#pressedmetal

Abstract:

Being thought of as cheaper and quicker to install metal that is durable, fireproof, and susceptible to cracking than that of decorative plaster, made it quite appealing for the business owners, manufacturers, and industrialists to manufacture and use the products in their household and workplace during the 19th and the 20th century. Today these are commonly referred to as “tin ceilings” or decorative pressed metals which are widely used today for decorative purposes of restaurants, homes, main street shops, and many more. A product of the late Industrial Revolution era after gaining its importance started to be produced as plain sheets as well as with patterns.

Today people install the pressed metals to give their home and workplace a victorian outlook, but these are very less frequently found today.

History Of Pressed Metals

Today commonly known as pressed metals commonly appeared in the United States during the early 1870s are were initially made out of iron sheets, typically used in the roofing industry. By the 1900s the urge to use the tin sheets for the purpose of decoration came into being and by the 1920s most of the popular buildings and departmental stores started using the pressed metals for decorating their walls and ceilings. These changes in the usage pattern created competition in the market to keep up with the “modern” designs which were then represented as the architectural trend of that time.

What caused the demise of such a well-growing industry was the great depression caused by the second world war when sheet metals usage was diverted to military use. Most of the carved metals were melted and used for the war efforts. During the 1970s with the beginning of the historic preservation, a renewed interest in the decorative steel wall and ceilings began. Where various manufacturers and designers came up to rekindle the interest in the market.

What Causes The Pressed Metals To Damage?

Most of the decorative tin metals used on walls and ceilings are very durable for inside applications. Damage mainly occurs because of the infiltration of water from exterior sources or leakage in the pipes overhead, causing water and rust stains, metal flaking, peeling of paints, and creating minute holes in them. To expand the longevity of the metal it is important to improve the air circulation, reduce levels of humidity, and control water infiltration depending on the conditions. That is why a thorough inspection of the area needs to be conducted before setting up the metals by the installers, who use different techniques to set up the decorative pieces to your kitchen, walls, and ceilings.

Summary

Whenever we renovate or extend an existing building, we always try to match the new section to the old so that when everything is complete, it looks like it has always been that way (rather than look like something has been tacked on). The end result is SO much better: a unified building in a consistent style.

Our commercial extension involved changing and rebuilding the roof. The existing gable featured a pressed metal insert, which were very popular in older buildings. So we have sourced pressed metal inserts for the new gables too - in the same pattern as the original. Once everything is painted they will match perfectly.

This particular metal sheeting is made from aluminium, treated so that it is ready to paint. There are other styles designed to be clear-coated and created from copper sheeting. We are fortunate that there remain suppliers of quality pressed metal operating in the central west of NSW which supply panels and features of many patterns to the Australian market. This really helps not only when renovating, extending or repairing an older building, but also if you are seeking to recreate a period home from scratch; building new in the old style.

Pressed tin panels, as beautiful as they are, really do have close to zero insulation value. But these days, we can build smarter and use added insulation to accompany the panels and so stop the heat coming straight through in summer and going straight out in winter. If you are considering building a period home, maybe this is something you could consider as a feature?