"The Shinning... Finish That Wore Off" - A Halloween Tale of Hotel Door Hardware Gone Wrong
The Overlook Hotel had ghosts, madness, and Jack Nicholson with an axe.
But here's what they probably also had: terrible door handles.
After 40 years of harsh Colorado winters and zero maintenance, those brass handles definitely looked like a horror show. Tarnished, flaking, worn at every grip point.
This Halloween, let's talk about something genuinely scary for anyone who specifies, buys, or maintains commercial door furniture: finishes that fail faster than a teenager running from Michael Myers.
When Finishes Go Wrong
Walk through any hotel that's been open for three years. Really look at the door handles.
Brass that's tarnished like it's been cursed. Chrome bubbling like something from The Blob. Powder coat chipped worse than Freddy Krueger's face. "Stainless" steel that's actually rusted.
This happens gradually. Nobody notices until suddenly, like in The Sixth Sense, you see dead handles everywhere.
The Wrong Finish = Instant Failure
Some finishes are possessed by failure from day one.
Coastal hotels? Standard stainless steel corrodes faster than you can say "Jaws." You need Grade 316.
High-traffic entrances? Thin electroplating wears through quicker than the Scream opening scene.
Humid environments? Some lacquers break down like they've been splashed with holy water.
The wrong finish specification is like inviting the vampire in. Once it's there, you're stuck with it.
The Frankenstein Problem
Here's how it happens: A handle fails. You order a replacement from whoever responds first. The original style's discontinued. The new handle is "close enough."
Then another fails. Then another. A few years later, you've got seven different styles across one floor.
It's like Frankenstein's monster, but for door furniture. Mismatched parts stitched together over time, and it shows.
Replace by floor or don't bother.
What Actually Survives
Solid brass (unlacquered): Ages naturally. We made handles 20 years ago that still look brilliant.
PVD-coated finishes: Molecular bonding. The Terminator of door handle coatings.
Grade 316 stainless steel: Won't corrode even if you throw seawater at it.
Proper powder coating: Thick application, correct cure, solid base material.
A residential handle gets used 20 times a day. A hotel entrance? Hundreds. That's dramatically more wear. Specify accordingly.
How to Specify (Without the Horror)
Don't specify: "Brass finish door handles"
Do specify: "Solid brass, PVD coating, minimum 3 microns thickness, tested to BS EN 1906 Grade 4, commercial high-traffic use"
Be specific. Name manufacturers. Require samples.
Otherwise procurement will order the cheapest thing available, and two years later your design looks like it's been through The Evil Dead.
Don't Let Your Hardware Haunt You
We've been making door furniture in Nottingham for 35 years.
We know which finishes survive and which ones fail faster than the cast of Friday the 13th.
For new projects: Specify finish performance, not just appearance. Match durability to traffic level.
For tired hardware: Quality handles can be refurbished. Cheap handles must be replaced.
For maintenance: Inspect quarterly. Fix small problems before they become Carrie-level disasters.
This Halloween, make sure your door furniture doesn't become the horror story.
Need help specifying finishes that'll actually last? Get in touch.