Deploying copper

We want to use copper sheets on door and cupboard panels,wash basins,light fixtures and other decorative pieces both indoor and outdoor at our farmhouse.

We want to use copper sheets on door and cupboard panels,wash basins,light fixtures and other decorative pieces both indoor and outdoor at our farmhouse. Kindly tell us about its maintenance and whether it is okay to go in for copper as a material for these fixtures. Secondly,we have a lot of cast iron garden furniture and items of décor that are in the open all day in our garden through all the seasons of the year. Kindly advise what we need to do for the maintenance and upkeep of these items of furniture and the decor items.

Aditi,New Delhi

Copper is a widely used material due to its rust resistant properties,longevity,malleability and resistance to fire and water,and because it can be joined easily. It is used for many applications such as pipes in plumbing,radiators,air conditioners,refrigerators,etc. Copper is widely used as a roofing material as well. Other than these applications,as you have mentioned,copper is used in urns,washbasins,light fixtures and copper sheets as a facing material for door and shutter panels. Regarding the use of copper for outdoor light fixtures,I would like to mention that it is an ideal material for landscape lighting due to its properties of being resistant to corrosion and heat and its longevity. In fact,copper is used extensively outdoors in sculptures,fountains and sculpture installations. Copper has anti-bacterial properties due to which it provides a hygienic surface. It is therefore used in washbasins and countertops.

Regarding maintenance of copper,lemon and baking soda are used to clean copper curios. Baking soda should be sprinkled directly on the surface to be cleaned and then wiped with a wet tissue or soft cloth. Alternately,rub lemon and rock salt on the copper surface. The salt will rub away marks,while lemon will remove grease and grime. After cleaning,wipe with a soft wet cloth. In order to prevent the copper surface from getting scratched and stained and to preserve its sheen,one should abstain from using a stiff bristle brush or any strong abrasive.

Now regarding the second part of your query,cast iron furniture can be washed with mild soap and water regularly for the purpose of general maintenance. Since the furniture and the other items of décor are in the garden,they are exposed to sun,rain and humidity. Therefore they would tend to rust easily. To protect the furniture and other items from rusting,they should be painted in any colour of your choice. In case there are any cracks in the finish,sand the spot with a steel wool pad and apply several coats of paint. Wax the smooth surfaces. To any textured area you may apply a thin coat of mineral oil to prevent any cracks in the furniture. Lastly,in case there are any moving parts in the furniture and the items of décor,or springs or pivoted joints,they should be oiled to make sure they keep moving smoothly. In my opinion,these steps for the maintenance and upkeep of cast iron furniture and other items of décor should definitely prolong their life.

I am a designer and I am doing up a boutique in my house. Presently I am at the stage of getting the light fixtures and fans. I have picked up some very unusual light fixtures and now am on the lookout for fans. I am looking for ceiling mounted and wall mounted fans and do not want fans that have a regular appearance. Guide me on the kinds of fans available in the market. The look of my boutique is funky and modern. What would be price range of the more decorative fans?

Soma,Gurgaon

A wide variety of fans are available nowadays and fans have definitely become very trendy. So you would have a very vast range to choose from. Fans come in many designs and shades and various kinds of decorative blade badges that conceal the screws used to attach the blade to the blade iron. Different materials are used to give a more contemporary look to the fans,such as solid wood,cross laminated veneers and less expensive veneered constant density board. Blades of fans come in various finishes such as metal finish,wooden finish,woven bamboo and fabric finish. You also get colour contrasting blades having two different finishes on either side of the fan blade. Also there are fans that can work in both clockwise and anticlockwise direction.

However,there are a few things to bear in mind when looking out for fans. Fans with unusually large blade surface area such as decorative palm leaf blade or fans with six blades result in reduced airflow due to a space constraint between the blades. Longer fan blades and steeper blade pitches ensure the proper dissemination of air. Under

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light fan models,decorative fans with gold flanges and rings on the motor or specially curved blades and scratch resistant blades are now available.

I hope this information will help you find the fan of your choice for the boutique at home. The price range of fans would vary from Rs 900 to 40,000,depending on the piece you pick. l

The author is an architect

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