Restoration Register

Heritage specialty materials in Toronto and the GTA

Some heritage materials are simply not sold at a building supply. Pressed tin ceilings, architectural terra cotta, cast stone, encaustic and quarry tile, glass block, pressed metal siding. When one of these fails on your building, the problem is usually finding anyone who works in the material at all.

The GTA is the only region in Ontario with real depth here, largely through Toronto and Concord suppliers who keep historic patterns in production or in stock. Pressed tin ceiling panels can still be matched to original patterns and re-pressed. Terra cotta units can be cast to replicate a failed one, and cast stone sills and lintels reproduced from a mould taken off the original. The critical step is documentation before removal: a pattern, a mould or a good measured photographic record taken while the original is still in place, because once a damaged unit comes down in pieces there is often nothing left to copy.

What to ask before you hire

  1. Can you match the existing pattern, or only supply something close? Ask to see the pattern library or a sample before you commit.
  2. Will you take a mould or pattern from the original before removing it? This has to happen while the original is still in place.
  3. What is the lead time? Specialty materials are made to order and a twelve-week wait is normal. It belongs in the schedule, not in a surprise phone call.
Grant funding

Toronto, Oakville, Markham and Caledon all fund materials as part of eligible conservation work. Because specialty materials carry long lead times, submit the grant application before ordering, since most GTA programs will not pay for work already underway.

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