Please note that finishes are not warrantied due to a variety of external factors including, but not limited to, salt air, irrigation water with high mineral content, and proximity to fertilizers.  For any finish other than the standard Unfinished Brass, a 50% deposit is required to begin production.  Custom finishes may add to lead time.

Unfinished Brass

Beachside Lighting produces its fixtures with a standard unfinished brass.  The fixtures are brushed as a way to even out the appearance to rid any discoloration caused by machine oil or handling.  Because there is no coating, the fixtures will soon weather to a natural brown color at inland locations or develop a green (verde) patina at near-ocean locations, as shown in the photos of the unfinished fixtures below.  While we can’t guarantee the rate of patina, below are images of what to generally expect.

Natural Aging Process

What to Expect – First Week

Out of the box, the fixtures are a dull, brushed brass. However, unlike standard lamp parts or brass door hardware, there is NO clear coat, meaning that any contact with moisture (in the air, rain, or sprinklers) will immediately start to dull the fixtures. Within the first week, the fixtures will lose their luster. This occurs regardless of geographic location.

  • Ocean Lighting Fixture Unfinished Brass Starting lighting finishes
  • Lighting Fixture Unfinished Brass Starting To Patina2 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Fixture Finishes Unfinished Brass3 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Fixture Finishes Unfinished Brass2 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes First Week Patina1 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finish Brass lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina Four Months lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina Four Months2 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina Four Months3 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina Four Months4 lighting finishes

Redden, Darken or Patina

Four Months

At this stage the fixtures are in a transition phase. Some darkening or green patina will continue to occur. At this point there is no sign of any shininess. Some fixtures at near-ocean locations will develop hints of green patina. Other fixtures in tropical locations with high humidity but away from the ocean will take on a reddish color and/or darken. Inland fixtures will have already darkened and may not change any further.

Final Aging

After One Year

At this stage, the color of the aging fixture has been 80 – 90% finalized. Inland fixtures will be a darker color. Near-ocean fixtures will have gone green. Even prevailing wind can make a difference — those on the windward side of islands will turn green while fixtures near canals with more brackish water will remain dark.

  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year5 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year2 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Brass Discoloration One Year lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Brass Discoloration One Year1 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year4 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Snow One Year3 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year6 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year1 lighting finishes
  • Lighting Finishes Patina One Year8 lighting finishes

Beachside recommends simply letting the fixture ‘do its thing’ naturally by aging on its own. This is especially true for landscape fixtures in near-ocean locations. For fixtures located inland, the patina process still will happen. To illustrate the difference, in 2021 we a put a new fixture on a riser installed in 2016. The riser originally looked as shiny as the new fixture.

There is no special code for specifying the fixture to remain unfinished.

OTHER FINISH TYPES

Please note that finishes are not warrantied due to a variety of external factors including, but not limited to, salt air, irrigation water with high mineral content, and proximity to fertilizers.  For any finish other than the standard Unfinished Brass, a 50% deposit is required to begin production.  Custom finishes may add to lead time.

For those who desire a different appearance than that of natural brass, Beachside Lighting offers powder coating and three acid finish choices:

Acid Finishes

The acid finishes actually are colors produced in acid reactions with brass & copper.  In areas not exposed to the elements, the acid finishes should maintain their appearance for years.  However, in an exterior location, especially a salt-air environment, the colored fixture will start developing hints of natural green patina, eventually giving way to this coloring at the closest of oceanfront locations.  These fixtures were made with a dark bronze finish, but because of their oceanfront location, the natural patina has begun to show.  This is a natural process where salt air reacts with the copper in the brass alloy.  Fixtures away from ocean locations can maintain their black, dark bronze, or nickel acid finishes for years.  Simply supply the finish code at the end of the fixture specification.  For example, the MB1-17-FIN-DB and L-013-S-FIN-DB shown here.  Again, standard unfinished fixtures require no finish code.

Acid Finish Lighting Fixture mb1-17-fin-db-natural-patina lighting finishes
Acid Finish Lighting Fixture Large Rectangular Back Plate Near Ocean lighting finishes
Nickel Acid Finish New lighting finishes
Nickel Acid Finish Patina lighting finishes

This E8-H fixture on the left in was installed about 60 meters from the ocean. One year later, some green has developed on the surface. (Click images to enlarge.)

Nickel Acid

For a stainless steel appearance that is more popular in Europe and the Middle East, Beachside implements a nickel acid wash. Like other Acid Finishes, at near-ocean exterior locations, ultimately small hints of green patina will eventually appear. The degree of green will depend on the proximity to the ocean and the prevailing winds. However, unlike stainless steel, rust will never develop.

Powder Coating

Beachside also offers powder coating of fixtures, although we don’t recommend it for exterior near-ocean locations.  Eventually the powder coating is subject to flaking if exposed to direct salt spray.  However, unlike a powder coated aluminum fixture, Beachside’s brass fixtures will not pit or corrode.  Instead, the natural green patina will develop.  The biggest demands for powder coating are for architectural fixtures and the color white, which cannot be offered in an acid finish.  We welcome inquiries regarding matching a specific color.

Powder Coating Lighting Fixture Custom lighting finishes

Vandal Resistant Bollard in Custom Light Gray Powdercoat, San Francisco, CA

COST & LEAD TIME

The finishing processes are labor intensive, requiring additional prep work on the components. Because of this, acid finishing and powder coating add cost to the fixture. Please consult your sales representative for an estimate on cost and additional lead time for the fixtures.

Available Finishes are Shown Below:

Black
FIN-BK

Black Lighting Finish Fin-bk lighting finishes
Black Finish Lighting Fixture l-013-s-fin-bk lighting finishes

L-013-S-FIN-BK

Dark Bronze
FIN-DB

Dark Bronze Lighting Finish Fin-db lighting finishes
Dark Bronze Finish Lighting Fixture L-016-f-fin-db lighting finishes

L-016-F-FIN-DB

Nickel Acid
FIN-NA

Nickel Acid Lighting Fixture Finishes Fin-nk lighting finishes
Nickel Acid Lighting Fixture Finishes L-014-fin-nk lighting finishes

L-014-FIN-NA

Powder Coating
FIN-WH

Powder Coating Lighting Fixture Finishes Fin-wh lighting finishes
Powder Coating Lighting Fixture L-013-s-fin-wh lighting finishes

L-013-S-FIN-WH