior or exterior iron railings can go from gorgeous to hideous when rust takes hold. There’s nothing quite like a patchy coat of orange where sleek black once was to destroy an aesthetic.

Fortunately, removing rust from iron railings is completely possible. Rust does do damage to the iron over time. Therefore, if your iron railings have been coated in rust for many years, it’s possible they will need more than just rust removal. However, there’s no way to know how extensive the damage is without a check from a professional.

Let our team of iron professionals at Pro Weld come take a look at the state of your railings and we’ll be able to offer more information on the restoration process.

Repair Damaged or Broken Iron Railings

Iron railings often become damaged or outright broken after years of neglect. This is especially true of exterior iron railings. Fortunately, iron is a very forgiving metal that can often be repaired with ease.

If your iron railings are damaged or broken, we can work diligently to reconnect loose pieces, weld together breaks, and even recreate pieces that have broken off and gone missing. Complete home railing restoration will cover all of your repair and restoration needs.

Recoating Iron Railings

After an old set of iron railings have had the rust removed and been pieced back together, they need to be recoated. Wrought iron railings are coated in a special black paint that protects them from moisture and prevents rusting. This coating is also what gives them their shiny appearance when in new condition.

Complete Home Railing Restoration in Toronto

Do you want complete home railing restoration to bring your home’s railings back to looking like new? If so, Pro Weld is here to help. We do railing restoration all the time and can bring those services right to your home. Mobile welding equipment means doing repairs on-site is easy. If any pieces need to be recreated, we can craft them at our shop and then attach them to the original railings without having to remove them.

Let us know if you’re looking for iron railing restoration services in Toronto and we’ll get you a quote for our services.

Replicating Antique Iron Railings

Webmaster April 30, 2022

Having a home with antique fixtures in it can be a really rewarding experience. Antique fixtures often come with stories and a lot of rich history. However, antiques are have also lived long lives and may not be in the best shape. Repairing the existing fixtures – such as antique iron railings, is the ideal solution. However, not all antique iron railings are in a reparable state. In those cases, we can explore the option of replicating your antique iron railings.

Not sure what to do with your antique iron railings? Let’s take a look at your options and what they mean.

Repairing Antique Iron Railings

A beautiful set of antique iron railings would have been made over 100 years ago. So, railings that were crafted around 1920 and earlier fall into the antique category. Those that were crafted between 1920 and 1970 would be vintage.

Because antiques are at least 100 years old, they’re often not in great condition. Things like railings are easy to let fall into disrepair with just a little neglect. This is especially common of railings in old houses that have sat empty or abandoned for many years. When someone finally comes around to restore the home, they look to repairing the antique iron railings as well. However, by that time, they’re often in irreparable condition.

What Makes Antique Iron Railings Irreparable?

The question is, what makes antique iron railings irreparable? Are yours irreparable?

When antique iron railings are missing a lot of pieces that have broken off, those pieces can be replaces with replicas. However, the remaining parts of the railings need to be strong enough to handle welding and, possibly, reshaping.

Are your railings are too fragile to be bent back into shape and have broken-off pieces welded onto them? If so, we can replicate them instead.

Replicating Antique Iron Railings

Replicating antique iron railings is a great way to proceed. Instead of working with the existing base railings, we can copy the design of them exactly and make a new set from new materials. Pro Weld has been designing and crafting custom railings for many years. Replicating antique designs is easy as pie in comparison. We have an eye for detail. With that, we can replicate your antique iron railings with the utmost accuracy.

Preserving History and Aesthetic

There’s more to replicating antique iron railings than simply doing a job. Preserving history and the original aesthetic of an old home is valuable work. Whether you’re restoring a home that’s been in the family for generations, or saving one from falling apart from neglect, we would be honored to work with you. Restoration work is some of the most important and underappreciated there is. Give us a call at Pro Weld and we’ll help make your job a bit easier.

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.

Blog

Wrought Iron Mailboxes

Wrought Iron Doorknockers

Wrought Iron Window and Door Grates

Buy Custom Wrought Iron from Pro Weld

The Possibility

The Uses of Colored Wrought Iron

Preparing Your Rails

Choosing Your Paint

Remove Rust from Iron Railings

Repair Damaged or Broken Iron Railings

Recoating Iron Railings

Complete Home Railing Restoration in Toronto

Repairing Antique Iron Railings

What Makes Antique Iron Railings Irreparable?

Replicating Antique Iron Railings

Preserving History and Aesthetic

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

CONTACT US

EMAIL

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