The effects of copper and brass in interior- and exterior construction
“You could face a nice surprise if you expected shiny material.” Koos Jonker is our product specialist non-ferrous metals at MCB Specials. At a regular base he receives questions from customers concerning the usage of copper and brass in interior- and exterior construction.
Copper in exterior construction
“Something to take notice of with non-ferrous metals is that it reacts with the air outside. When you don’t treat it, it will discolour and oxidize so you must be aware of that. Architects are often looking for a certain look for a building and want green copper plates and process them on the facade but it is very expensive.”
“At sea copper oxidizes even faster because of the salty air. In the city it will sooner turn black rather than green because of the pollution in the air, such as exhaust gases. So you need to know why you choose a material and what fits in the budget. If you want pre-coloured copper, you know you have to dig deep into your pockets.
To keep copper shiny outside you could varnish the material but only one scratch could cause oxidation. The varnish breaks at the scratch and you get staining.”
Sweaty hands
Using copper in the interior of buildings you will face another problem. Copper also reacts to the acids of the sweat of hands.
“When people touch copper the acids will respond rapidly with the material. As a result of that the shiny effects of copper will get affected. You can do two things: polish the copper on a daily base or varnish the material. Or apply the material where people are not able to touch it.
On the other hand the copper will not discolour as fast in the interior because it is protected from the weather influences. But the effects of people is bigger in the interior so you need to be careful where you would like to use copper and you need to know what effect you are looking for.
Brass and bronze
Besides copper you can also choose to use brass or bronze in interior or exterior construction. These materials have usage differences relative to copper. Brass discolours differently than copper. There will always be a colour difference in the beginning but brass will never turn as green as copper. As time goes by brass will turn like a bronzey kind of brown.
Besides brass you can also choose bronze. Bronze is used a lot in the exterior, for example with old church doors. Because bronze is mostly casted you have to take into account the weight and thickness in your construction calculation.
The charm of non-ferrous materials
An important point of attention when choosing the most suitable materials for interior and exterior construction are the conditions. It is important to predetermine the budget, the appearance you choose and to really go for that. A golden tip from Koos: “You have to accept the material the way it is, the charm of non-ferrous materials is that it changes in time.”
Would you like to know more about applications or prizes of copper, brass or bronze? Please contact Koos Jonker | koos.jonker@mcbspecials.eu | +31 (0)36 549 51 41