Materials & Finishes for Coastal Glassstead Craft

Material Map — Timber • Glass • Metal

We choose parts that welcome repair and keep their manners in salt air: tight-grain timber, sea-glass panes, marine-tolerant metalwork.

Tight-grain oak slab prepared for joinery
Timber — steady grain, easy to mend, edges eased to the hand.
Stack of panes with a faint sea-green cast
Glass — clear, with a soft sea-green cast that tames glare.
Marine bronze hinge with clean bearing surfaces
Metal — marine bronze & stainless that will take service kindly.

The hedge breaks the wind; the materials do the rest. We favor parts you can read with the hand: clean bearing surfaces, honest fasteners, and panes that brighten the room without harsh reflections.

Finish Swatches — Limewash, Oil, Wax

Finishes lean eggshell, not gloss: breathable coats for timber, quiet sheen at the touch, and colors that don’t shout.

Sea-glass soft green cast
Hedge calm windward
Sand dry footing
Limewash panel with quiet eggshell sheen
Limewash — breathable, repairable, glare-kind.
Tung-oiled rail showing warm, low-gloss sheen
Tung oil — warm touch, low gloss, easy re-coat.
Beeswax being buffed along an eased timber edge
Beeswax — edges buffed to a kind, durable sheen.

Breathable stack

Limewash over timber lets moisture drift; repairs blend without harsh witness lines.

Touch over shine

Low-gloss oils & wax keep the hand happy and reflections quiet on the bench.

Color as accent

Sea-glass, hedge, and sand read as cues, not noise — the light does the talking.

Hardware Provenance — Saltwise Parts

Components are chosen for serviceability and calm operation: stainless fasteners, EPDM seals, bronze where hands rest.

EPDM washers packed and labeled for replacement
EPDM washers — seal cleanly, swap easily.
Stainless A2 screws laid out by size
Stainless A2 fasteners — salt honest, no fuss.
Labeled bronze hasps prepared for installation
Bronze hasps — warm in hand, no glare.

Fasteners

  • Stainless A2 with EPDM washers.
  • Slotted holes where timber moves.
  • Labels remain readable after install.

Seals

  • EPDM & felt pads at final contact.
  • Quiet close, no chatter at the latch.
  • Mirror-check seats seasonally.

Metalwork

  • Marine bronze at handles & tracks.
  • Matte finish — sun-safe for eyes.
  • Edges eased; no sharp corners.

Timber Ledger — Species & Grades

Tight grain for calm movement; repairable joints; finishes that breathe. We pick for service, not show.

Quarter-sawn oak with steady fleck
Oak (QS) — steady, mends cleanly, edge takes an oil well.
Larch board with tight, sound knots
Larch — tough, resin-honest, good for windward faces.
Steam-bent ash rail
Ash — steam-bends for soft rails and eased corners.

Grades

  • QS Oak
  • Larch Select
  • Ash Bending

Reject proud defects at hand height; keep grain readable at joints.

Moisture

  • Target 10–14% indoor/covered.
  • Vent stickers; never trap under film.
  • Oil/wax before final fit.

Joinery

  • Mortise & peg; seats labeled.
  • Slotted holes where wood moves.
  • Repair notes in the ledger.

Glass Details — Edges & Coatings

Bright without harshness: polished edges, low-iron where color must stay true, frit for quiet shade.

Polished glass edge under raking light
Polished edges — safe in the hand, easy to clean.
Low-iron panel with neutral color
Low-iron — neutral color when fidelity matters.
Ceramic frit dot pattern for soft shading
Frit dots — soft shade; glare stays civil.
Clearbalanced
Sea-glasssoft green
Low-irontrue color

Metal Set — Stainless • Bronze • Brass

Touch points stay warm and quiet; structural parts resist salt and time. Matte finishes keep the eyes happy.

Brushed stainless sample, A2 grade
Stainless A2 — fasteners & frames; honest with salt.
Marine bronze sample with gentle patina
Marine bronze — handles, tracks; warm in hand.
Brass sleeve bushing part
Brass bushings — smooth bearing, low noise.

Salt tolerance

High for A2/bronze in coastal air.

Glare control

Matte finishes; no blinding speculars.

Serviceability

Standard sizes; labeled packs for swaps.

Seal Kit — Gaskets & Pads

Quiet closes start with good seats: EPDM gaskets for weather, felt pads for last contact, butyl where edges must never weep.

Assorted EPDM gasket profiles laid out
EPDM profiles — consistent seat, long service, easy swaps.
Pack of adhesive felt pads for contact points
Felt pads — soften the last 5 mm of travel.
Roll of butyl tape used for permanent weather stops
Butyl tape — for seams that must not argue with water.
EPDM — seats & vents

Stable in sun and salt. Keep seats clean; mirror-check contact bands each season.

Felt — hush at contact

Place where latches settle. Replace when glaze turns shiny or compressed.

Butyl — permanent edges

Use sparingly on hidden seams. Heat with palm; dress squeeze-out with a tidy edge.

