YOUR METAL FINISH SUPPLIER
When it comes to metal finishing, there’s a lot to get your head around. Some people know what they want and know how to get it. Others have a vague idea but have no clue how to bring it to life. Many are somewhere in between.
You could be a builder, a fabricator, a designer, or an architect. You could be the one planning the finish, or simply the one putting the pieces together. Whichever you are, you should always be able to get the finished product you want and need. Which is what we aim to deliver here at Astor.
Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t completely understand what we do and how we do it. Some don’t have the time to find out. Others simply haven’t had the chance to work with prestigious metal finishes, so aren’t aware of our work. So, regardless of your level of knowledge, we aim to make metal finishing accessible to all.
We find one of the biggest hurdles for those looking for metal finishes is just getting started. So, when you come to Astor, are you in the right place? And what services can (and should) you expect?
Specifiers, Architects & Designers
‘The look’ is important. But getting the right one takes more than a good eye. Astor will help you by offering:
A full service.
A finish needs to look good AND perform the way you want it to. By asking, “what are you going to do with it?” we can give you the extra information (and comfort) you need to ensure you’re heading in the right direction. Refer to Applications here for an overview.
An appropriate end product.
By offering the full service, you’ll get peace of mind that you’re using your finish in the right place, and that the rest of the people on the project (those building and installing) can honour your specification. Ensuring your finish is appropriate for the application, use and build at the start of a project, means there won’t be changes required at a later stage.
To ensure this happens, we stay within your schedule format, and give you detailed information to put into your finishes schedule.
Ongoing education and support.
If you’re very knowledgeable about metal finishes, then that’s great. But if you’re not, that’s ok too. In fact, we welcome it. We focus time and effort on teaching and educating, and encourage you to explore our website and online guides. It’s important to us that you’re well informed and not confused.
Fabricators
For the thousands of metal fabricators we work with, it’s all about a practical solution to what can sometimes be a tricky problem. Astor will help you by offering:
Base metal advice.
Metals come with many different parameters that can make your job particularly difficult. Sometimes, your chosen metal won’t be practical for you – it’s too soft, too heavy, too expensive. We can help you find the metal that will give the look and the buildability that you need. We’ll help you to make it feasible and buildable, and then we will work to the finish you need.
Finish changes.
As a fabricator, you can be limited to what is available on the market. Hardware, tapware, furniture – it all comes with its own finish, and the options are usually limited (see chrome.) At Astor, we see this issue frequently. So, we strip and change finishes of nearly any product, giving you a quick and economical solution.
Project Managers & Builders
The first and last link in the chain, projects managers and builders have the overarching responsibility to the clients to endorse a solution that is time, cost and quality friendly. Astor will help you by offering:
High-level project information.
Not all project managers want to (or need to) know all the nuts and bolts of a metal finish. But you certainly need a high-level view of the product itself, to know it’s the right product, the right finish, and that it’s suitable and timely (not to mention the cost and the warranty.) Astor can work with you to provide this information, and even work backwards to ensure the specified look meets cost,time, or capacity parameters.
Finish matching.
All the different pieces and parts of a project come to you to be put together. They’ve likely been chosen by different people, and supplied by different trades or suppliers. And it’s rare that they’ll all match. From tapware, to furniture, bathroom fittings and lighting signage, Astor can refinish all metal components to match them all to the control sample we have discussed with the specifier.
A simple, one-stop-shop.
These mismatched items could number a few, a dozen, or hundreds. Simply send them as a batch lot to Astor, and we’ll match them all in one go – regardless of metal or finish. It’s a quick and economical solution when you find yourself with a collection of mismatched items.
communication is key
You might not be wondering what we can do for you in particular, but what we can do in general. Is the size of the job or the uniqueness of the need going to be a problem for us? The answer is no, not at all.
Whether you’re a big project manager of a multinational corporation or hotel group, or an individual who wants a bike part finished, we can help you. (And we have helped many like you). From kilometres worth of handrails for university campuses and skirting for airport terminals, to refinishing 1960’s Breuer chairs and an art deco drink trolley – we’ve done it.
What we can’t do is deliver on something we don’t know about. We know that time, quality and costs – the “triple bottom line” – are vital for any project. To meet all three needs, communication is a must. To get the best results, you should:
- Talk to us early. The sooner we know about the project, the easier we can meet your needs and get it done within existing parameters.
- Be open and honest. We aim to meet every need where possible. If you have a special requirement or a last-minute change, let us know so we can work around it.
- Invite multiple stakeholders to the conversation. We tend to talk to just one person on the project, but there are actually multiple people we could be talking to. Involve all the key stakeholders for an improved outcome.
While getting the perfect look and application requires a good eye and the right base metal, something as simple as planning early and engaging expertise can make the biggest difference in the finished product.
If you want to get started on finding the right finish, our online specification tool can help guide you. For more information on how Astor can help you with a project, click here to speak to the Astor team.