Archive for January, 2010
Jan
31
My Vent Opening Is An Unusual Size!
We hear this all the time: “My vent opening is an unusual size!” or “None of your registers will work for my vent.”
Having an uncommonly sized floor vent is a very common problem. Home builders and HVAC specialists can’t see to agree on one set of standard sizes. Many, many homeowners have floor and wall vents that they can’t find a floor register or wall register to fit.
We have a solution. We can make custome made floor and wall grilles. Any size you need.
If you have questions about what size will work best for you please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
30
Winter-Proof Your Home With a New Fireplace Enclosure
Every winter we’re bombarded with harsh weather and harsher heating bills. A new set of fireplace doors can protect you against both.
Nothing fights winter cold like a warm, glowing fire. To really enjoy the pleasure and comfort of a fire in the fireplace you’ll want to have fireplace doors that open and close smoothly and a mesh screen that will keep your fire secure. Helping you warm your house is only one benefit of a tightly sealed fireplace doors, they can also help you keep all that hard-earned heat you are paying for!
A fireplace is basically a hole in the center of your home. If that hole isn’t sealed then all of the heat in your house will escape through it. Tightly fitted fireplace doors with a good seal and quality installation will stop your fireplace from turning into a black hole of heat and warmth.
Spend the rest of this winter warm and worry-free. Get a new set of fireplace doors today!
Jan
29
Brass Elegans Copper Sinks Now Available! Free Shipping!
We now offer 100% copper sinks by Brass Elegans. These beautiful sinks are hand hammered and come available in pewter or antique brass finishes. If you want to give your kitchen, bathroom or powder room a makeover then a new sink is the best way to start.
From the rustic farmhouse sink to the suave Fleur-De-Li vessel sinks, we have a style and design for everyone, no matter what their taste or decor.
All of these sinks are in stock and will ship next business day and all of these sinks will ship for free!
If you have a question about sinks please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
28
Brass Elegans Stair Carpet Holders Now Available!
A Touch of Brass is proud to announce that we now sell solid brass stair carpet holders by Brass Elegans.
Lavishly carpeted staircases are a rare sight these days but there is no better way to make your home stand out with class and style. These elegant pieces of hardware will enhance your staircase as much as the carpet does!
We have four different types of solid brass stair holders: Plain, Roped, Reeded and Solid Core. Each rod is 5/8″ thick and hollow, except for the solid core rod. The solid core rod is solid and 1/2″ in diameter.
All of our stair carpet rods come in four finishes and three different sizes. You can choose a polished brass, antique brass, dark bronze or satin nickel finish. The rods are available in 28″, 36″ and 48″ lengths.
If you have any questions about stair carpet holders please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or just Ask Jim!
Jan
27
Portland Willamette Slimfyre Fireplace Doors
The Slimfyre Fireplace Doors by Portland Willamette are a stylish and economical way to decorate your masonry fireplace. The Slimfyre stands out because of its subtle look and sturdy steel frame.
Like every all fireplace doors by Portland Willamette fireplace door, the Slimfyre ships for free within 2-4 weeks after you place your order. It is easy to install and will be the perfect finishing touch for your hearth.
It comes available in any of these finishes and you can choose any of these glass options. All Portland Willamette glass doors come with a lifetime guarantee on the glass so you’ll never have to worry about it breaking.
Even though it’s modestly priced, this is a custom made door. Once we recieve the measurements of your fireplace opening we’ll have the door made to those exact specifications. The Slimfyre can be made to fit your fireplace in one of three ways:
- Overlap - This is the standard fit for most fireplaces. The doors fit inside the opening and the frame overlaps the edges of your opening. This is the easiest type of door to measure, fit and install.
- Inside Fit - An inside fit door doesn’t overlap the edges of the fireplace opening at all. It fits completely inside the opening so you have a complete view of the brick or stone fireplace. Nothing is concealed.
- Exact Fit - We make the doors to your exact measurements. You tell us how big the frame should be and we’ll make it that exact size. It is important to measure carefully no matter what type of fit you choose but with an Exact Fit order there is absolutely no room for error.
You can also choose between cabinet style and full-fold doors, beveled or flat glass and your choice of mesh. You have three options: no mesh, gated mesh or sliding mesh. No mesh is the least expensive and gates mesh is the highest rated. Sliding mesh is the middleground option that most people choose.
With all of these options available you really can order the perfect fireplace for your home!
Click here to learn more about the Slimfyre Fireplace doors!
If you have any questions about The Portland Willamette Slimfyre Doors please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
26
How To Buy A New Fireplace Door Step #4: Rectangular or Arched?
