Theiss Plating

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes words can be pretty special on their own. We'd like to share a thoughtful note we received from a customer on her recent project... "Dear Theiss Plating, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the absolutely spectacular job you did refinishing grandmother's brass bed.... This more than 100 year-old antique now looks better than I ever remember it!" -Kathy K. Columbia, Mo Thank you, Kathy. We are so glad to have the chance to restore your cherished heirloom bed and we appreciate you writing us to let us know how happy you were.

We work with designers and architects to craft perfect finishing touches for their residential projects. Sometimes it's a 12 foot wide brass bar shelf, sometimes it's dressing up a handsome armoire with custom made ferrules. These pieces were painstakingly cut, fitted and soldered then carefully polished to the architect's exact specifications.

Our line of custom hand-crafted shelving is really taking off! Designers, builders and homeowners are taking advantage of our many design options, exceptional quality and perfectly-tailored fit and utility to add truly striking touches to their homes. Just imagine how great one of these would look in yours!

A client ha d a pair of oversize vanity medicine cabinets they were renovating. The look they wanted called for a dark, oil-rubbed finish but the dilemma was they insisted on a radius-corner design which was not available anywhere. Our solution was to create a pair of completely new doors to fit their needs exactly. We formed and meticulously soldered the round corners and straight sides, then finished it in copper with hand-applied dark patina. The striking results fit their space and their style perfectly.

We recently completed a set of our custom brass and glass shelves to cap off a beautiful renovation of an historic, 100 year old home's kitchen. The designer chose our Light Patina Brass finish and the golden brown color adds the perfect touch of warmth while traditional ball-fitting style with brass-edged glass is robust and period appropriate. Our suspended shelving adds lots of usable storage are while keeping countertops clear and brings exceptional style to your space.

A recent customer of ours had a dilemma... He had a houseful of beautiful old hammered door plates and glass knobs but had added some doors and needed more hardware. Of course, something this old was long since out of production and not available anywhere. Could we help? Yes, and we set to work to re-create these antique pieces and solve the dilemma. Here is a step-by-step illustration of how we craft a perfect replica from scratch. We selected a heavy copper material that ...matched the original thickness... Using a tracing of the original part, the copper is cut to shape using a waterjet process....Next the edges are ground to a bevel matching the original.... A slow, painstaking process of punching the dimples into the copper is done all by hand using a hammer and a special punch, which we also fabricated, that matches the shape of the original hammered dimples.... The finished plate is now ready for the collar which will seat the knob. The collar is also made from scratch on a lathe and pressed into place.... The new glass knob fits perfectly into the collar and the replica door plate is ready for nickel plating to match the original. Creativity, a dash of high-tech and lots of old-fashioned artisanal skill solved this problem for our customer. What sort of problem with your hardware can we help you with?

Curbside Service Available! In our effort to heed the County guidelines on avoiding the virus we cannot see customers in our lobby but we ask you to call ahead and let us know you are coming or call from the parking lot when you arrive and we will come out to you. You can pick up or drop off from your car. Just call us at 314-961-0600 ext 100... Thank you for your understanding as we get through this difficult situation. See more

This antique brass fireplace fender, with its graceful scrolled design, had suffered through many decades of neglect since it was first crafted over a hundred years ago. Year after year of tarnish and oxidation had left it dull and blackened. We began by disassembling it completely, then cleaning and stripping the decades of corrosion. Careful polishing followed and the beautiful brass color began coming through. After a final buffing, the polished pieces are individually la...cquered and carefully re-assembled. Now restored to its gleaming former glory, this lovely fender is once again ready to lend a touch of elegance to the hearth. What hidden treasures might be waiting at your house to be revealed?

Recently a devoted collector who had spent years acquiring a literal houseful of exotic brass religious statuary and artifacts from across the globe, suffered a damaging fire at his home. Beyond the damage to the house, his priceless collection of artifacts had been encrusted with a thick layer of corrosive black soot from the fire and the heavy smoke. His restoration company brought the blackened treasures to us to see if we could help. One piece at a time we worked throug...h dozens of brass statues, some measuring only a few inches, others standing 3 feet tall. After weeks of careful work we were able to return the blackened artifacts to their former glory. The customer chose a subdued, lightly patinaed finish which reveals the exquisite detailing in these exotic pieces. After preserving their subtle luster with a clear protective lacquer, these masterpieces are ready to return to their owner and will grace his home for decades to come.

We appreciate these recent comments from our customer, David B. of Illinois..... "Metal Re-Plating- Just wanted to pass on an excellent source for re-plating metal. Whether it is a whole houseful of door hardware or that prized lamp you inherited from grandmother, Theiss Plating in Missouri is the place to use. I cannot say too many good things about Theiss Plating. After obtaining 5 quotes to have all my home's door hardware re-plated from brass to brushed nickel, I chose Th...eiss. They were not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. Their reputation based on online reviews was the best. Communication was excellent. The work was done timely and was better than I could have hoped for. Look no further, you have found your plating service." Thank you, David. We are glad we could help make your home project such a success and we certainly appreciate your kind words.

A few months ago we received an elaborate Victorian pewter tea set from a customer out of state. Beautifully designed and intricately detailed, the set was a striking example of the period but had suffered damage and loss over the last 160-plus years. In addition to the expected dents and scratches throughout, the original silver plating was worn away, the tall, stately urn was missing its lid and its base was badly damaged and corroded. Tom had to craft an entire new lid fro...m scratch and rebuild the whole base as well, plus repair all the dents, before the process of polishing and re-plating could even begin. Last month the set was finally completed and shipped back to its waiting owner. He was kind enough to write us with his reaction upon seeing his restored treasure and we thought we'd share that with you.... "Just got my tea set back and ... WOWZA!!! Looks beautiful! Probably as good as it did when it came off the production line in the 1850s. Thanks so much for doing such a wonderful job. I will absolutely be using you again and will highly recommend you to everyone I know. Thanks for the amazing work." - Matt

This fine silver-on-pewter heirloom tray was recently discovered in a closet and the owner wanted to see if it could be restored but was afraid the silver plating on dark areas had been worn away. We thought it could be saved and after some careful cleaning and buffing, the tray was again looking like it did when it was first presented many decades earlier.

Recently, an artist had brought us this lovely statue of Mary which she had created. She wanted us to craft a golden crown for the figure to match the one in the card from Our Lady of Fatima shrine. With just the photograph and a paper mock up for size, Tom designed and created this beautiful replica crown of brass which we then plated in gold. Our customer was very pleased with the finished result and her lovely statue now has the adornment it deserves.

Our repair of this ornate church lantern which had crashed to the floor is finally complete. After Tom spent quite a few hours reshaping and crafting a new lower ring the fixture was reassembled with new curved glass panes custom mage to match the originals, the wiring was checked out and the lantern was ready to go. Now looking like the damage from the fall had never happened, it is ready to cast a warm glow on services for many years to come.