A Touch of Brass Hardware Blog

New to our Blog? Feel free to share your comments at the bottom of each post!

Oct

15

How To Order a Portland Willamette Fireplace Door: Trimfyre Edition

How To Order a Portland Willamette Trimfyre Fireplace Door

Trimfyre in Polished Brass with Clear Glass

Trimfyre in Polished Brass with Clear Glass

  1. Size - Measure the height and width of your fireplace opening. Don’t measure the doors you have on now. Measure the bare opening. The price listed is the base price for all doors less than 50″ wide and 40″ tall. If your door is outside of that range please call or email for a quote.
  2. Door Type - What type of door would you like? You have three styles to choose from:
    • Full-Fold Doors: These doors fold in half and swing out to either side of the fireplace opening. This is our most popular style of door.
    • Cabinet Doors: These doors fold out to either side of the fireplace opening but do not fold in half. Cabinet doors create a traditional, old-fashioned look.
    • Bi-Fold, In-track doors: Very similar to full-fold doors, except they are in a track and do not fold out to the side of the fireplace opening. Bi-Fold doors are an additional $150 dollars.
  3. Frame Finish and Door Trim Finish - The frame and the door trim can be the same finish or different finishes. You may want a darker finish for the frame but a bright finish on the door trim. Click here to view finishes. A split finish between the frame and the door trim is an additional $50 to the base price listed above.
  4. Glass Color - Clear glass is standard for all fireplace doors but you can choose glass with a black, smoked or bronze tint. Click here to view glass options. Tinted glass is an additional $65 to the base price listed above.
  5. Mesh - Mesh is available in two types:
    • Sliding Mesh: Sliding mesh, also called hanging mesh, opens and closes like a curtain. It is the most common popular type of mesh. Sliding mesh is an additonal $70 over the base price.
    • Gate Mesh: Gate mesh looks like a tiny screen door inside your fireplace and opens by swinging out to each side of your fireplace opening, like a cabinet door. Gated Mesh is an additional $200 and is not available with Bi-fold, in-track doors.
    • No Mesh: This is also an option. Mesh is recommended for all fireplace doors but not a necessity. Mesh is used as a safety precaution to catch falling logs or stray embers from leaving the fireplace when the doors are open. If you choose no mesh be certain to minimize the amount of time you fireplace doors are open.

  6. Beveled Glass - “Beveled” means the outer edge of the glass will angle into the door trim, creating a more stylish look than plain, flat glass. Beveled glass is an additional $65.

Oct

12

Don’t Wait for Winter, Get Your New Fireplace Doors Now!

Newcastle fireplace

Newcastle fireplace

Is your fireplace ready for winter? Experts are predicting that this winter will be a rough one, especially in the Northeast. Last winter we got off easy and this year we’re going to pay for it. You can spend those snowed in days by the fire but only if you act fast! No fireplace is efficient or safe without a proper set of fireplace doors. Here are some reasons to buy yours right now! Read the rest of this entry »

Oct

11

Come See Us at the Baltimore Convention Center!

Jim Long, owner and president of A Touch of Brass, will be at the Baltimore Convention Center this week for the remodeling show. Jim will be at the NAHB boot from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Thursday and 9 am. - 2 p.m. on Friday. Stop in, say hi and ask Jim for tips, deals or anything else you have on your mind.

Want a free pass? Text or call Jim at 443-250-3851 to and Jim will provide you one of his limited free passes! There are a limited number of passes so call quick!

You can learn more about the show here!

Sep

06

How To Replace Your Baldwin or Emtek Door Knocker

A door knocker can be the most important piece of hardware you own. When guests arrive at your front door they don’t look at your hinges or your kickplate or even your handleset. Why would they? None of those things are at eye level or require any attention. They will notice the one piece of hardware that is staring them right in the face and they are expected to use: your door knocker.

If it looks rusty, weathered or shabby then your guests will brace themselfves for the disaster area waiting for them on the other side. If it looks great then they might just stand up a little straighter and get ready to “ooh” and “aah” at the beautiful home they are about to behold.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sep

06

Free Shipping On All Orders Over $299!

A Touch of Brass is offering Free Shipping on all orders over $299 from now until the end of 2012!

All other orders being shipped within the continental United States will have a flat shipping rate of $9.95!Figuring out your shipping cost couldn’t be easier.

Sep

05

Brass Bar Railings

Brass bar railings are a simple way to make your bar or parlor exceptional. Adding brass hand or foot rails may seem complex but it’s really not.

