Finishes
Aged Copper
Aged Copper is a way to speed up nature, since it might take 20 years for copper to turn from shiny to brown to green. We chemically treat the surface of standard copper and cause it to turn green before we ship it to you. This it nice for an ‘antique’ effect and for historical houses that need a cap that looks like it has been there for awhile. Or maybe an Aged Copper / ‘streaky green look’ just works better with the color, style and flavor of the house. We can Age Copper that is on a stainless steel sub-frame, or just by itself. Picture #24 - in our photo gallery shows an Aged Copper Empress on a Pizza Oven. This cap also appeared on the 2008 Uni-lok Paving Stone brochure.
Bonderized/Paint-Grip Galvanized Steel Mill
(Plain Metal) Finish
Bonderized Steel is galvanized steel that has been cleaned at the mill and does not come with an oily, protective film on it like regular aluminized and galvanized steel. Because of that, Bonderized Steel is ready to be primed and painted without wiping the surface of the metal down with a solvent. Painting requires a primer specifically for galvanized steel and two finish coats of paint. Painting the inside and the pipes is recommended.
Twenty Oz Copper
Standard Copper is one of our specialties. We offer our Standard Copper caps with a stainless steel sub-frame or in extra heavy gauges of copper. Standard Copper is a non-ferrous metal which comes shiny like a new copper penny, and will start oxidizing (rusting) immediately when it is exposed to air. Copper will take 3 to 6 months to dull down from shiny to dull and will usually turn a shade of streaky brown in a year. Eventually copper will patina (turn green) like the Statue of Liberty or the dome on a state capitol building. The brown and then green patina (color) that copper takes on is actually the color that copper rusts in. If copper comes in contact with a ferrous (iron) metal, the atoms of the two dissimilar metals will attack each other and oxidize (rust) at an accelerated rate. The rust will then run down the chimney when it rains. An iron nail or screw inadvertently used to hold down a copper cap will create an incredible amount of oxidation, causing ugly green and brown and streaks to stain the chase and house.
Cor-ten Steel
Weathering steel, best-known under the trademark COR-TEN steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting. Cor-ten steel forms a stable rust-like appearance if exposed to the weather for several years. "Weathering" means that due to the chemical compositions, this steel exhibits increased resistance to atmospheric corrosion compared to other steels. This is because the steel forms a protective layer on its surface under the influence of the weather. A consequence of the weathering process, is bleeding which can lead to rust stains on nearby surfaces.
G-90 Galvanized Steel. Mill (Plain Metal) Finish.
G-90 Galvanized Steel is also a cold rolled sheet metal that has a zinc coating for corrosion protection. Galvanized Steel offers better corrosion protection than Aluminized Steel in general, but in high temp applications the zinc coating will break down, allowing corrosion of the metal to happen much faster than usual. Painting requires removing the protective oil from the surface, priming with a primer specifically for Galvanized Steel and at least two finish coats of paint. Painting the inside and the pipes is recommended.
Hammered Copper
Hammered Copper is standard copper that has a textured surface similar to a golf ball or a hand hammered wok. It is striking when new, and after it takes on its green patina. Its textured surface offers both a depth of character and mysterious beauty. We can use our Perfect Copper treatment system to preserve Hammered Coppers shiny look too!
Lead Cote Copper
Lead Cote Copper is a timeless material made by taking a thin sheet of copper and electroplating it with layers of melted lead. Lead Cote Copper starts out a silver / pewter color and then gets a little duller and richer with time. Otherwise it stays exactly the same as it starts. It is a high quality, maintenance free finish that has a very beautiful sheen to it.
Painted Steel
Painted Steel is galvanized steel that has been factory cleaned, factory primed on both sides and then finish coated with at least two coats of Kynar 500 Paint. We offer both the Firestone / Una-Clad line of 30 colors of 22 GA and 24GA Kynar Painted galvanized steel and (for a slight up-charge) the Berridge line of 31 colors of 24 GA Kynar Painted galvanized Steel. Kynar 500 paint is used extensively in exterior roofing applications because the Kynar 500 paint system is resistant to sun and weather related chalking and fading for ten years. If you wish to custom paint your chimney cap, we recommend getting it in the closest color we offer to your custom color choice, then lightly scuffing the surface and applying two coats of high quality exterior finish paint. That way you don’t need to worry about cleaning the oil off of the surface or priming the material. The interior surface comes primed and we recommend painting it too.