The next step in selecting a new fireplace door is picking the shape of your door. Do you want it to be arched or square?
That’s assuming you already know what type of fireplace you have, you’ve measured your fireplace opening and you know what style of doors will work best. These steps are all necessities. From here on out it’s all about preferences and what fits your personal style.
If your fireplace opening is arched then you need an arched door. They are’t common. Click here or here to view our fireplaces that will fit an arch-shaped opening.
If your fireplace opening is square then you can choose a fireplace door that is either squared (also called rectangular) or arched.
“Wait a minute,” you might be saying, “How can my doors be arched if my opening is square?”
Good question. The doors will basically cut out an arched shape in your opening. The glass will be arched shape and the frame will fill in the upper corners of your opening. You’ll be reforming your fireplace without having to touch the brick or stone at all. The “square-to-arched” option is only available for masonry doors.
Arched doors can cost more than rectangular doors they reduce the size of the fireplace opening. If you want your fireplace to seem as big as possible or if you have a small fireplace and don’t want it to seem smaller than square doors are your best choice.
If you have any questions about what shape of doors would work best for you please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
25
Buying The Best Floor Register Tip #3: Prepare for the worst
In this entry to our Buying the Best Floor Register Series I want to follow up on the first two tips about buying it once and making it last by asking you to “prepare for the worst” when you buy your floor register. This might sound grim but it’s not. Sometimes a customer will buy a register and they’ll already have a reservation or a worry about how long it will last or how well it will function. Usually these fears aren’t unfounded. A steel register in a high moisture room or an aluminum register in an area of foot traffic. The customers who bought these registers left the store already worrying about rust from the high moiture and dents from the high foot traffic, and eventually there fears were realized. Prepare for the worst so you don’t end up in their shoes.
Think about where you’ll place your registers and what dangers it will face and then ask yourself how well that register will do. If you think it won’t do well at all then it probably won’t. Get a different one, no matter how fond you were of you’re first choice. When your second choice is still going strong three presidential administrations later, you’ll be glad you did.
Jan
24
Got a question? Give us a call!
Buying hardware can be complicated. We do everthing we can to make purchasing hardware from A Touch of Brass a simple process but we can’t cover every possible hardware scenario. If you have a question and can’t find the answer on our site then give us a call!
We are happy to take your call and answer any questions you have. That’s what we’re here for! The staff at A Touch of Brass has been answering questions about brass hardware for over 35 years. We pride ourselves on helping contractors, homeowners and anyone else with a home improvement conundrum.
Please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim! We’ll find the solution together!
Jan
23
Emtek Cabinet Hardware Ships Fast and Free!
If you need top quality cabinet hardware and you need it soon, Emtek is probably your best bet. Emtek has a complete line of cabinet knobs, cabinet pulls and cabinet accessories to fulfill any need you’ll have.
Emtek cabinet hardware is always in stock. You won’t have to delay your home improvement plans because of long waits or unexpected delays. It’s in the warehouse and ready to go! If it is out of stock we will notify you immediately and work with you to come up with the best solution possible. We will get you what you need!
Emtek cabinet hardware ships fast. After you place your order it will ship within two to four days. Orders ship by UPS ground and will reach anywhere in the continental US within one week of being shipped. Most orders only take 2-3 days to arrive at their destination!
Emtek hardware always ships for free with any order over $35! Emtek products, just like most of our products, ship completely for free whenever your order total is over $35! Every cent you spend goes towards quality hardware and nothing else. You pay for the hardware and the shipping is on us. It’s our way of saying thanks for choosing A Touch of Brass.
If you have any questions about cabinet hardware please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or just send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
22
How To Buy Cabinet Hardware #1: New or Used
Cabinet hardware can be tricky business. The options are nearly infintesimal. Finding the perfect cabinet hardware can turn into a full time job, if you let it. The best way to avoid that is to decide what you want and then find it. Don’t just go on a shopping walkabout until the right piece of cabinet hardware is staring you in the face. Plan ahead to save yourself money, time and a lot of unnecessary headaches.
You’re going to have to choose between cabinet knobs and cabinet pulls. Both are wonderful ways to decorate your cabinets the only real difference is how they are installed. To install a cabinet knob you’ll drill one hole and screw the knob in. To install a cabinet pull you’ll drill two holes.
If your cabinet doors are blank then you can choose either one with no worries. You’re starting with a blank slate. If your cabinet doors have knobs or pulls already installed, it gets a little more complicated:
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
31
My Vent Opening Is An Unusual Size!
