Monarch Metal is launching a stainless steel wall panel system that offers the durability and aesthetic of stainless steel without the price tag that typically comes with stainless steel systems.
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Stainless Steel Wall Panel System – New ProductRead More »

Monarch Metal’s Easy Panel System for installing wall panels with a decorative aluminum trim was recently featured in this WoodShop News article.
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Monarch Metal Featured in WoodShop NewsRead More »

In addition to the Stainless Steel standoffs that Monarch manufactures, Monarch also manufactures stainless steel glass buttons & mounting brackets for glass elevator panels, building facades and more.

These pictures below are from a recent job where we provided 2 inch diameter stainless steel glass buttons countersunk for the relevant hardware and pre-welded to mounting brackets where needed.  The parts were produced in both a mirror polished and brushed finish.   …

Stainless Steel Glass Buttons & Mounting BracketsRead More »

Mounting standoffs to drywall should be a relatively easy endeavor with a typical drywall anchor or toggle bolt. It is complicated by the standard thread in standoffs. Here at Monarch, we use a 5/16”-18 standard thread on our stainless standoffs and aluminum standoffs. We have two solutions to accommodate this thread.

The first is to make a simple Standoff Wall Mount Drawing as depicted below. One advantage of using a wall plate mounting system is you can support the standoff with multiple screws, giving you a greater hold strength. This set up also spreads the shear force of the load in a more appropriate manner.  We can manufacture these in brushed or mirror polished aluminum and stainless steel. A second advantage of a gypsum standoff mounting plate like this is that you can hold the dimension between two standoffs.  Say for example you wanted the standoffs supports to be exactly 3 inches in a wall panel mounting system. By having both standoff barrels mounted to the same plate, you can get a perfect installation, and therefore a perfectly symmetrical reveal between your panels.
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Mounting Standoffs in Drywall / Gypsum / Wall BoardRead More »

Guest Post by Pat Mullery

We all run into something now and then that we haven’t done before. About the only thing we can count on is that what we do will change, whether we want it to or not. Sometimes the change is driven by things besides technology; in this case it was schedule.

When a general contractor asked us to help him cut about 8 weeks out of his construction schedule on a teaching auditorium we looked at how the auditorium was designed and made a few suggestions. The auditorium had an array of 5 radiused light coves spaced from just in front of the stage to the back of the auditorium. The light coves were also designed to have a drop-in acoustical ceiling system attached to them. The design called for the light coves to be constructed from steel framing and drywall assemblies clad with maple veneer panels. The drywall work would take about 8 weeks to complete followed by about 8 weeks of panel installation. This would be followed by 2 weeks of drop-in acoustical ceiling installation and final electrical wiring bringing the total duration to 18 weeks. Unfortunately there were only 12 weeks allotted for all of the work. Something had to give.
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Cutting 8 Weeks Out of a Panel InstallationRead More »

After declining precipitously in the housing collapse, woodworking and carpentry jobs are finally starting to stabilize.  Are you interested in where the best paid jobs are?  Are you interested in which woodworking and carpentry occupations pay the most?  Would you like to know how woodworkers have fared relative to the rest of the country?  Find out in the infographic below!

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6 Facts About the Job Market for Woodworkers & CarpentersRead More »

Guest Post by Pat Mullery

I have been fortunate to be in a business I really enjoy for more than 25 years and I have generally found that being more inclusive in scoping a job rather than less inclusive has gotten me more work and more profitable (and interesting) work as a result.

Sometimes we have bitten off more than we should have but we have a tendency to at least look at unusual requests when bidding our millwork projects. We will generally pick up glass, decorative metal, stone, solid surface and have actually done a few decorative concrete projects. We find that the GCs look at us in a different way when we include those finishes and the end result is usually a more uniform fit and finish between all the finishes we do provide.

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How to Succeed in Architectural WoodworkingRead More »

Guest Post by Pat Mullery

I worked primarily with the Monarch MF-375 Z-Clip System for a year or so before I realized they made other sizes and shapes. I also only used them for hanging removable panels on vertical surfaces until I discovered some “magic” numbers embedded in their design. Let’s look at the MF-375 again to see what they are.

The z-clip is ¼” over all in thickness and each portion is 1/8” thick. The “lift-off” dimension is 3/8” (hence the -375). These dimensions allow us to use MF-375s in many other types of applications. In some instances we can attach the mating portion of the MF-375 to a horizontal surface by using a ½”x1/2”x1/8” sharp corner aluminum angle. The inside dimension of the angle is also 3/8” and although the sharp corner angle is not tapered like the MF-375 they mate perfectly (for that matter the same size structural angle will also work, but the architectural extrusion is more readily available). In some instances you will use an unequal leg angle but the “eighths” seem to be relatively easy to get and use. This modular “eighths” dimension seems to work in many applications.

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Monarch Z-Clips Play Well with Other ExtrusionsRead More »

Guest Post by Pat Mullery

This is the inaugural installment of what is likely to become a regular feature so the first thing I would like to do in this first article is address why the Monarch Z clip system make sense.

25 years ago I started my millwork career and the way to attach veneer panels to walls was a beveled hanging cleat (a pinch cleat, French cleat or Indian cleat). It was cheap and readily available; we always have some plywood rips around and it costs more to throw away than it does to use, right?

That may make sense when you are putting one removable panel on a reception desk but when you are working on a wall with hundreds of panels or a hospital with dozens of nurse stations the cost savings in materials doesn’t approach the value of using the Monarch hanging systems. When you are doing anything repetitive or on a large scale the value of Monarch Clips quickly becomes apparent.

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When Saving Money Hanging Panels Costs More in the Long RunRead More »