Perfect Copper
Perfect Copper is standard copper that we clean, bake, and then apply a clear, acrylic coating to, then use to fabricate the chimney cap, then clean again, and then apply another baked on clear coat, in order to stop the copper from oxidizing / tarnishing. This keeps the copper in its maximum shiny, new copper penny look. Besides a sharp look for a chimney cap, Perfect Copper also looks great as an over flashing for the edge of your chase pan. A dark colored cap with a strip of Perfect Copper underlining it (covering the chase pan edge) is a striking look! Perfect Copper Majesty is shown on the left below on a sided chase with Perfect Copper beauty strips. Sharp!
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel is the Cadillac of steel. It is extremely corrosion resistant and it does not have a galvanic reaction when it comes in contact with non-ferrous metals like copper. Because of that we offer / recommend our copper chimney caps be made with a Stainless Steel frame. We also recommend Stainless Steel in coastal applications where the salt air can get to the cap. Stainless Steel is required if an oil or coal burning boiler is exhausting inside the shroud or the corrosive exhaust gases will eat the cap from the inside out rather quickly. FYI - we always use Stainless Steel to reinforce our legs on copper caps, whether the body of the cap is a made ‘double layer’ style - copper on a stainless steel frame or ‘single layer’ style – just extra heavy copper without a subframe. Painting Stainless Steel requires a primer specific to Stainless Steel and at least two finish coats of paint. Painting the inside is not necessary for corrosion protection but may be a nice touch.
Stucco Ready
Stucco / Rock Ready caps are made from a base frame of aluminized steel (stainless is recommended in coastal areas), and are then made ready to accept stucco ( or Dryvit, or Sto, etc ) in two different ways. Our standard method of making our caps Stucco / Rock Ready is to weld / screw a metal lath mesh to the exterior surface of the Chimney Crown, making the cap ready for either stucco material or rock / stone. Another method we like is to glue and screw a ¼” layer of Durock Cement Board (which is much heavier) to the cap which makes it ready to accept stucco. The cap should be placed on the chimney prior to stuccoing as a finished stucco cap is quite heavy, and the stucco will have tendency to crack when the cap is moved around. Painting the inside and pipes is recommended.
- When seeking to finish the chimney chase and cap in the Rock Ready format, we recommend using stainless steel since it lasts forever.
- Double check your metal fireplace specs regarding chase pan fabrication and installation. Many manufacturers currently require an air gap between the top and sides of the chase and the chase pan of 1”. That is - if you were a 1” diameter bumble bee you could fly up and under the vertical edge of the chase pan, then fly across the top of the chase and under the bottom of the pan to the other side of the chase and then fly out under the edge which is overhanging the opposite side of the chase. This is to keep the chase ventilated and cool. However – it poses considerable challenges for a Rock Ready installation.
Stucco Painted
Stucco Painted caps are just that. We take our Una-Clad brand, 24 GA Kynar 500 painted galvanized steel, scuff the surface so it will accept and hold paint, and then apply a three coat, texturized, flexible Stucco Paint. We currently offer this in Florida White, Beige and Terra Cotta Red-Orange paint colors. We can get custom colors made or you can simply paint the rough surface with a custom color of your choice after you receive your cap. Or, if you provide us with your color spec’s from a Sherwin Williams Paint dealer, we will be glad to custom paint your Stucco Painted cap here at the factory. Painting the inside and pipes is recommended.
Zinc
We currently only carry one brand of Zinc: RheinZink.
Rhein Zink is from Germany. It is a metal alloy made from fine zinc with 99.99 percent purity, and precisely defined additions of Copper and Titanium. This metal has an extremely long life span, maintenance free finish and elegant appearance. It is available in three colors: bright rolled, pre-weathered blue-gray, and graphite gray.
We strive to make the finest variety of chimney caps and related products the world has ever seen. Ideas for new caps and related products are welcome too! Just let us know how we can help you and serve your building needs.
