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A client on the New Jersey shore was building an exceptional home. Both the client and his architect were looking for an extraordinary railing design. They wanted a railing created from solid bronze in a horizontal design. The railing design was for ½ “solid round bars to be spaced 4” on center, and for the bronze to be mill finished so that it would be a living finish bronze railing. With the costal environment it would consistently be in varying stage of verdigris. This causes the railing to be every changing and bring the beauty that comes with that.

Our goal was for a railing design to look as clean as possible. The initial approach was to weld the joints for strength and rigidity, but after doing some brainstorming, we came up with an assembly approach to eliminate 90% of all welding required. We came up with an assembly technique of taking a drill bit and drilling  through the vertical bar, into the horizontal bar, then use a bronze dowel .010 larger and hammer it into the hole. This hammering technique then expanded the hammered dowel in the hole of both the vertical and horizontal bars.

Initially, the 1” X 1 ½ “ posts for the bronze railing were intended to be tubular, but the hammered dowel technique needed a solid post. So, all the railing posts were then switched out to solid posts. The top rail of the bronze railing was specified as 1 ½ “ X ½ “ bar channel. We pre-drilled all the railing to prep it for the 1” X 2” mahogany caprail. This mahogany caprail really enhanced the entire railing project aesthetic.

Another challenge was to get all the horizontal rods to be attached directly into the posts without any bracketry or visible attachments. So we designed all the 1 ½ “ X ½ “ bar channel to be removed from the bronze railing section. Next, we drilled horizontal holes into the posts and put some epoxy into them. Then, we slid the railing section into the holes, left and right, and remounted the top channel. This process created stability for the entire bronze railing section. The completed bronze railing project enhanced this shore home immediately. It will continue to only enhance this property as the living finish slowly transform this rail over the years to come.

Do you want a custom living finish bronze railing of your own?! We are happy to help! Contact us here! 
Need more inspiration? Check out our other work on Pinterest, Houzz Or our galleries!

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Thanks to the Compass team. The original work that was done 12 years ago still looks great. Unfortunately, we had to remove the railings to install new pillars this year due to weather related issues with the stones. Compass removed the rails and reinstalled them after the repairs were done. All looks beautiful again.

Thomas Zentz

We were thrilled to work with Compass again on our back porch project! The end result is gorgeous and the process was seem less. In a time characterized by delays, labor shortages and supply chain issues, Compass exceeded our expectations by providing a beautiful product and outstanding service in a timely manner. We look forward to working with Compass again in the future on all our metalwork needs.

Thank you so much again for your help!

Gina Bevan

Compass was very flexible when we changed our design. Quality was so wonderful, and unexpected.
We would never go to anyone else.

Amy Stone

Amos, your team exceeded extremely high expectations. The stairs are the heart and soul of the house, and as the main focal point are a treasure to the owners and architect. Every visit is followed by “come see the stairs”. I know how challenging it was to build and install this masterpiece, having worked as a builder for 50 plus years, and admire how your crew stayed positive and focused throughout. I can’t wait for the next one!

Custom Home Builder~ Northern VA
Front entrance metal gate