Metalwork
Antique Finish
Everything worth knowing before committing to Antique Finish: what to check at the yard, what to hold in reserve, and what it looks like in six different homes.
Photo: kyeniz · BY 2.0Overview
Antique Finish, in plain specification
Written for the decision, not for the mood board.
The difference between two quotes for antique finish is rarely the material. It is grade, wastage allowance, substrate preparation and finishing — the items that do not photograph. Reading a quote for what it excludes is more useful than reading it for what it includes.
We specify antique finish against three questions: what the surface has to survive, how it will be cleaned, and who repairs it in five years. A material that answers all three is worth more than a material that only looks better in a showroom.
In our work this sits alongside the rest of the home rather than as an isolated decision. Antique Finish touches the electrical layout, the ceiling, the flooring build-up and often the civil work, so it is fixed early in the drawing set and reviewed against every other trade before production starts.
Six house styles
Antique Finish in six personalities
The same brief resolved six ways. Each carries its own material, finish and detailing.
Photo: seier+seier · BY 2.0Minimal Antique Finish
Serene Minimal draws antique finish as chalk · pale oak · linen — nothing decorative survives unless it also does work. Section: 40x40x3mm SHS. Joint: Welded, ground flush. Finish: Matt black powder coat.
See this style
Photo: qmnonic · BY 2.0Bold Antique Finish
Bold Contemporary draws antique finish as charcoal · oxblood · smoked oak — high contrast, confident mass, a single saturated move per room. Section: 50x50x3mm SHS. Joint: Welded and polished. Finish: Brushed 320 grit.
See this stylePhoto: kyeniz · BY 2.0Heritage Antique Finish
Modern Heritage draws antique finish as teak · cane · antique brass — indian craft detailing on a contemporary frame — jaali, cane, inlay and hand-finished brass, used sparingly. Section: Solid 12mm bar. Joint: Brazed. Finish: Hand-antiqued.
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Photo: *rboed* · BY 2.0Classic Antique Finish
Classic Luxe draws antique finish as ivory · statuario · gold — proportioned panelling, cornice and moulding, book-matched stone and warm gilt detail on ivory. Section: 40x40mm with beading. Joint: Welded, filled and painted. Finish: Painted, satin.
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Photo: seier+seier · BY 2.0Scandi Antique Finish
Indo-Scandinavian draws antique finish as birch · chalk · sage — pale timber, soft daylight and muted green — nordic restraint adapted for indian light, dust and humidity. Section: 40x20mm. Joint: Welded. Finish: Anodised matt.
See this style
Photo: jiuguangw · BY-SA 2.0Deco Antique Finish
Art Deco Glam draws antique finish as emerald · brass · lacquer — fluting, fans and geometry. Section: 30x30mm with reveal. Joint: Welded, ground and PVD coated. Finish: PVD gold, mirror.
See this styleSpecification
Antique Finish specification, style by style
This is the table we issue to the factory and the site. It is also what a warranty is enforced against, which is why it reads in grades and dimensions.
| Specification | Minimal | Bold | Heritage | Classic | Scandi | Deco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base metal | MS with powder coat | SS 304 | Solid brass | MS with PU paint | Aluminium | Brass with PVD |
| Section | 40x40x3mm SHS | 50x50x3mm SHS | Solid 12mm bar | 40x40mm with beading | 40x20mm | 30x30mm with reveal |
| Joint | Welded, ground flush | Welded and polished | Brazed | Welded, filled and painted | Welded | Welded, ground and PVD coated |
| Finish | Matt black powder coat | Brushed 320 grit | Hand-antiqued | Painted, satin | Anodised matt | PVD gold, mirror |
| Coating thickness | 60 micron | Passivated | Lacquered | 80 micron | 25 micron anodised | PVD 0.5 micron over polish |
| Corrosion protection | Zinc primer | Grade 304 minimum | Lacquer | Zinc primer, two-pack | Anodised | PVD over 316 |
| Fixing | Chemical anchor to slab | Chemical anchor | Concealed plate | Anchor with cover plate | Concealed clip | Concealed plate |
| Tolerance | ±2mm | ±1mm | Hand-fitted | ±2mm | ±1mm | ±1mm |
Before you commit
How to choose antique finish
Six checks that prevent the failures we are most often called to fix.
- Specify the base metal and the grade, not just the finish. A PVD gold finish over mild steel and over 316 stainless are two different products with the same photograph.
- In coastal cities use 316 rather than 304 for anything external or in a bathroom.
- Ask to see a welded and ground sample joint. That joint is the whole quality of the piece.
- Confirm how the piece is fixed back to structure, especially for railings and heavy screens.
- Get the finish sampled at the size it will be seen. Brushed and mirror finishes look entirely different at 30mm and at 3m.
- Plan for on-site touch-up. Metalwork gets marked during installation, and a finish that cannot be touched up on site will be marked forever.
Bangalore
Antique Finish in Bangalore
What the city's climate, water, housing stock and society rules mean for this specification.
Most of our work is in Bangalore, and the city sets a few conditions worth knowing before specifying antique finish. The climate is the kindest in India to timber and joinery — no extreme dry heat, no coastal salt — but the monsoon runs long, and humidity between June and October is what tests every edge, seal and ventilation gap in a home.
Most societies here allow work between roughly 9am and 6pm, restrict Sundays, require a service-lift booking and hold a debris deposit. That schedule is written into the programme at the start, because a plan that assumes twelve working hours a day will slip in its first week.