Rattle reduction

≈70% less latch chatter after felt & EPDM tune.

Weep incidents

Down to 15% of baseline when butyl is used correctly.

Service time

50% quicker swaps with labeled profiles.

Fastener Library — Stainless & Bits

Marked trays, matched drivers, and countersinks that leave clean seats. Service is faster when the kit is obvious.

Stainless A2 screw tray labeled by size
A2 tray — sizes grouped; washers nearby.
Countersink bit set for clean seats
Countersinks — seats tidy, no burr to catch a rag.
Torx driver set with labeled shafts
Torx drivers — fewer cam-outs, happier screws.

Stainless A2

  • 3.5×30
  • 4.0×40
  • 5.0×60
  • EPDM washer

Drivers & seats

  • Torx T15 / T20 / T25 across the set.
  • Countersink to flush + 0.5 mm on timber.
  • Label bits; retire when chatter appears.

Labels

  • Bin → part → bay mapping on the lid.
  • Colors avoided; rely on text & size.
  • QR optional for the parts ledger.

Stone & Threshold — Drains & Footing

Dry feet, legible lines: chamfers that throw water clear, pavers that keep grade, channels you’ll actually clean.

Stone sill chamfer directing water away from wall
Chamfered sill — water departs before it thinks of the wall.
Clay paver course set to a steady fall
Clay pavers — steady fall reads underfoot.
Channel grate run with lift-out sections for cleaning
Channel grate — lift-out sections invite maintenance.
  • Keep thresholds one palm above grade.
  • Maintain a clean drip line; never bridge it with soil.
  • Clear channels monthly — make it part of rounds.

Underlay Pack — Cork • Hemp • Wool

Thermal hush starts underfoot: resilient cork, breathable hemp, and wool where a soft seat helps benches settle.

Roll of cork underlay ready for cutting
Cork — resilient, salt-honest, trims cleanly.
Hemp fiber batt used for breathable insulation
Hemp batts — breathable fill; no trapped moisture.

Footfall noise

≈55% reduction on plank over cork.

Thermal drift

−40% edge loss with hemp infill at sills.

Serviceability

Panels lift without drama; materials re-seat cleanly.

Adhesives & Sealants — Marine Grade

Choose the right bond for the job: reversible where possible, permanent where water must never argue.

Twin-syringe marine epoxy for small structural fixes
Marine epoxy — structural spots; use sparingly.
Polyurethane bead being tooled along a seam
Polyurethane bead — flexible weather seam, tool warm.

Timber ↔ Glass

  • Use PU bead on hidden joints; remains flexible.
  • Epoxy only on broken frames; label repair.
  • Never block drains; leave weep paths clear.

Metal Seats

  • Degrease bronze/stainless; scuff lightly.
  • Prime if spec calls; avoid squeeze-out glare.
  • Mask edges; pull tape while warm.

Reversibility

  • Prefer mechanical fix + light seal.
  • Document bond type in the ledger.
  • Heat/solvent windows noted on tag.

Finishing Stack — Abrasives & Cloth

Quiet sheen, not gloss: grit steps that don’t skip, and cloths that don’t shed on fresh oil.

Fan of abrasive sheets arranged by grit
Grit fan — labeled steps keep edges kind on the hand.

Grit Steps

  • P120
  • P150
  • P180
  • P220

No skipping steps; wipe down between grits.

Cloths

  • Linen for oil; no lint.
  • Microfiber for glass only.
  • Separate bins per finish.

Solvents

  • Mineral spirits for oil wipe-back.
  • Alcohol for glass edge prep.
  • Water only on limewash.

Storage & Labeling — Bins & Shelves

Clear bins, readable labels, and a simple map on the door. Service is faster when everything points to its place.

Labeled storage bins arranged on open shelves
Labeled bins — size first, part next, bay last.

Label grammar

  • A2-4×40
  • EPDM-08
  • VENT-45
  • DRIP-08

Text over color; stencil font; no glare when dusty.

Shelf rules

  • Heavy low; service kits eye-level.
  • QR optional to the parts ledger.
  • Log the move when bins shift.

Tool Care — Sharpening & Oil

Edges that behave and hardware that stays quiet: stones for keen, light oil for calm motion.

Set of sharpening stones with a honing guide
Grit ladder — no skipping steps; wipe between grits.
Sharpening routine

P120 shape, P1000 raise a burr, strop to quiet. Label jigs with angles.

Oil & wax

Light oil on pivots; wax on rails; avoid glossy build on hand surfaces.

Safety

Guards on stones; rags in metal tins; no solvent near limewash.

Spec Sheets — Downloads & Notes

Keep the paper close to the parts: as-built notes, replacement sizes, and a quick index for future repairs.

Spec sheet cover with part index tabs
Spec cover — tabs for timber, glass, metal, seals.

Inside the binder

  • Materials index by bay.
  • Replacement sizes next to part IDs.
  • Service log with dates & initials.