Bespoke Handrails and Balustrades
A balustrade that fails is not an aesthetic problem — it is a structural one. If the steelwork has been made from cheap imported material, or the fabrication has not been done properly, the consequences can be serious.
It could corrode quickly or fail — someone could fall and have an accident and injury occur. |
Advantage Engineering Solutions fabricates bespoke handrails and balustrades from our workshop in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Every job is custom-made to the exact dimensions of your space — not taken from a kit, not adapted from a stock product. We carry out a full site survey, fabricate the steelwork in-house, and install it ourselves. We hold BS EN 1090 EXC2 certification — the execution class legally required for structural steelwork fabrication.
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What We Fabricate
We work primarily in commercial environments — showrooms, car dealerships, retail units, gyms, and mezzanine floors. Residential work is also taken on, most commonly garden handrails for steps, decking, and garden walls.
Applications include:
- Internal balustrades for mezzanine floors and two-tiered showroom spaces
- Staircase handrails — commercial and residential
- Perimeter guarding for raised platforms and walkways
- Wall-mounted handrails for steps and ramps
- Garden and outdoor handrails in mild steel with powder coat finish
Infill options:
- Toughened or frosted glass panels, held by channel or glass clamps
- Cable infill — wire cables spaced as an alternative to glass
- Decorative fabricated infill panels — bespoke designs such as butterfly or radiating patterns
Mirror Finish Stainless Steel — Why Most Fabricators Get It Wrong
A mirror finish balustrade is only as good as the finishing on the welds. When stainless steel is welded, the heat discolours the metal around the weld — leaving dark patches that are immediately obvious on a high-shine surface. Many fabricators do not remove this discolouration correctly. The result is a balustrade that looks wrong from the moment it is installed.
The standard of finishing on the welds is much better. We correctly removed the discolouration caused by the welding process. |
We use professional polishing equipment to fully remove all weld discolouration on mirror finish stainless jobs. The result is a consistent, highly reflective surface across the entire installation — posts, top rail, and any welded junctions.
You can almost see your reflection in it. Not as clear as a mirror, but not far off. |
Mirror finish stainless is used where appearance is critical — car dealerships, high-end showrooms, upmarket commercial interiors.
Usually indoors in a commercial environment — like a showroom type environment. |
The precision required on a mirror finish job goes beyond the finish itself. Any misalignment in the posts or top rail is immediately visible in the reflection. Every line must be level, parallel, and symmetrical.
Any misalignment would have shown up very clearly. |
How It Works
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1
Initial enquiry. Contact us with your requirements — what the space is, what you need guarding, and any style preferences you have.
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2
Site survey. We visit site to measure the area, check floor levels, assess surface types (concrete, timber, tarmac, brickwork), and note any obstructions that could affect the design.
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3
Quotation. A price is produced based on survey findings. For straightforward jobs, this is a fixed price. For complex or large installations, a more detailed breakdown is provided.
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4
CAD drawings (where required). For larger or more complex projects, approval drawings are produced as part of the full package. Smaller jobs can be built on site and adjusted in real time without a formal drawing stage.
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5
Workshop fabrication. Posts, top rails, and all steelwork are manufactured in our Mansfield workshop to within 1mm tolerance. Glass panels are kept separate — not fitted in the workshop — to prevent damage during transport.
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Installation. We attend site, mark out post positions, and fix into the floor or wall using the appropriate method for the surface type: chemical anchors, bolts, or screws. Top rail is fitted to hold everything together. Glass panels are fitted last on site.
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Finishing. All steelwork is cleaned down on completion. On mirror finish stainless jobs, all weld discolouration is fully removed using professional polishing equipment to achieve a consistent, flawless finish.
What Makes Advantage Engineering Different
Fabricated, not off-the-shelfEvery handrail and balustrade is custom-made to the exact dimensions of your space. Not a kit, not an adapted stock product — measured on site and built to fit.
Mirror finish capability
Achieving a true mirror finish requires professional polishing equipment and the skill to remove all weld discolouration correctly. We have both. Many fabricators do not.
BS EN 1090 EXC2 certifiedThe execution class required for structural steelwork fabrication in commercial buildings. Not all fabricators hold this. It gives specifiers and building control the confidence that the work is covered.
