Author: Nick Thornton, Sales Manager

As I was gathering images to use on our new web site, I came across one of my most interesting projects that I’d like to share with you: Iron Rose Ranch in Carbondale, Colorado. This project was particularly unique because we built interior and exterior doors DESIGNED to rust.

When building with steel, you are always fighting Mother Nature, constantly working to protect the steel from weather. At Lucas Equine Equipment, we regularly prime and powder coat or hot-dip galvanize our equipment to help prevent rust. We’re kind of obsessed with creating flawless, long-lasting finishes.

However, when I received a call from GH2/Gralla Equestrian Architects about a project that required rusted steel doors, I was quite surprised. What? Rusted doors? Isn’t that what I’m always working to prevent?

The plans we received from GH2/Gralla were for a maintenance building for Iron Rose Ranch, a breeding and training facility for competitive cutting horses. They needed sliding and hinged doors for interior and exterior use. The design was compelling, and I couldn’t wait to tackle a project like this!

Pre-rusted steel is sometimes used to create a rustic aesthetic in architectural structures in other industries. However, this was definitely a first for Lucas Equine Equipment. When designing these unique doors, my biggest challenge was making sure that the tracks and carriers on the sliding doors still operated easily when they began to rust. So, we used parts designed not to seize when exposed to moisture.

After we designed and built these doors, the rusting process was accelerated by an acid bath. In fact, the very smooth, clean steel that we use for all our doors is ideal for this process. This high-quality steel will develop the rusted look much more evenly when exposed to this acid bath.

In some of the pictures I'm including, you’ll see how the pre-rusted doors add to the look of this rustic structure. The round and diamond-shaped rivets and hardware on the doors further accentuate this style that's both rustic AND modern. I hope you enjoy these images...I sure enjoyed working on this project. Pretty cool.

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