Liquid Metal in 2018
Liquid Metal in 2018 had a great year
We’re looking forward to an even greater year in 2019. We know it’s not considered good form to brag but we think a little brag is allowed at New Year. And the brag is that we’re growing exponentially - so contact us soon if you wish to be a part of the global success that is Metalier.
Highlights for Liquid Metal 2018 were:
1. Our new international website was launched. Live are the international site, NZ, UK, USA & Canada and Vietnam.
2. During the year we’ve worked with customers in India, Turkey, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Russia and Switzerland. In December we welcomed our newest distributor, the Hidayath Group in UAE. Hidayath is going to represent us in the countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council – The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. This is an exciting opportunity for Metalier. Technical experts from Granlyn Specialist Coatings will conduct training in Dubai. HQ will assist. Metalier is becoming truly co-operative on a global level.
3. We also entered a UK “Build” competition and were awarded Leading Innovators in Decorative Coatings in -New Zealand and Best Residential Coatings Project: Freemans Bay Apartment.
Very nice. Thank you.
What will 2019 bring?
We have a new distributor from South Africa attending training at Granlyn.
We have a new distributor from China coming for training in New Zealand.
When South Africa and China join us, we will be represented in all of the continents of the world with the exception of South America. Now who do we know there? Or who do you know there?
As well as all the international excitement, we have been very busy at HQ in Aotearo New Zealand. We have been awarded wonderful local contracts and we have also been creating new and gorgeous finishes to tempt people with.
In 2018 the most popular metal by far was brass - hence the picture of our pitted brass finish currently on the workshop floor in NZ. This was despite designers predicting that 2018 was the year for copper. Judging by the work we have coming in to HQ there will be more brass throughout 2019 as well.
Contact us to talk about distribution, application or how we can make your design a magnificent reality throughout the world at your nearest hub below or HQ or you could complete the form.
Brass polish in stunning fitout
Brass polish a keynote in Auckland Apartment
Metalier coatings in a brass polish has been used to great effect on cabinetry in the lounge area of an Auckland apartment. The designer of this stunning fitout is Auckland-based designer Lauren Hare of Hare Interiors Ltd. The images are by David Straight.
Brass polish is 95% metal
Metalier Coatings are a composite of real metal powder and a binder. When sanded and polished the coating is 95% metal which makes it extremely durable. It also shines to a very high polish. Because of the composite nature of the product, however, there is an element of moodiness in it, even with a high polish. This adds movement depth and interest to the end product.
The Metalier feature provides a focus
This quality of the finished product is demonstrated by its use in this residential interior and provides a focus for the other elements of the room. The brass, gold, pink and oatmeal, together with the little floral hint in two of the cushions, add up to an interior we’re proud to be a part of.
We happen to know that there is a glorious view out the window on the left of the image. The subtleties and warmth of the décor allow a balance between the inside and the outdoors.
Lauren is a regular user of Metalier Coatings and we enjoy working with her. She prides herself on intimate detailing and a mastery of form, scale and sensitivity to materiality. We know that any project from Hare will be exciting and interesting to work on and one that we will be proud to have in our portfolio.
For enquiries contact the Metalier partner closest to you:
HQ in Aotearoa New Zealand
Or you could complete the form below:
General Contact Form
New Website for Metalier Liquid Metal
New Website launched - Hooray!
If you’ve already arrived at this page you will know that Metalier has updated its website. It was a mission to get it exactly how we wanted it.
Easier for specifiers
Each country section of the new website is designed to be easier to use for architects, designers and other specifiers. Go to the GET METALIER section of the site to see how to do just that - get Metalier.
The new website showcases our global presence
The new website is also designed to showcase Metalier’s international presence with a global website. So far, the International site is live. So too is the New Zealand site. The North American site is live albeit with the old look for now. Vietnam is live and is being translated into Vietnamese. We can’t wait to add the UK, Australia and the other Metalier centres that are coming on stream.
