Increase Your Home’s Value
?Sometimes the little things go a long way. Hardware can often be one of those things when you’re looking into selling your home. Here’s a letter of thanks from one of our customers…
“I just wanted to thank you again. The mailbox you sold me went onto a house that I had for sale. It was a great price and I was stunned at how great it looked when I took it out of the box. One of the people who put a bid in on the house said that she saw the mailbox first thing when she pulled up to the house and knew it was quality. She felt it said something very positive about the home and how it had been cared for! I’m sure you don’t hear from every satisfied customer, but I have two offers on my house in one week and your mailbox helped!”
Liz
Wall o’ Knobs
Here is our coveted wall of knobs, located in our hardware showroom among the hundreds of duplicate knobs as well as thousands of backplates, rosettes,?hinges and other hardware. All of the knobs pictured are antiques, most from the early part of the 1900’s. Their value ranges wildly from the cheapest being worth only their weight in brass and the finest reaching over $200 at auction.
Concept Lever Sketches
Russell Versaci, a master designer?of fine hardware, sketched out these 4 concept levers for consideration for the Wilmette Hardware line. It is the first step in the arduous process of manufacturing unique, quality hardware. Should they be incorporated into our line of hardware, these sketches may even have futures as hinge finials designed to match the levers themselves.
Bag and Tag Your Hardware
Whenever you remove your hardware it is clearly the best to begin with the end in mind.? Some installer is going to need to?know where to re-install your door hardware.
The zip lock bag method is a great way to save a ton of time later in your project.? We have seen homes with over a dozen different lock types.? It is clearly always best to use time up front to orginize your project.?
Download inventory sheets from our website.? Make a door schedule.? Make the hardware portion of your project pain free!
Site Visit Notes
Today we are doing two site visits in the same building in Chicago.? Many of the old buildings on Lake Shore Drive in the city had beautiful hardware. Over the years contractors and homeowners often discarded fine hardware for much less expensive hardware in a misguided attempt to have their hardware ‘look good’ and function well.
We believe in restoring and rebuilding original hardware.? Much of this hardware can work as good or better than the new hardware that is offered in catalogs and showrooms.? In many situations we sculpt originals and make all new molds for new doors and missing hardware (as is the case in today’s visit).
Custom Levers
These levers were custom made as a solid brass replica of the older antique lever pictured. Made exclusively for Wilmette Hardware (and the newest addition to the Wilmette Hardware line) these pictures provide a great example of the melding of the craftsmanship of yesterday with the technology of today.
Old Install Error File
What’s wrong with this picture?? Note that the installer of this hardware has the keyhole trim upside down.? We don’t want you to turn into a hardware snob, however details during the install are important.? So when I saw this, I had to take a photo.
Hardware Restoration Site Visit
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Sometimes it is great to work at Al Bar Wilmette Platers.? These photos are from a site visit in Hawaii.? We have plated all the hardware on this project in Oil Rubbed Bronze, Polished Nickel and Chrome.
Ed Hunter had the opportunity to take a bunch of photos of this project while there.? He has also enjoyed working with this client for over a year on this detailed restoration.
Same Day Hardware Restoration
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This is a front door hardware set that we polished?a couple weeks ago.
In the summer months we do several front door hardware restoration projects a day.? This service is offered the Same Day.? If you need help removing and reinstalling your hardware we can do that too.? Call or visit www.albarwilmette.com for more details.
Welch “Arts and Crafts” Antique Hardware
Every once in a while we get requests to match truly rare antique hardware. It’s times like these that we’re actually pleased with our packrat habits and extra storage space housing literally a ton of hardware. A customer inquired about acquiring a second Welch thumb latch interior lever, and after a little digging around found an entire set of this rare Welch “Arts and Crafts” style hardware.
Tudor Entry Hardware
These are all wonderful examples of original Tudor style entry hardware. At Wilmette Hardware we model our own line of tudor hardware (http://www.wilmettehardware.com/collections/tudor.php) after the older examples pictured, with the same exacting standards of quality our nation’s craftsmen once exemplified regularly.
3D Prototype Process
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These 3D drawings were generated for a client review prior to making the physical 3d models for the project.? These levers will be installed in a condo in Chicago, Ill.