Copper Plating in Lexington, KY

Lexington is surrounded by horse farms, with board fences, stone walls and handsome barns full of hardware that sees hard use. Downtown, Gratz Park has some of the city's oldest homes. Humid summers and damp winters wear down the finishes on barn latches, stall fittings and porch lanterns alike.

Plating is a bit like getting a horse ready for the show ring. First comes a good bath to get every bit of dirt out, then brushing to smooth the coat, and finally a finishing spray so the shine lasts. On metal, stripping is the bath, polishing is the brushing, and lacquer is the shine spray over the copper.

Horse farms send barn door hardware, nameplates for stalls and decorative weathervane parts. The university and medical center order plaques and signage. Homeowners in Chevy Chase and Ashland Park send door sets and lanterns.

Tell us what the part is and what you want it to become. Send a few photos and the base metal if you know it, and we will recommend the right copper process, explain the preparation it needs and send back a written quote.

Barns are dusty, damp and full of things that stain metal, from fly spray to liniment. Wipe copper hardware with a damp cloth every few weeks and dry it. Lacquered copper resists most barn grime well, as long as nothing sits on it for long.

At home, humid Kentucky summers darken bare copper quickly, so lacquer is worth it on porch fixtures. Towel off lanterns after storms. In winter, rinse salt splash off entry hardware once the weather warms, then dry it.

If you prefer a living finish, we can leave the copper unsealed so it develops its own patina over time. That choice works well on rustic lighting, garden pieces and bar tops where the aging is part of the character.

When a lacquered piece starts to show dark spots, the coating has failed somewhere. Bring it back and we can strip the old lacquer, rebuff the copper and seal it again, usually without replating the whole part.