Traffic decides delivery windows more than distance does. Material moving to Whitefield, Sarjapur or Electronic City is scheduled outside peak hours, and large items are checked against the lift and stair turn before the order rather than on delivery day.
Dust along the metro and ORR construction corridors is a real specification input. Sealed joinery, washable finishes and casement or sliding windows with good seals pay for themselves in these pockets in the first year.
We survey in Bangalore at no charge, take our own dimensions and come back with a layout, a material direction and a line-by-line estimate.
Sizing
Antique Finish by home size
Quantities below are the areas we typically specify antique finish for, by home size. They assume a straight lay with a 10 to 12 per cent reserve from the same lot.
| Home size | Typical scope | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 BHK | 180–260 sq ft | Compact planning, one clear gesture |
| 2 BHK | 320–420 sq ft | Standard scope, most common brief |
| 3 BHK | 480–650 sq ft | Full scope with storage planned in litres |
| 4 BHK | 700–900 sq ft | Extended scope, bespoke elements |
| 4+ BHK / Villa | 1,100 sq ft and above | Villa scale, bespoke throughout |
Cost
What moves the price of antique finish
We quote line by line rather than per square foot, because these are the items that actually differ between two estimates.
- Base metal and grade.
- Finish process — powder coat, anodising and PVD sit at three levels.
- Fabrication complexity and the amount of hand-finishing at joints.
- Site installation access, particularly for staircases and large screens.
- Structural fixings and any engineering sign-off required.
Process
How the work runs
Five stages, with the decisions each one locks.
We measure the space ourselves rather than working from the builder's drawing, note the services, water quality, daylight and society rules, and write down how the room is actually used. Antique Finish is specified against that survey, not against a catalogue.
Plans, elevations and details, with the specification written as grades and dimensions. You approve an elevation, not a render — this is the stage where changes cost nothing.
Material, finish, hardware and services are locked, and the estimate becomes a line-by-line document. We tell you exactly what this date locks and what can still change afterwards.
Factory production runs to the approved drawing while site work is prepared. Material is checked against the approved sample on arrival, in daylight, and stored correctly until the programme calls for it.
Installation, testing, snagging and a documentation file with drawings, warranties, decor codes and hardware models. A first-year service visit is scheduled at handover.
Living with it
Maintaining antique finish
The honest routine, and the mistakes that cost the most to undo.
Care and maintenance
- Dry-wipe only. Household cleaners strip lacquer from brass and dull PVD coatings.
- Touch up chips in powder coating promptly; corrosion starts at the chip, not the surface.
- Check anchor fixings on railings annually.
- Allow living finishes such as unlacquered brass to patinate rather than polishing them back, or commit to polishing on a schedule.
What goes wrong
- Grade 304 stainless in a coastal balcony, which will show tea-staining within a year.
- Welds ground on site instead of in the workshop.
- Powder coating applied over inadequate surface preparation.
- Ordering before the civil dimensions are final, since metalwork has no tolerance to absorb.
Detailing
Antique Finish detailing notes
The small decisions that separate built work from assembled work.
Keep the grain direction of a brushed finish consistent across a run — vertical on posts, horizontal on rails, decided once.
A 10mm reveal between metal and adjacent stone or timber hides tolerance and reads as intent.
Handrails should be warm to touch and comfortable in the hand: 40 to 50mm diameter with a smooth radius, never a sharp-edged flat bar.
Balustrade infill spacing must be under 100mm where children use the stair, which is a code question before it is a design one.
Questions
Antique Finish — answered
Is Antique Finish suitable for coastal cities?
With the right grade, yes. Use 316 stainless or properly coated brass externally; 304 will tea-stain and mild steel will fail regardless of the paint.
How is the finish protected?
Powder coating, anodising, lacquer or PVD, chosen for the exposure. Each has a different repairability, which matters more over ten years than the initial look.
Can it be fabricated to a custom design?
Yes — bespoke fabrication is the normal case for railings, screens and furniture bases. It starts with a shop drawing approved against site dimensions.
How long does it take?
Three to six weeks from approved shop drawing, plus site fixing. Metalwork is measured after the civil work is complete because it has no tolerance to absorb.
Will brass tarnish?
Unlacquered brass patinates and is meant to. Lacquered and PVD finishes stay bright but cannot be polished back if the coating is damaged, so the choice is about which ageing you want.
What maintenance is needed?
A dry wipe, prompt touch-up of chips, and an annual check of fixings on anything structural.
Do you work on antique finish projects across Bangalore?
Yes — Bangalore is where most of our projects are, from apartments along Sarjapur Road, Whitefield and Hebbal to independent homes in Jayanagar, Indiranagar and Malleshwaram. We survey the space ourselves, work within the society's access and working-hour rules, and hand over with a documentation file. There is a dedicated page for our work in the city if you want the full picture.
Does Bangalore's climate or water affect this choice?
The climate helps and the water does not. Mild year-round temperatures are kinder to timber and joinery than almost any other Indian city, so craft detailing lasts. Hard borewell water in the eastern and northern corridors is the real constraint — it scales glass, chrome and stone, and it changes what we specify and what maintenance we ask the family to commit to.
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Next step
Planning antique finish for your home?
Send your floor plan and we come back with a layout, a material direction and a line-by-line estimate. Free survey across Bangalore.