Specialty Restoration Services: The Short Answer
Beyond facades and lighting, Metal Man Restoration runs four specialty services: cast iron radiator restoration and repair, steel casement window restoration, marble and stone restoration, and architectural hardware restoration. Each one starts the same way, by stripping or assessing down to the original material, and each one exists because the original is usually worth keeping rather than replacing.
TLDR:
- Four specialty services share one shop: radiators, steel casement windows, stone, and hardware.
- Radiators are stripped, repaired, primed, and painted or hand polished, all in-house.
- Steel casements get dip-tank paint removal, welded joints, and matched replacement parts.
- Stone work covers marble, granite, terrazzo, and travertine floors and surfaces.
- Hardware covers door, window, and decorative hardware, refinished to the look you choose.
- Preservation guidance from the National Park Service favors repair over replacement.
- Real projects back each service, from the Upper West Side to Newark City Hall.
Most of the work that comes through our shop in Mount Vernon, NY is architectural metal, but a steady share is the specialty work around it. Owners of prewar apartments, property managers in Manhattan and the Bronx, and architects on landmark rehabs often need the radiators, windows, floors, or hardware handled by the same people doing the metal. This guide covers what each specialty service involves, so you know which one fits your building.
Have radiators, steel windows, stone, or hardware that need work? Send us photos, and we will tell you honestly what it needs and if it is worth restoring.
Four Specialty Services at a Glance
Each service has its own process, but they share a starting point: get down to the original material before deciding anything.
The sections below take each service in turn, with the project work behind it. Start with the one most buildings have in every room.
Cast Iron Radiator Restoration
A radiator painted over a dozen times loses its detail and heats worse than it should.
Our cast iron radiator restoration service repairs, restores, and refinishes traditional, antique, and second-hand radiators. Everything happens under one roof, from stripping and repair through polishing, color matching, and delivery. We collect radiators and return them finished, which matters when a single unit weighs several hundred pounds.
How the radiator process works
The full sequence is documented step by step in our radiator restoration process.
Each radiator is photographed for inventory, then soaked overnight in a hot stripping tank to lift paint, grime, and light rust inside and out. It is power washed, flushed, chemically stripped, and sandblasted. A PPG epoxy rust-inhibiting primer goes on next, followed by three coats of PPG polyurethane in the color you choose, matched to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams. Metallic finishes and polishing with patina are options too.
Repair, refurbishment, or hand polishing
Not every radiator needs the full treatment. A cast iron radiator repair fixes one fault: a cracked section, a leaking joint, or a broken foot. Some damage is beyond economic repair, and we will say so rather than take the job.
At the other end is hand polishing for cast iron radiators, a bare-metal finish that makes a radiator read as a furnishing rather than a utility. It is slow work, done by hand, after the radiator is stripped to clean iron.
A real radiator project
In October 2026 we restored five ornate Rococo II radiators from a home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Heavy white paint had filled in much of the relief. Our Rococo II radiator case study records the work: chemical stripping inside and out, bead blasting, sanding, polishing, and an oxidized finish that darkens the recesses, so the casting reads clearly.
We collect radiators across Westchester, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. If you are still weighing old against new, our comparison of restoring cast iron radiators versus buying new lays out the tradeoffs. Windows are the next system where the original usually beats the replacement.
Steel Casement Window Restoration
Rolled steel windows define the look of a lot of prewar buildings, and they are often removed for the wrong reasons.
The National Park Service’s Preservation Brief 13 on historic steel windows, published in 1984, says metal windows became popular after 1890. It also says that “in many cases, however, repair and retrofit of the historic windows are more economical than wholesale replacement,” and that replacement units are often unlike the originals in design and appearance.
How steel casements get restored
Our steel casement window restoration follows a set sequence for sash and frames:
- On-site review. Each unit is surveyed and marked in the field, so the right repair reaches the right window.
- Lead paint removal. Dip tanks with a liquid stripper handle sashes up to 8 feet by 8 feet, with less abrasion than other methods.
- Structural joints. Rusted joints at critical points are welded to regain the original strength of the sash and frame.
- Component replacement. Where only part of a sash has failed, new steel is fabricated to the same profile and welded in.
- Finish and glazing. Sanding and blasting, then glass set in silicone or putty, with a Tnemec rust-inhibiting primer in the glazing pocket.
Brief 13 also notes that “steel windows have historically been coated with lead paint,” which is why removal method matters. The EPA’s guidance on sources of lead exposure at home says a home built before 1978 is more likely to have lead-based paint.
Steel windows on a landmark rehab
A former medical center complex in Jersey City became The Beacon, and we handled the metal restoration for Buildings B and C. Our Jersey City Medical Center metalwork spotlight covers the bronze and steel casement windows and the bronze entranceways. It also covers the cast iron canopy and new radiator grilles fabricated to match the originals.
The same strip, repair, and refinish approach applies to cast iron windows. Our Harkness Tower cast iron window spotlight shows 27 windows from Yale’s tower restored that way. For borough buildings, see steel casement window restoration in Manhattan and in the Bronx.
Planning a steel window or radiator project on an older building? We survey the units first, then tell you what can be repaired, what needs new parts, and what it will take.
Marble and Stone Restoration
Our stone work is about the surfaces people walk on and touch: floors, lobbies, counters, and vanities.
