If you catch up with the Plaster/Disaster part of the Seven Days Eleven Ten Fifteen post you'll see we had a problem; our, of previous...
If you catch up with the Plaster/Disaster part of the Seven Days Eleven Ten Fifteen post you'll see we had a problem; our, of previously good character or "known good", plaster artisan had gone AWOL leaving us with a rather embarrassing problem; specifically 1.3m high by 1m wide exposed brickwork behind our cooker hoods which had been targeted for Venetian/polished plastering.
We looked at a variety of options for solving the issue ultimately choosing to put our faith in a guy called Joe who knew a good way to create amazing distressed copper work (we knew this because, as you'll read in a later post, we'd already used him to source a fantastic distressed copper radiator).
So over a period of 6 weeks some magic involving steel, nickel, copper, various acids, a lot of electricity and then some 2 pack lacquer was worked. The resulting work was then formed around a 5mm thick plywood substrate before arriving at the bokoshoko work-shop.
The main challenge with this project was the installation; our site was uneven (the exposed brickwork was not exactly flat), the battens used to create clean edges to the exposed area were (deliberately) thicker than the surrounding plasterwork.
We needed, then, to design a fixing method that would fulfill a number of criteria:
What we came up with a design that used commercial expanding anchors with bespoke machined aluminium parts. The bespoke parts would provide the correct stand off and the method of fixing the splashback to the anchors.
Initially we made a series of fixings from brass (you'll see them in the gallery) but they were never really correct in terms of design and they also departed from the primary aesthetic (we do make mistakes) - this was an unfortunate misdirect costing time and a fair chunk of brass stock BUT it did clue us into how to take the new design forward.
Firstly we decided to change things around a bit and used hex stock to create what in effect were large washers. These washers had a tight tolerance 20mm bore through them and the top of them was opened out to 25mm for a depth of 2mm.
Through this washer would pass the threaded "nut" that would connect to the expanding anchor. This nut was machined from round stock with a 20mm section that would pass through the washer and a 25mm head section.
These parts were all surface finished using a "secret sauce" technique which delivers a beautifully tactile finish that looks as if the part has been around for years and which has a soft, satin type sheen.
The standoffs were made from the same round aluminium stock and even though not visible we do like to ensure detailing is good so they were finished in the same way.
There was some complexity in determining the exact measurements, in length, of these parts. The crucial aspect was that the fixings would allow the splashback to be "stressed" so that it could be pulled tight to the battens but not so tight that it would be obvious.
The actual installation was somewhat challenging; we would need to accurately position and drill 4 holes through the splashback that would be used to mark 4 matching holes in the brick work and then ultimately be opened up with a hole-saw to 20mm.
When working on finish sensitive projects like this we normally use a low-tack masking tape; this gives us a surface on which we can safely make marks, on slippery surfaces it helps prevent cutting tools from slipping and it can also be used to protect surfaces from sharp edges.
Due to the challenging nature of the install site (uneven walls, uneven ceiling) leveling the splashback was not simple. Ultimately we selected a reference vertical and focused on getting that perfect. You'll see in the pictures we need to do some work at the top where the unevenness of the ceiling creates a varying width gap between the top of the splashback and the ceiling.
The lower area will have a copper bar installed at the same time we install the up-stands for the rest of the work surfacing.
The finished installation is absolutely what we were looking for during our design phase. The primary aesthetic of the kitchen zone is clean, modern lines with a very minimal colour palette. The complex textural and colour patterns of the distressed copper are a fantastic highlight and provide a relief from the minimal aesthetic.
Rather than hiding the fixings away we chose to show them off and make a feature of them - the use of tactile finished aluminium connects the splashback back to the prevailing aesthetic.
You can view the album of photos associated with this post by clicking here
We looked at a variety of options for solving the issue ultimately choosing to put our faith in a guy called Joe who knew a good way to create amazing distressed copper work (we knew this because, as you'll read in a later post, we'd already used him to source a fantastic distressed copper radiator).
So over a period of 6 weeks some magic involving steel, nickel, copper, various acids, a lot of electricity and then some 2 pack lacquer was worked. The resulting work was then formed around a 5mm thick plywood substrate before arriving at the bokoshoko work-shop.
 |
| Distressed copper, some masking tape and a hungry cat |
The main challenge with this project was the installation; our site was uneven (the exposed brickwork was not exactly flat), the battens used to create clean edges to the exposed area were (deliberately) thicker than the surrounding plasterwork.
 |
| Part of the solution for uneven brickwork - standoffs |
We needed, then, to design a fixing method that would fulfill a number of criteria:
- Mechanically fix the splashback
- Stand off from the brick work
- "Stress" the splashback (to pull it into the wall)
- Look correct / in context with the main aesthetic of the zone
What we came up with a design that used commercial expanding anchors with bespoke machined aluminium parts. The bespoke parts would provide the correct stand off and the method of fixing the splashback to the anchors.
Initially we made a series of fixings from brass (you'll see them in the gallery) but they were never really correct in terms of design and they also departed from the primary aesthetic (we do make mistakes) - this was an unfortunate misdirect costing time and a fair chunk of brass stock BUT it did clue us into how to take the new design forward.
Firstly we decided to change things around a bit and used hex stock to create what in effect were large washers. These washers had a tight tolerance 20mm bore through them and the top of them was opened out to 25mm for a depth of 2mm.
Through this washer would pass the threaded "nut" that would connect to the expanding anchor. This nut was machined from round stock with a 20mm section that would pass through the washer and a 25mm head section.
These parts were all surface finished using a "secret sauce" technique which delivers a beautifully tactile finish that looks as if the part has been around for years and which has a soft, satin type sheen.
 |
| Fixings - these are before final cleaning! |
The standoffs were made from the same round aluminium stock and even though not visible we do like to ensure detailing is good so they were finished in the same way.
There was some complexity in determining the exact measurements, in length, of these parts. The crucial aspect was that the fixings would allow the splashback to be "stressed" so that it could be pulled tight to the battens but not so tight that it would be obvious.
The actual installation was somewhat challenging; we would need to accurately position and drill 4 holes through the splashback that would be used to mark 4 matching holes in the brick work and then ultimately be opened up with a hole-saw to 20mm.
When working on finish sensitive projects like this we normally use a low-tack masking tape; this gives us a surface on which we can safely make marks, on slippery surfaces it helps prevent cutting tools from slipping and it can also be used to protect surfaces from sharp edges.
 |
| Always use protection |
Due to the challenging nature of the install site (uneven walls, uneven ceiling) leveling the splashback was not simple. Ultimately we selected a reference vertical and focused on getting that perfect. You'll see in the pictures we need to do some work at the top where the unevenness of the ceiling creates a varying width gap between the top of the splashback and the ceiling.
The lower area will have a copper bar installed at the same time we install the up-stands for the rest of the work surfacing.
The finished installation is absolutely what we were looking for during our design phase. The primary aesthetic of the kitchen zone is clean, modern lines with a very minimal colour palette. The complex textural and colour patterns of the distressed copper are a fantastic highlight and provide a relief from the minimal aesthetic.
Rather than hiding the fixings away we chose to show them off and make a feature of them - the use of tactile finished aluminium connects the splashback back to the prevailing aesthetic.
 |
| Installed! |
You can view the album of photos associated with this post by clicking here
