There have been many people asking about it, and I’ve finally been able to gather some good information about decorative grating for trench drains. Take a look at the trench drain grating I have pictured in various articles in this blog. Only a few stand out as being “pretty” from an aesthetic or architectural point of view. I can almost guarantee that my article “Trench Drain in the Black Hills” will be noted as containing some attractive grating. Well, I have more to talk about on this topic, especially as it refers to “pretty” cast iron and bronze products. And, the good news is, I have three manufactures I can discuss.

I have to be honest. My interest in decorative trench drain grating is for material gain. I am looking for products to sell that give my customers selection and quality. The standard slotted and perforated grating, though functional, can get boring. I have had customers looking for products that give them a “look” that is in keeping with the theme of the house or community. Sometimes, galvanized steel slotted grating just doesn’t cut the mustard. Let’s discuss three manufacturers of ornamental or decorative grating.

Ironsmith – I’m starting with them for a purpose. This is a foundry in Palm Desert California with an additional manufacturing point in Mexico. They have a number of ornamental trench drain grating products. They advertise that they used 100% recycled materials to make their castings. I counted 8 different grating styles. However, only 3 of these had any “curviness” in the design. (I like curviness). Most grate styles were some variation of a standard slotted or perforated ADA grate.

The Ironsmith products are available in 4, 6, 8, and 12 inch wide grates. In addition, you are able to purchase grates in iron, aluminum or bronze. So the variety is good. They also have 12” x 12” catch basin grates and tree grates. And, if that was not enough, you can purchase the frame and trench to use when forming a trench drain system.

The folks at Ironsmith are nice people to work with. They are eager to help. Their prices are affordable for the west coast. I had difficulty getting an affordable product from them to sell on the east coast. Nevertheless, they seem to have a good product. For more information, go to www.ironsmith.biz.

Urban Accessories – I think these guys are the oldest of all the existing ornamental grate foundries in the US. Urban Accessories was founded in 1972 by an architect who was inspired by the vision of Louis Sullivan (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Sullivan) to enhance the urban environment. This is the Tacoma, Washington foundry that I promoted in my “Black Hill Trench Drain” blog entry. I also saw products of theirs in the Epcott Center in Orlando, Florida.

Urban Accessories has a wonderful product line. Besides trench drain grates, they have a rich assortment of tree grates, bollards, building buttons, drain covers, manhole covers and more. You can purchase trench drain frames to go with their grates, as well. They have a nice catalog and good coverage with the architects who deal with hardscapes.

Too good to be true? Maybe so!!! I never had a very good experience trying to purchase product from these people. They were reluctant to work with me on requests for special items. I had a difficult time getting information from them or my phone calls returned. And, once I had made contact with my area sales representative, I didn’t feel confident that he really had all the knowledge required for this product line. In addition to all this, the prices for their products are very expensive. A reason for all of this is out there. Check out the next company.

Ironage – This is a new company that is making some waves in the industry. I think they are part of the reason that Urban Accessories seems “disorientated”. Apparently, a few of the top (and best?) Urban Accessories managers left and formed the new company - Ironage.

Compared to UA, Ironage’s product line is small. Don’t let this fool you. Their product line is growing, the design quality is great, and the marketing is the “missing link” in the industry. Listen to this……..Where all other foundries have promoted a cast-in-place philosophy for trench drain marketing, Ironage has decided to make ornamental grating that fits the vast number of preformed or pre-sloped trench drain products that are currently on the market. If you want ACO, Mea-Josam, Polycast, Polydrain or NDS trench drain, you can still buy it and use the Ironage decorative grate. It is a wonderful idea!!
Affordable??? The answer is YES! Of all the companies I have mentioned in this article, Ironage is the most affordable. They have inventory on the east coast which makes the shipping of small orders even less costly. I’m excited about their future. Look them up on-line at www.ironagegrates.com

I’ve been seeing an increased interest in stainless steel trench drains for shower applications.  This trend is said to be associated with the aging of the baby boomers.  As the boomers get older, there is a growing need for rim-less showers (or boundry-less showers) for better wheel chair access.  

Standard showers have an edge of ceramic or plastic flooring at the base of the shower door to help hold the water in while bathing.  However, this edge is a problem to a person in a walker or wheel chair that wants to take a shower.  It would be easier just to roll in and not have to worry about the ledge.  Some clever architects are designing showers to have trench drains in front of the doors or covering the entire floor of the shower.  In this way, water can be confined to the places you need without that pesky little ledge that can lead to a life threatening trip and fall. 

Two photos of the stainless steel drains available to use in this application are below.

Stainless Perforated Slot Grating - This is a 4″ wide trench that is 6″ deep.  The 3/8″ wide slots can be replaced with 3/8″ holes on a closer pattern, if desired.

For most shower applications, the drain is made to a 3′ 1″ length.  (Showers are 3 feet wide).  However, these products can be made to any length or width.

Stainless ADA Bar Grating - I’d say, this is my favorite grating.  Again, it can be made to most any width.  This particular photo is of an 8″ wide product.  It will fit into a stainless steel channel of your design (as long as our manufacturer can make it). 

I spoke to one architect that wanted to have an entire bathroom floor to be a drain so it would be easier to bath a wheel chair user.  For this application, a portable hand held shower would be used for the washing.  When water would fall to the floor, it would be easily be drained away.  The ADA steel bar grate would be perfect for this application.  The size of the grate would have to be 4′ x 6′, or so.    This is very common in the entry way of some commercial buildings now.  Why not in the home?

The architect’s request reminded me of the bathrooms I had seen in South America.  In my wife’s apartment (in Brazil), you can actually use the toilet and take a shower at the same time.  The all ceramic bathroom and concrete construction of the building lends itself to this design concept.  With the use of large area drains, this same design can be safely utilized in wood framed structures.

There are some stainless steel products and sizes that are commonly made by our manufacturer.  But, don’t be afraid of requesting a custom product.  Give me a call @ 610-882-3630 if you are thinking about a stainless steel trench drain for a shower (or any other) application.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for visiting TrenchDrainBlog.com.  Log on to TrenchDrain.Biz in your spare time.

Michael

My daughter, Ligia, was in from Brazil to visit in March.  We took one weekend and went to Washinton DC to see some sights.  The weather was sunny, but cool.  (I think I got sun burn and wind burn at the same time.)

 While checking out the monuments (and getting a little sentimental), I was able to look at some trench drain.  Let me show you two that were interesting to me.

Trench Drain at the Lincoln Memorial Steps - These drains must have looked beautiful when they were originally installed at the base of the granite steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial.  Now they sport a handsome green oxidation coat- the original finish must have been a brilliant bronze or brass.   These 4″ wide drains are filled with dirt and sediment, an indication that they probably are not pre-sloped.  (Maybe, also, an indication of the maintenance budget.)  I’m not certain they are really needed here, any way. 

No matter, the monument would look nicer if these drains were again put in service.  Any volunteers to help clean these out?

Trench Drain at the Native American Museum - If you like Native American Culture and artifacts, this museum has something for you.  I was impressed with a number of aspects of the buildings architecture.  The granite trench drain grates running through the courtyard and water sculpture areas caught my eye.

These grates are probably the most expensive pedestrian grates I’ve ever seen.  Let’s not even talk about the percent open space for efficient water drainage……  You can see they are ADA approved, but I’m not certain if they are heel proof.  Are those holes 3/8″ diameter or smaller ???

No matter, the weekend was beautiful and educational.  Maybe you have a unusual trench drain system or grate you want to share.  Let me know.  Thanks……………….Michael