The old site had served us well but needed a refresh. After that the main driver is to direct all visitors to seeing a selection of the amazing finishes possible with Metalier. So the button in the middle of the page saying “View Metals” should do that job nicely. We’ll see.
Become a distributor or an applicator
The other objective of the international part of the site is to tell people what the process is and to encourage interest in becoming part of the Metalier Team. That seems to be working nicely too – so if you are interested and you are hanging back that’s not a good idea. We are growing exponentially and it is an exciting process. Don’t miss the bus.
Every new website designer likes to think that their design is a good one. We’re no exception. We would love feedback, however. There will be typos and grammatical crimes no doubt and we’d love to be told if you spot one. We can also take criticism on the chin, so let us have it –
You can telephone us or email us or you could fill in the form below. Whichever means you choose, we love to hear from you.
General Contact Form
Lightweight Liquid Metal
Metalier’s coating is a lightweight liquid metal.
Being so light is one of the advantages of this incredibly versatile material. It is the second reason we give for Why Liquid Metal?
It can be used as a replacement to sheet or solid metal when weight is important – in an aeroplane, a yacht or even a bigger sailing vessel.
Using a lightweight liquid metal can also make fit-outs more practical even if the end result doesn’t require lightness. It is much easier to install an MDF panel coated in Metalier lightweight liquid metal than it is to install a piece of sheet metal. It’s easier to carry, easier to drill and if it is dropped the floor is likely to suffer less.
The concept of lightness
Nothing conjures up the concept of lightness more than a traditional ballerina in classic dress. The ballet shoes shown date back to 2005 and we still have the original shoe in our workshop. Still designers and architects marvel that we have coated a real ballet shoe with Metalier lightweight liquid metal in bronze. It is finished off with green patina to create a verdigris look.
When we began our liquid metal journey back in 2005 we hadn’t done any work to showcase on our website so we chose items that would showcase the qualities and attributes of our material. These ballet shoes were given to us by a real ballerina who had danced in them.
The shoes also show another feature of Metalier liquid metal coatings. They transform the mundane into the spectacular – the first reason Why Liquid Metal. While no-one would call a pristine new pink pair of toe shoes mundane, they have certainly become mundane by the time they have reached the end of their useful life on the stage. Transformed by Metalier they become a permanent keepsake.
Memorabilia is by no means a large part of the Metalier business but we have enjoyed all the opportunities to contribute to people’s memories.
If you need lightweight liquid metal coatings for your next project send us an email or complete the form below.
General Contact Form
Liquid metal colour range
Metalier liquid metal colour range is almost infinite
The liquid metal colour range available from Metalier is huge. We say it's almost infinite because in 12 years of creating new and exciting finishes we haven't got to the end of the possibilities yet.
The liquid metal colour range is made up of standard and bespoke colours
The standard Metalier colour range includes the following colours: aluminium, iron, gold brass, green brass, bronze, chocolate bronze, smoky bronze, gunmetal bronze, salmon copper, dark copper, dusky copper, black copper and nickel silver. We call these colours our standard range as they come ready-created from our metal suppliers. All the applicator has to do is mix the metal with the chosen binder (add MEKP if it's the solvent) and get spraying.
Bespoke metals are individually created
In the workshop at HQ in Auckland, NZ we have created a number of custom-mixed colours. We pass on the formulas to our hubs and applicators of course. Mixed colours include aluminium blush, classic gold, rich gold, rose gold and gunmetal silver. The rose gold pictured - our newest creation and one of our favourites was created specially for the Epsilon Hair Salon in Mount Maunganui. The theme-colour of this beautiful salon is pink and there is rose gold on the floor, on the balustrades and on the light-fittings. It goes well with the holistic, cruelty-free ethos of the salon and its owner. You can see more of the fit-out at the Salon website.
The team at HQ aren't the only clever ones, however. It was our UK team that devised the champagne gold that was specially created for a ban of escalators at Harrods of London.
We love a challenge and matching metals to a specific brief is something that we love to do. The vast range of options available are one of the 11 reasons why you should choose Metalier coatings.
So contact us if you would like a special metal colour created just for you. Email or telephone (+64 9 376 7099) or you could complete the form below.