We hear this all the time: “My vent opening is an unusual size!” or “None of your registers will work for my vent.”
Having an uncommonly sized floor vent is a very common problem. Home builders and HVAC specialists can’t see to agree on one set of standard sizes. Many, many homeowners have floor and wall vents that they can’t find a floor register or wall register to fit.
We have a solution. We can make custome made floor and wall grilles. Any size you need.
If you have questions about what size will work best for you please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
30
Winter-Proof Your Home With a New Fireplace Enclosure
Every winter we’re bombarded with harsh weather and harsher heating bills. A new set of fireplace doors can protect you against both.
Nothing fights winter cold like a warm, glowing fire. To really enjoy the pleasure and comfort of a fire in the fireplace you’ll want to have fireplace doors that open and close smoothly and a mesh screen that will keep your fire secure. Helping you warm your house is only one benefit of a tightly sealed fireplace doors, they can also help you keep all that hard-earned heat you are paying for!
A fireplace is basically a hole in the center of your home. If that hole isn’t sealed then all of the heat in your house will escape through it. Tightly fitted fireplace doors with a good seal and quality installation will stop your fireplace from turning into a black hole of heat and warmth.
Spend the rest of this winter warm and worry-free. Get a new set of fireplace doors today!
Jan
29
Brass Elegans Copper Sinks Now Available! Free Shipping!
We now offer 100% copper sinks by Brass Elegans. These beautiful sinks are hand hammered and come available in pewter or antique brass finishes. If you want to give your kitchen, bathroom or powder room a makeover then a new sink is the best way to start.
From the rustic farmhouse sink to the suave Fleur-De-Li vessel sinks, we have a style and design for everyone, no matter what their taste or decor.
All of these sinks are in stock and will ship next business day and all of these sinks will ship for free!
If you have a question about sinks please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
28
Brass Elegans Stair Carpet Holders Now Available!
A Touch of Brass is proud to announce that we now sell solid brass stair carpet holders by Brass Elegans.
Lavishly carpeted staircases are a rare sight these days but there is no better way to make your home stand out with class and style. These elegant pieces of hardware will enhance your staircase as much as the carpet does!
We have four different types of solid brass stair holders: Plain, Roped, Reeded and Solid Core. Each rod is 5/8″ thick and hollow, except for the solid core rod. The solid core rod is solid and 1/2″ in diameter.
All of our stair carpet rods come in four finishes and three different sizes. You can choose a polished brass, antique brass, dark bronze or satin nickel finish. The rods are available in 28″, 36″ and 48″ lengths.
If you have any questions about stair carpet holders please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or just Ask Jim!
Jan
27
Portland Willamette Slimfyre Fireplace Doors
The Slimfyre Fireplace Doors by Portland Willamette are a stylish and economical way to decorate your masonry fireplace. The Slimfyre stands out because of its subtle look and sturdy steel frame.
Like every all fireplace doors by Portland Willamette fireplace door, the Slimfyre ships for free within 2-4 weeks after you place your order. It is easy to install and will be the perfect finishing touch for your hearth.
It comes available in any of these finishes and you can choose any of these glass options. All Portland Willamette glass doors come with a lifetime guarantee on the glass so you’ll never have to worry about it breaking.
Even though it’s modestly priced, this is a custom made door. Once we recieve the measurements of your fireplace opening we’ll have the door made to those exact specifications. The Slimfyre can be made to fit your fireplace in one of three ways:
- Overlap - This is the standard fit for most fireplaces. The doors fit inside the opening and the frame overlaps the edges of your opening. This is the easiest type of door to measure, fit and install.
- Inside Fit - An inside fit door doesn’t overlap the edges of the fireplace opening at all. It fits completely inside the opening so you have a complete view of the brick or stone fireplace. Nothing is concealed.
- Exact Fit - We make the doors to your exact measurements. You tell us how big the frame should be and we’ll make it that exact size. It is important to measure carefully no matter what type of fit you choose but with an Exact Fit order there is absolutely no room for error.
You can also choose between cabinet style and full-fold doors, beveled or flat glass and your choice of mesh. You have three options: no mesh, gated mesh or sliding mesh. No mesh is the least expensive and gates mesh is the highest rated. Sliding mesh is the middleground option that most people choose.
With all of these options available you really can order the perfect fireplace for your home!
Click here to learn more about the Slimfyre Fireplace doors!
If you have any questions about The Portland Willamette Slimfyre Doors please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
26
How To Buy A New Fireplace Door Step #4: Rectangular or Arched?
