Beaux-Artes Product Information Frequently Asked Questions

Our products are made with polyester resin. We do not stock inventory since we offer so many finishes. All orders are custom and take 5-6 weeks. We offer 33 fabulous faux finishes or they can be ordered in white primer to paint yourself. These products are unique in that they are created from historical ornamentation or, in the case of our Arts and Crafts grilles, are reproductions of historic grilles which we have redesigned to work with today's HVAC industrial grilles. All of our products are appropriate for interior or exterior use. We do custom work. Please call for information on your unique project.

Beaux-Artes faux hinge straps are easy to install. They are glued to the door directly adjacent to each hinge. Since hinges are visible from only one side of the door, these faux hinge straps can be used only on that side. We recommend attaching them with clear, DAP "Kwik Seal" adhesive caulk, available in most hardware stores. "Kwik Seal" is a water-based adhesive so it cleans up easily with a wet rag. It has a thick putty consistency, which will hold the weight of the hinge strap while it is drying. Apply a small lima bean size glob of "Kwik Seal" to the back of the first hinge strap, then smooth evenly over most of the back surface, avoiding the very edges. Attach the first hinge strap to the bottom hinge first. If any "Kwik Seal" squeezes out past the edges, clean with a damp rag or small artist's paint brush. Be careful not to accidentally move the hinge strap, once it is centered on the hinge. Next we recommend using a piece of blue tape, to hold the hinge strap in place for an hour until the adhesive dries. Adjust the amount of "Kwik Seal" used on the back of the remaining hinge straps, based upon the first results, so that no adhesive caulk squeezes out. Always use a piece of blue masking tape to hold the hinge straps in place while the adhesive dries. Remove the tape after the adhesive dries in about an hour, and admire the results.


Installing Door Knob Escutcheons

Beaux-Artes escutcheons are easy to install.  Some of the escutcheons have screw holes, and others

are glued to the door directly. Pre-fit your escutcheon, by placing it over the door knob. Check the
fit. Most door knobs have a standard rosette size, but there are some exceptions. If the fit is tight
the escutcheon can be rotated to help it slide down the doorknob base. Make sure that the escutcheon
is pisitioned in an upright position parallel to the edge of the door, before attaching to the door.

Escutcheons with screw holes are sized for a #4 screw. Screws should be selected by finish and
material. Screws are made in various finishes which can match the finish of the escutcheons, such
as polished brass, satin brass, stainless steel and black. Screws are also made to screw into different
materials, so either get wood screws or metal cutting screws depending on your door. The length of
the screw should be 3/4" long. Even though some excutcheons have precut screw holes, a spot of
adhesive in the long middle section insures a proper installation.

Escutcheons without precut screw holes should be glued to the door directly. We recommend
attaching them with clear, DAP "Kwik Seal" adhesive caulk, available in most hardware stores.
"Kwik Seal" is water-based adhesive so it cleans up easily with a wet rag. Apply a few small
lima bean size globs of "Kwik Seal" to the back of the escutcheon, then smooth evenly over
most of the back surface, avoiding the very edges. Properly align and then attach to the door
and apply pressure for a few moments. If any "Kwik Seal" squeezes out past the edges, clean
with a damp rag. Be careful not to accidentally move the excutcheon, once it is properly
aligned on the door. Finally we recommend using a piece of blue tape, to hole the escutcheon.
Remove tape after the adhesive dries in about an hour, and admire the results.

filter grille consists of three parts, the louvered door which opens, the frame which is attached to the wall and the filter which you need to replace when dirty. Remove the door from your filter grille by unlatching the two latches just like you do to replace the filter. Then swing the louvered door to an extreme angle to disengage the two backets that act like hinges. Now the door should detach from the filter grille frame. Measure the door size and cut your Beaux-Artes decorative grille to the same size as the door using a table saw. Our grilles are made of polyester resin so they are easy to cut, like wood. Check to make sure that the newly cut grille fits into the filter grille frame. If the size is correct, sand any rough edges on your grille caused by the saw blade. Use the touch-up paint supplied to touch up the side of the grille where it was cut. The weight of the grille should be easily supported by the filter grille frame. Use velcro on the back top of the grille to keep the grille from falling forward. Attach two strips of velcro to the top back of the grille and the corresponding piece of velcro to the inside top of the filter grille frame. With the filter grille frame supporting the weight of the grille, the velcro is all you will need to keep the grille in the filter grille frame. When removing your decorative grille, bring the bottom part of the grille out first, away from the frame, this will assure that you don't just rip off the adhesive that holds the velcro in place. When replacing the grille place the bottom in the filter grille frame first, then gently push the top into the velcro to hold the grille in place. Remember the velcro is not supposed to support the weight of the grille. If for any reason you think that your grille needs more support or may be prone to falling, (or if you have children who may try to play with it) then you should attach a knob with a screw at the top of the grille. You can get these knob screw combinations at the kitchen cabinet area of Home Depot or Lowes. Since these grilles are made of polyester resin, drilling a screw hole in them is no problem. Use the black screen provided to cover the filter. The screen is merely to make the background appear black as most filters are blue, white or brown (or some other undesirable color). If you can find black filters then the screen is not necessary. We supply you with two pieces of screen so that you can clean one when you replace filters. The screens like the filters will get dusty, so clean one and use the other, rotating screens upon changing filters. You may need a small piece of tape to hold the screen in place to the top of a clean filter. Once again the screen is just for looks, to give that nice black look to the background behind the grille, try to use just one piece of screen, unless your background still shows through, then and only then should you use both screens to hide the ugly filter. The four pieces of molding supplied with the filter grille kit are designed to put around the outside of the filter grille frame. The molding even has a notch in the back which covers the steel frame. We supply these four pieces of trim molding longer than required, because different filter grille manu- facturers use different size frames, so you will have to miter the trim molding to fit your filter grille frame. If you don't have a miter saw and miter box they are available as a set for under $10 from Home Depot or Lowes. The molding is made of MDF and is very easy to cut even with an inex- pensive hand saw and plastic miter box. Once you have trimmed the molding to the correct size for your filter grille frame, use adhesive caulk (our favorite brand is DAP) to adhere the molding to the wall. By using adhesive caulk you avoid nail holes, plus it cleans up easily with a damp cloth. Blue masking tape will hold the molding in place while the caulk dries. Use the touch up paint to touch up the edges of the miter cuts and the area that may show between the grille and the molding. Now get your digital camera and e-mail Beaux-Artes a photo of your fabulously beautiful filter grille.