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Beauty takes pain! This project was tedious and strenuous, but we know it has a finish that will last for decades! See for yourself below!

A landscape designer in Virginia was working on a Washington DC suburb property and building a beautiful terrace and outdoor space. As part of the plan, they needed terrace railings to provide safety and beauty for this upscale property. The home had existing porch railings that they wanted to pull inspiration from.

The original iron railings had an inferior finish and was subject to some corrosion. We recommended creating the new terrace railings in an aircraft grade aluminum material. Also, we suggested improving the detail on the forged tapered scroll for more of a craftsmanship detail. Furthermore, we improved the detail at the collars for a better visual.

As part of the project, stair railings were needed on the front and back of the house to provide safety for people as they traverse the stairs. We recommended the same 2 ¼” cap rail as the rest of the house railing. We also suggested 1 ½” square post and to add in hand-forged scrolls at post. This would allow design continuity as well as an artistic effect. The railing areas were measured once the columns were completed. Then, we did the entire terrace railing design in CAD in both plan view and elevation view to make it easier for the landscape designer and the client to review and approve.

Then we individually forged all the tapered scroll ends for the entire custom aluminum railing project. These were then mounted in place and the decorative bandings were put in their location with a special clamping tool.

The railing finish process was initiated with a sandblast process to completely remove all dirt, organic matter and forging material. Then a special phosphate chemical wash, clean water rinse and chemical sealer completed this pieces pretreatment. Next the terrace railing sections were preheated, and a resilient primer was applied. That was followed by another preheat and a top-coat powder-coat. To completely finish it off we applied a second topcoat to really give us assurance that the entire terrace railing project would provide decades of service for this urban Washington DC home.

The beauty of this project far outweighs the pain! Like what you see and want one of your own?
Contact us here:https://www.compassironworks.com/connect/
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As the owner of an exclusive property, we were looking for custom ironworks replicated from England in the 1860s. The photo we had was sketchy, but these passionate craftsmen knew their business, knew the details of this ancient craft and provided tips on adding authenticity. They provided excellent communication throughout the creativity and design process, then with superb, detailed craftsmanship, they created and installed an exceptional piece of ironwork that is rich in detail, authentic, yet is engineered to withstand use for decades, utilizing 100% recycled material and an eco-friendly durable finish.

Springhill Suites Marriott

We had a railing, designed, created, and installed by Compass Ironworks. Amos and Aaron were extremely professional. They kept us informed of how things were progressing. We even visited the shop when the railing was almost complete. We HIGHLY recommend Compass Ironworks! We have had several people knock on our door to ask about who made our beautiful railing. Thank you for your hard work!

Jacqui Collins & Greg McBride

We are so pleased with our custom deck railing created by Compass Ironworks. The design and finish are perfect, just what we envisioned. It was a pleasure working with Compass Ironworks, a company that takes pride in their work.

Tracy Tanner

We had a rather unusual design for our front railings, but the folks at Compass Ironworks took it in stride, figured out how to make it and delivered EXACTLY what we were hoping for — all at a reasonable price. Plus they’re just plain nice to deal with.

Courtney Lederer
Front entrance metal gate