Care and Finishes

The finish you choose decides how a piece looks on day one and how it changes over time. Here's what each finish is, how to look after it, and what to expect outdoors.

Raw steel

Raw steel is supplied bare, with no coating. It arrives a dark steel grey and may already show light marks or spots of surface rust from handling and transit. Outdoors, raw mild steel will rust to an orange-brown patina. In wet weather this starts within days and deepens over the following weeks and months. Coastal air and damp, shady spots speed it up.

  • Staining: while it weathers, rain washes rust off the steel. The run-off can stain pale paving, render, stone, timber decking and window sills below or beside it. Place raw pieces over gravel, soil, planting or darker surfaces, or choose a powder-coated finish if staining would matter.

  • Handling: loose rust can mark hands and clothes, especially early on. It settles as the patina matures.

  • Care: none needed. Simply let it weather.

Rust patina

Our rust patina finish is raw steel that we weather before dispatch, so it arrives with an even orange-brown colour rather than taking weeks to develop outdoors. It carries on weathering once it's outside, and the same staining advice applies. Patina pieces are [CONFIRM: whether rust patina pieces are sealed before dispatch].

Satin black and anthracite grey powder coat

Powder coating is a baked-on coloured finish that gives the steel a durable coloured finish. It's the best choice where you want consistent colour and no rust run-off.

  • Cleaning: wipe with warm water and a mild washing-up liquid, then rinse. Avoid abrasive pads, solvents and pressure washers held close to the surface.

  • Chips and scratches: if the coating is chipped through to bare steel, the exposed spot can rust. Touch it up promptly. [CONFIRM: recommended touch-up paint, or whether a touch-up pen can be supplied]

  • Drilled or cut edges: if you drill a new hole in a coated piece, seal the bare edge with touch-up paint.

High-heat black

High-heat black is a high-temperature paint offered on our fire pits, BBQ and fire basket stand, and fire bowl windbreak. No paint stays unchanged inside a fire. Where the flames are hottest, the paint will dull, discolour and in time wear away, and the steel beneath will start to rust. That's normal for a working fire pit, not a fault. You can refresh the outside with a high-temperature stove or barbecue paint when the steel is completely cold.

Fire pit care

  • Use your fire pit on a non-flammable surface such as paving or gravel. Never use it on decking or grass.

  • Never leave a fire unattended, and keep children and pets well back.

  • Let the fire go out and the steel cool fully before moving, covering or dismantling it.

  • Empty cold ash regularly, as wet ash speeds up rust.

  • Heat and rain will darken and weather the steel, whatever the finish. Store it dry, or under cover, when it's not in use for long spells.

  • Paving under a fire pit may be marked by heat, ash and rust. Standing it on a spare slab or a bed of gravel helps.

Indoor pieces

Shelf brackets, coat racks, key racks, wall art and plaques used indoors need very little care. Dust with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Raw steel indoors stays much closer to its original colour but can still spot with rust in a damp room such as a porch, utility or bathroom, and it can mark walls and fabrics. If you'd like the raw look indoors without the marks, a clear wax or lacquer made for bare metal can be applied. For a finish you don't have to think about, choose satin black or anthracite grey.

Choosing a finish

In short: raw or rust patina for a weathered look, powder coat for colour that stays put, high-heat black or raw for fire. Our guide to raw steel vs powder coat outdoors goes into more detail.

See the finish options on each product in the Metalwork shop, read how it's made, or ask us about other colours through our custom metalwork form.