The next step in selecting a new fireplace door is picking the shape of your door. Do you want it to be arched or square?
That’s assuming you already know what type of fireplace you have, you’ve measured your fireplace opening and you know what style of doors will work best. These steps are all necessities. From here on out it’s all about preferences and what fits your personal style.
If your fireplace opening is arched then you need an arched door. They are’t common. Click here or here to view our fireplaces that will fit an arch-shaped opening.
If your fireplace opening is square then you can choose a fireplace door that is either squared (also called rectangular) or arched.
“Wait a minute,” you might be saying, “How can my doors be arched if my opening is square?”
Good question. The doors will basically cut out an arched shape in your opening. The glass will be arched shape and the frame will fill in the upper corners of your opening. You’ll be reforming your fireplace without having to touch the brick or stone at all. The “square-to-arched” option is only available for masonry doors.
Arched doors can cost more than rectangular doors they reduce the size of the fireplace opening. If you want your fireplace to seem as big as possible or if you have a small fireplace and don’t want it to seem smaller than square doors are your best choice.
If you have any questions about what shape of doors would work best for you please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
25
Buying The Best Floor Register Tip #3: Prepare for the worst
In this entry to our Buying the Best Floor Register Series I want to follow up on the first two tips about buying it once and making it last by asking you to “prepare for the worst” when you buy your floor register. This might sound grim but it’s not. Sometimes a customer will buy a register and they’ll already have a reservation or a worry about how long it will last or how well it will function. Usually these fears aren’t unfounded. A steel register in a high moisture room or an aluminum register in an area of foot traffic. The customers who bought these registers left the store already worrying about rust from the high moiture and dents from the high foot traffic, and eventually there fears were realized. Prepare for the worst so you don’t end up in their shoes.
Think about where you’ll place your registers and what dangers it will face and then ask yourself how well that register will do. If you think it won’t do well at all then it probably won’t. Get a different one, no matter how fond you were of you’re first choice. When your second choice is still going strong three presidential administrations later, you’ll be glad you did.
Jan
24
Got a question? Give us a call!
Buying hardware can be complicated. We do everthing we can to make purchasing hardware from A Touch of Brass a simple process but we can’t cover every possible hardware scenario. If you have a question and can’t find the answer on our site then give us a call!
We are happy to take your call and answer any questions you have. That’s what we’re here for! The staff at A Touch of Brass has been answering questions about brass hardware for over 35 years. We pride ourselves on helping contractors, homeowners and anyone else with a home improvement conundrum.
Please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or send your question to Ask Jim! We’ll find the solution together!
Jan
23
Emtek Cabinet Hardware Ships Fast and Free!
If you need top quality cabinet hardware and you need it soon, Emtek is probably your best bet. Emtek has a complete line of cabinet knobs, cabinet pulls and cabinet accessories to fulfill any need you’ll have.
Emtek cabinet hardware is always in stock. You won’t have to delay your home improvement plans because of long waits or unexpected delays. It’s in the warehouse and ready to go! If it is out of stock we will notify you immediately and work with you to come up with the best solution possible. We will get you what you need!
Emtek cabinet hardware ships fast. After you place your order it will ship within two to four days. Orders ship by UPS ground and will reach anywhere in the continental US within one week of being shipped. Most orders only take 2-3 days to arrive at their destination!
Emtek hardware always ships for free with any order over $35! Emtek products, just like most of our products, ship completely for free whenever your order total is over $35! Every cent you spend goes towards quality hardware and nothing else. You pay for the hardware and the shipping is on us. It’s our way of saying thanks for choosing A Touch of Brass.
If you have any questions about cabinet hardware please call us at 1-800-272-7734 or just send your question to Ask Jim!
Jan
22
How To Buy Cabinet Hardware #1: New or Used
Cabinet hardware can be tricky business. The options are nearly infintesimal. Finding the perfect cabinet hardware can turn into a full time job, if you let it. The best way to avoid that is to decide what you want and then find it. Don’t just go on a shopping walkabout until the right piece of cabinet hardware is staring you in the face. Plan ahead to save yourself money, time and a lot of unnecessary headaches.
You’re going to have to choose between cabinet knobs and cabinet pulls. Both are wonderful ways to decorate your cabinets the only real difference is how they are installed. To install a cabinet knob you’ll drill one hole and screw the knob in. To install a cabinet pull you’ll drill two holes.
If your cabinet doors are blank then you can choose either one with no worries. You’re starting with a blank slate. If your cabinet doors have knobs or pulls already installed, it gets a little more complicated:
Read the rest of this entry »