The marble and stone restoration service covers marble, granite, terrazzo, and travertine. In most cases a dull, scratched floor is not damaged, it is worn. Honing removes a thin layer to take the scratches out, and polishing brings the finish back. Replacement is rarely necessary.
Etching, chips, and the right finish
Acid is the enemy of marble. The National Park Service’s Preservation Brief 1 on cleaning historic masonry, revised in 2000, warns that acidic cleaners “can be extremely damaging to acid-sensitive stones, such as marble and limestone, resulting in etching and dissolution of these stones.”
We polish acid etching out rather than covering it. Chips and cracks are matched for size, type, and color, filled with color-matched portland cement or epoxy resin, then honed flush. The finish is chosen for the room: high gloss shows every scuff, while a honed finish hides traffic in a busy entry. Sealing is part of the job.
Terrazzo and lobby floors
Terrazzo floor restoration adds one complication: the aggregate pattern has to carry through the repair. A close match is realistic on patterned terrazzo, and we will tell you before we start if a perfect one is not.
Commercial lobbies stay open while we work. We section the floor, contain dust, and schedule around building hours. Floors also have their own page for marble floor restoration and polishing, and Manhattan buildings are covered on our page for stone restoration in Manhattan. In a lobby, the stone usually sits right next to the last specialty: the hardware.
Architectural Hardware Restoration
Original hardware is often the detail that tells you a building’s age, and it rarely survives a replacement program.
Our architectural hardware restoration covers door hardware, hinges, metal trim, handrail brackets, doorbells and knockers, cupboard latches, window latches and lifts, fireplace hardware, mail slots, shelf brackets, and furniture and bed hardware. If it is metal, we can most likely restore it.
Finishes and on-site work
Finishes include hi-polish, butler, satin, brushed, and oxidized for an antique or weathered look. Interior and exterior lacquer, epoxy, and polyurethane coatings protect the result. Our locksmith, with more than 20 years of experience, works on the premises, and we offer installation as well.
When the finish has worn through to the base metal, plating is usually the answer. Our guide to architectural metal plating in brass, chrome, nickel, copper, and gold covers when re-plating makes sense.
Hardware on an award-winning landmark
Our Newark City Hall bronze restoration spotlight covers the 2006 project that included the bronze window hardware throughout the building. The pieces were stripped, glass-bead blasted, and oxidized to a statuary patina. The work earned the New Jersey Historical Restoration Award for the Exterior Restoration of Newark City Hall.
Manhattan property managers can see our hardware restoration in Manhattan as well. What ties all four services together is a single preservation principle.
Why Restoration Usually Beats Replacement
The case for restoring originals is not only aesthetic. It is the preservation standard.
The National Park Service’s page on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, last updated in 2026, states that “deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced.” Where replacement is unavoidable, the new feature has to match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities.
That is the logic behind each service here. A stripped radiator, a repaired steel casement, a honed marble floor, and a refinished door pull all keep the original in place. When something is truly gone, we fabricate to match, as we did with the radiator grilles at The Beacon. After the work is done, a scheduled architectural metal maintenance program keeps restored pieces in shape.
Common Questions About Specialty Restoration Services
These are the questions building owners, architects, and homeowners ask before sending us radiators, windows, stone, or hardware. If yours is not here, send photos and ask.
Can a cracked or leaking cast iron radiator be repaired?
Often, yes. Cracked sections, leaking joints, and broken feet are the three faults we see most, and we repair them where the casting allows. Some damage is beyond economic repair. When that is the case, we tell you up front rather than taking the job and handing you a bill for a radiator that will not hold.
Do you pick up and deliver radiators?
Yes. We collect radiators and return them finished across Mount Vernon, Westchester County, and the New York City area, with pickup also covering parts of Connecticut and New Jersey. That matters because a cast iron radiator can weigh several hundred pounds, and most owners cannot move one safely on their own.
Is it worth restoring steel casement windows instead of replacing them?
Usually. The National Park Service’s guidance on historic steel windows says repair and retrofit are, in many cases, more economical than wholesale replacement. Restoration also keeps the original profiles. We survey each unit first, weld failing joints, and fabricate matching parts only where the steel is no longer sound.
How do you remove lead paint from steel windows?
We use dip tanks with a liquid stripper, which is less abrasive than other methods and handles sashes up to 8 feet by 8 feet. Stripping to bare steel also shows the window’s real condition, so repairs are based on what is actually there, not on what the paint was hiding.
Can a dull or etched marble floor be restored?
Yes, in most cases. Dullness and scratches are wear, not damage, so honing and polishing bring the finish back. Acid etching from cleaners, wine, or citrus is polished out. Chips and cracks are filled with color-matched material and honed flush, then the stone is sealed, so spills can be wiped up in time.
What kinds of hardware can you restore?
Door hardware, hinges, trim, handrail brackets, knockers, cupboard latches, window latches and lifts, fireplace hardware, mail slots, shelf brackets, and furniture and bed hardware. Finishes range from hi-polish and butler to satin, brushed, and oxidized, with lacquer, epoxy, or polyurethane coatings to protect them.
Not sure if it can be saved?
Send photos of the radiator, window, floor, or hardware to metalman@mmresto.com. We will tell you honestly what it needs, what it will look like finished, and if it is worth restoring, before you commit to anything.