We love to hear from you.
General Contact Form
Textured liquid metal: subtle or dramatic
Chose textured liquid metal
Textured liquid metal is one of the attractions of Metalier real metal coatings. With texture you can create a vast array of different looks. It’s the eighth reason why you should choose the Metalier liquid metal system.
Mud pies for grown-ups
With Metalier you can create elegant repetitive patterns such as sandscrit. You can also go wild creating random heavy looks. There is something very satisfying about making a toothpaste-like mix of binder and metals and applying it with a spatula or spoon or other ordinary house-hold implement. Our team even make patterns using paper. It’s mud pies for grown-ups.
The ability to texture also means that you can create special effects using leaves and other things from nature. Leaves, for example, can become part of the final finish or just lightly applied and then lifted off leaving a leaf-print. You can use the same techniques on any pattern you like – we’ve seen it used with shapes and even with fish. Maybe it would even work with those ubiquitous front door swans that were so fashionable in the 1950s – but then, maybe not.
We love the subtle textures introduced into the finish featured in this blog. It was completed by our talented team in North America. You can check out their website here.
Patinas and waxes
Patination is most effective when applied to textured liquid metal. The 3 different patinas Metalier produces create rust, pearlescent effects, aging and Verdigris. The highs and lows of textured finishes show the variety that patina creates – strongly coloured in the depths with high polish on the highs. Black waxes also work well on the textures for the same reason – dark lows and light highs.
Boutique and hand-crafted
Metalier finishes are boutique and hand-crafted so no two finishes will ever look the same. No two applicators will produce identical work. Sometimes the same applicator can’t repeat what he or she did before! This is one of the great attractions of the Metalier system. Architects and designers can pushing design barriers and clients receive an individual and unique look.
Pretty compelling we think.
Complete the form below for more information or to be put in touch with the Metalier hub nearest to you.
General Contact Form
Brass design luxury
Great brass design enhances spa fit-out
The brass design in this stunning fit-out for Invive Spa is the key feature which holds the design together. Talented designer, Bridget Taylor from Spaceworks Design Group, is a fan of Metalier Coatings and uses them whenever she can. On this occasion the subtle use of the brass metal rods set off the luscious colours chosen for the fit-out. What you won't know unless you're up with our secrets is that the rods started life as pieces of wood. They only became brass when they were finished with our Metalier brass coating.
Brass design pieces add a touch of luxury
The creator of Invive, Hayley Nithi has visited many luxury spas around the world. Her intention is to re-energise and modernise the spa industry in New Zealand. Building Invive and bringing the luxuries of the world to New Zealand is just the beginning. The fit-out in general and the brass design pieces in particular are all in line with and provide a great home for the luxury products and services offered in the spa.
Sometimes less is more
The old adage that sometimes less is more is very apt. Although obviously we'd like you to coat every available surface with Metalier sometimes that just doesn't work out and could be seriously over the top. The brass design in Invive is like the jewel in the crown - the light touch that brings the whole design together.
The philosophy behind Invive resonates with us too. It's holistic just like the philosophy of Epsilon Hair which also featured touches of Metalier - this time in rose gold. This sits well with the Metalier wish to tread lightly on the earth by conserving its resources as much as we can. We do this by using recycled metals and fine coatings so that we use as little of the earth's elements as possible.
All our wonderful distributors support this philosophy too and here is how to contact them:
UK, USA, India, Vietnam and Australia.
Alternatively, you can complete the form below and we'll pass the message on.
General Contact Form
New dark copper colour : liquid metal
Dark Copper is the new copper colour from Metalier
We named the new copper from Metalier "dark copper". When you compare it to Metalier's original copper the difference is immediately noticeable and dramatic. The larger pile of powder on the left of the picture below is Metalier's original copper colour. The smaller pile on the right is dark copper. We've named the original copper salmon copper. It is a salmon pink colour - hence the name.