To order brass bar railings you need to know three things:

  • How much bar railing do you need? Bar railing is sold by the foot so’ll you’ll need to easure the length of the bar or wall you’ll be lining with bar railing.
  • How do you need the bar railing to be cut? Bar railins comes in 12 foot lengths but you probably will need something smaller which means you’ll need it cut down. If your bar is 6 feet on one side and 4 feet on the other than you’ll need the railing cut into three lengths. There is a $5 charge for each cut so if you’re capable you can save money by doing the cuts yourself.
  • How will you mount your railing? You can use a combination of brackets, elbows, flanges and end caps to secure your railing to the bar cap the ends.

If you need assistance ordering your bar railing please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!

Sep

05

What is Door Handing

What is Door Handing?

If you’re ordering a lock for your door you will be asked how your door is handed. You probably have no idea what that means.
Read the rest of this entry »

Aug

24

How To Choose The Right Fireplace Door


Whether they’re from Bosse, Diamond W or Portland Willamette, A Touch Of Brass offers some tips on how to shop for glass fireplace doors.


I realize spring may be an odd time to talk about the fireplace doors we carry at A Touch Of Brass. But there are some good reasons why I bring them up.

Read the rest of this entry »

Aug

23

Why Shop At A Touch of Brass? Quality vs. Quantity

It’s a fair question. Why not just go to your local big box hardware store? The stuff is probably cheaper, you’ll have it today and you’ll be done.  Why pay a little more, wait a little longer and keep this project on my to do list? It’s a door knob for pete’s sake.

I hear what you’re saying and a lot of people feel that way. Actually, most people feel that way. That’s how bix box hardware stores stay in business. They sell alot of things really fast to as many people as possible. Because so many people buy it they sell it as cheaply as possible and that gets more people to buy and the price goes down more and the cycle goes on and on.

Guess what doesn’t fit in the cycle? Quality.

At A Touch of Brass it isn’t our goal to sell to everyone. We want to work with people that undersand the value of quality. What you put into your home, the door knobs, the switchplates, the bath hardware, etc. should be the highest quality you can reasonably afford. What you buy should look great, work perfectly and last as long as any product of its kind.

We put value on quality products and quality service. We can’t tell you what you should want but we can tell you what you’ll need to get what you want. We don’t wear aprons and try to upsell you a new power drill and we don’t run from aisle to aisle answering calls. We just talk to you, find out what you want and help you to get it.

If you want to get exactly what you want and you want what you get to look great, work well and last long then let us help you get the job done.

Call us with any questions at 1-800-272-7734 or send your questions to Ask Jim! We really are happy to help!

Aug

22

How To Measure Your Door Thickness

When you buy a new door knob, door lever, deadbolt or front door handleset you need to know what your door thickness is. Let’s go over why it’s important and what you have to do to get the right measuremnt.

Your knob, lever, etc. will have two sides to it that will go on either side of the door. These two sides will be connected by screws. These screws must be long enough to fit through the door and secure the two sides of the lock together but not too long or else they’ll stick out too far and ruin the aesthetic and the functionality of the door.

So when you know you’re door thickness you really know what size screws you’ll need to put your lock together.

To measure your door thickness just open your door and look at it so you have the same view as the image above. Hold a tape measure flat to the edge of the door and record the measurement.

Most doors are 1 3/4″ thick. This is the standard measurement for all of our locks and the size of the screws included. If your doors are thicker than 1 3/4″ that’s okay! We can use something called a thick door conversion kit that includes longer screws to accomodate thicker doors. If your door is thinner your options are a little more limited but we may be able to figure something out.

Call 1-800-272-7734 to ask us about door thickness related problems or Ask Jim! We’ll get back to you within a few hours!

Recent Blog Posts

How To Order a Portland Willamette Fireplace Door: Trimfyre Edition
How To Order a Portland Willamette Trimfyre Fireplace Door Trimfyre in Polished Brass with Clear Glass Size - Measure the height...
Continue Reading»

Don’t Wait for Winter, Get Your New Fireplace Doors Now!
Newcastle fireplace Is your fireplace ready for winter? Experts are predicting that this winter will be a rough one,...
Continue Reading»

Come See Us at the Baltimore Convention Center!
Jim Long, owner and president of A Touch of Brass, will be at the Baltimore Convention Center this week for...
Continue Reading»

How To Replace Your Baldwin or Emtek Door Knocker
A door knocker can be the most important piece of hardware you own. When guests arrive at your front...
Continue Reading»

Free Shipping On All Orders Over $299!
A Touch of Brass is offering Free Shipping on all orders over $299 from now until the end of 2012! All...
Continue Reading»

Subscribe to RSS Feed What is RSS?

Join Our Home Newsletter

Get monthly members only specials. You can save hundreds!


We Value Your Privacy.