Metal Man Restoration restores antique and architectural hardware for Manhattan’s prewar co-ops, brownstones, landmark buildings, and residences. We clean, polish, repair, re-plate, and refinish door and cabinet hardware, and we can fabricate missing pieces to match. Original hardware is part of a building’s character, and restoring it almost always beats replacing it with a modern reproduction.
Manhattan Hardware We Restore
Manhattan’s older buildings are full of solid, well-made hardware that is worth saving. The pieces we restore include:
- Door hardware, including knobs, levers, handles, hinges, escutcheons, and mortise locks
- Cabinet and furniture hardware
- Window hardware and sash fittings
- Decorative and ornamental hardware in lobbies and entrances
- Push plates, kick plates, and mail slots
What Hardware Restoration Involves
Each piece is stripped of old paint and failed finish, cleaned, and polished, then repaired or re-plated as needed and sealed to protect it. Solid brass and bronze can be polished and lacquered, while worn plated hardware is stripped and re-plated. When a piece is missing or broken beyond repair, our shop can cast or fabricate a match. For plated finishes, see our metal plating in Manhattan.
Why Restore Hardware Instead of Replacing It?
Original Manhattan hardware was made from solid metal to a standard that modern reproductions rarely match. In a prewar co-op or a landmark building, mismatched or reproduction hardware stands out and can even run into landmark and board approval issues. Restoring the original keeps the look correct, the quality high, and the building’s character intact.
Metal Man’s Manhattan Experience
Metal Man has restored metal across Manhattan’s landmark and prewar buildings, including bronze work at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House and the doors at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. Hardware restoration draws on the same skills and the same shop, whether it is a single antique door set or the hardware throughout a building.
Neighborhoods We Serve Across Manhattan
On the Upper East and Upper West Sides, we restore prewar co-op and brownstone door hardware. Across Midtown, it is lobby and office hardware. In the Financial District and Lower Manhattan, it is landmark building and civic hardware. Wherever the piece comes from, we match the finish and keep the character.
Common Questions About Hardware Restoration in Manhattan
These are the questions Manhattan owners, boards, and designers ask us most about restoring hardware.
Can you restore hardware that has been painted over?
Yes. Layers of old paint are common on Manhattan door hardware. We strip the paint, reveal the original metal, and restore the finish. In most cases the piece looks far better than a modern replacement.
Can you match hardware if some pieces are missing?
Yes. Our shop can cast or fabricate replacements to match your existing hardware, so a set stays complete and consistent rather than mixing old and new.
Do you re-plate as well as polish?
Yes. Solid brass or bronze is polished and sealed, while worn plated hardware is stripped and re-plated in nickel, chrome, brass, or another finish to match the original.
Is hardware restoration done in your shop?
Yes. Hardware is removed, restored in our shop, and returned for reinstallation. For a Manhattan building, we coordinate the removal and return so the disruption is minimal.
Is restored hardware acceptable in a landmark building?
Usually restoring original hardware is preferred over replacement in landmark and prewar buildings, because it preserves the original material. We can work within a building’s board or landmark requirements.
Restore Your Manhattan Hardware
If you have antique or architectural hardware in Manhattan that needs restoration, trust the shop behind the Hamilton Custom House and St. Ignatius Loyola. Fill out the form below, or call (914) 662-4218, and we will bring your hardware back.