The addition of the new copper to the range gives Metalier an additional colour. It also allows our applicators to create a new range of "hybrids" - metal colours that can be mixed on the spot by combining two or more of the standard metal colours we offer. Think of rose gold, rich gold, aluminium blush and rose aluminium. Copper features as a component in each of these hybrids.
The gorgeous dark copper bowl featured was created by one of our newest distributors, Abel & Glen of Sydney, Australia. Abel & Glen are tasked with taking Metalier across the ditch from New Zealand. We're very pleased to have them in the Metalier team and even more pleased when they turn out work like this bowl. We'll tell you more about them shortly - we've asked them what they'd like us to say about them. So far they've been a bit coy! In the meantime, if you're in Australia and you'd like a copper bowl or something else then you can contact Abel and Glen here or complete the form below and we'll put you in touch with each other.
Contact details for our hubs are below:
For UK and Europe click here;
For North America click here;
For India and MENA click here
For HQ, NZ click here or complete the form.
General Contact Form
Great design principles
Great design and what it means is in some ways subjective.
No doubt there are philosophers who have expounded on the subject – probably at some length. There are also some elements, such as balance, composition and functionality that must be in sync for a design to be great.
At Metalier, we’ve often worked with Sue Gillbanks of Kitchens by Design and the picture above is one of Sue’s kitchens. In this kitchen the design’s central element is the unusual pattern and colour in the stone splash back. The palette is muted in tones of cream and a mushroom brown. Sue has carried forward the colours into the cream bench and the cream cabinets with their brown handles. The range-hood tones perfectly in Metalier smoky bronze (one of Sue’s favourite metals). The table and chairs complete the brown contribution to the theme.
Variety is added with having glass in the end cabinet to show off the owners’ glassware and crockery and there is a touch of whimsy in the little shelf high on the left side of the splash back. The towel rails with their ceramic knobs are a quirky touch too.
This kitchen is an illustration of all the elements that make up great design in our opinion – subjectivity again! Above all good design contributes to how we live and how happily and well we live and function. I am sure that the cook or cooks who get to work in this kitchen just love every minute they spend in this room. I imagine too that this translates into the great dishes that are produced here. And you certainly wouldn’t want to leave it in a mess!
And don’t forget that the design has to be stunningly beautiful. We think this kitchen is and we’d love to take it home.
Contact Metalier in NZ, UK, USA, Vietnam or Australia for recommendations of great designers for residential and commercial fit-outs or complete the form below.
General Contact Form
Copper baseball - any substrate
Copper baseball shows off an unusual substrate
This copper baseball was coated and polished by our friends and distributors in North America, M2 Supply of Elkhart Indiana. It illustrates clearly the Metalier mantra that we can coat almost any substrate. There is no doubt that this is a genuine and used baseball. You can even see the little fibres on the surface of the ball. And the copper baseball, because it is curved, is an ideal vehicle to show off the shine and beauty of the metal.
Any substrate!
The “any substrates” that can be coated with Metalier are almost unlimited. The main requirement is for the substrate to be able to take a key. For Metalier liquid metal to bond to the substrate it needs to be slightly roughened. This creates strong adhesion which lasts for years. In fact, there is no reason for Metalier to ever delaminate if the initial bond is properly formed.
Polystyrene, which is frequently used for props, in theatre, film and entertainment venues requires a barrier coating. The barrier coating needs to be able to take a key too. It’s not rocket science though. Even regular paints require sanding between coats for good adhesion.
Most of the work that Metalier is contracted for is seen in great fit-outs like Dior, The Sugar Club, Paul Smith and Harrods of London.
There’s another side to the business too. We’ve had fun with lots of substrates – we’ve coated bathtubs and basins, gumboots and baby shoes. One of our most moving commissions was coating a cap which was to be a part of a tombstone. It was for the grave of a young lad who had died tragically young. It broke us up doing the work but we were proud too to contribute to the memorial.
If you have something unusual that you would like us to coat as well as your front door, fireplace surrounds, kitchen cabinets, floors or hundreds of bedheads in your hotel, please contact us here or complete the form below. You can also ready more about possible substrates here.