Full service — survey to installation
Site survey, design, fabrication, and installation are all handled by the same team. No subcontracting the fit. No mismatch between what was fabricated and what ends up on site.
Built to within 1mmPosts, rails, and all fixings are fabricated to within 1mm tolerance. On mirror finish work, this matters — any misalignment shows up immediately in the reflection.
Recognised within the trade
Other contractors have approached us specifically for mirror finish stainless steel posts to extend or match existing balustrade installations. That is a measure of finishing standard.
Project Examples
Scope: Full balustrade guarding for two-tiered showroom floor
Material: Mirror finish stainless steel
Team: Two-man installation
On-site duration: Approximately two to three days
Total turnaround: Approximately four to five weeks
Scope: Supply of mirror finish stainless steel posts for other contractors to extend or match existing balustrade installations
Enquiry type: Trade-to-trade
Mercedes Benz Dealership, Newcastle
This job came to us via a construction company subcontract for the end user, Mercedes Benz. The client provided a reference image of railings from another dealership and asked for something similar. The brief was to deliver a balustrade to the same standard as an existing installation.
Similar, but way to a higher standard.
Mirror finish stainless steel posts and top rail were fabricated and installed across both tiers of the showroom floor. All weld discolouration was fully removed using professional polishing equipment, leaving a clean, highly reflective finish throughout.
Everything was bang on level. All the lines are perpendicular and parallel. Everything seemed to line up very well — all the straight lines lined up and made it look very symmetrical.
On a mirror finish installation, alignment is not just a construction standard — it is visible in the surface itself. Any deviation in post spacing, top rail height, or fixing angle would have been immediately apparent in the reflection. The client was impressed with the standard of work.
Mirror Finish Posts — Supply to Third-Party Contractors
On multiple occasions, other contractors have approached us specifically to supply mirror finish stainless steel posts for their own projects — either to extend an existing balustrade or to match the finish of one already installed. This is a trade-level endorsement of finishing standard. When other fabricators need mirror finish posts they cannot produce themselves, they come to us.
Capabilities
Materials |
Stainless steel (standard brushed/satin or mirror/chrome finish); mild steel |
Infill options |
Toughened glass panels; frosted glass panels; cable infill; decorative fabricated panels |
Glass fixing |
Channel or glass clamps; fitted on site (not in workshop) to prevent transport damage |
Finishes |
Mirror/chrome finish stainless; standard brushed/satin stainless; powder coat on mild steel (commonly black or grey) |
Post fixing methods |
Drilled and bolted into concrete, tarmac, brickwork, or timber; screwed to walls for wall-mounted handrails; welded or mechanically fixed top rails |
Handrail height |
1100mm from floor to centre of top rail (external and commercial — per Approved Document K) |
Post spacing |
Maximum 1500mm centres; closer where required by glass panel dimensions |
Gap rule |
No opening may allow a 100mm sphere to pass through (the 100mm sphere rule — Approved Document K) |
Fabrication tolerance |
Within 1mm |
Typical turnaround |
4–5 weeks from enquiry to installed |
Primary market |
Commercial — approximately 90% of work. Residential taken on. |
Location |
Workshop: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Installation: UK. |
Certification |
BS EN 1090 EXC2, SafeContractor accredited |
FAQ’s
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Stainless steel or mild steel. Stainless is used where a premium or polished finish is required — especially for commercial interiors. Mild steel is suited to powder coating in colours such as black or grey.
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It depends what style they want to go for — glass infill, cable infill, or decorative fabricated panels are all options. We can also work from reference images or existing installations to match or exceed a finish already in place.
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Yes — toughened or frosted glass, held by channel or glass clamps. Glass panels are always fitted on site rather than in the workshop to prevent damage during transport.
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Yes. A full site survey is included to measure the area, check floor levels, identify the surface type, and note any obstructions. The survey is what allows us to fabricate to 1mm tolerance.
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CAD approval drawings are available as part of the full package for larger or complex jobs. Smaller jobs can be built on site and adjusted in real time — not all projects require a formal drawing stage.
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Approximately four to five weeks from enquiry through to installed, for a typical commercial job.
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UK Building Regulations (Approved Document K), BS 6180:2011, and the 100mm sphere rule — no opening in the balustrade may allow a 100mm sphere to pass through. For commercial projects, BS EN 1090 EXC2 is a legal requirement covering the fabrication of structural steelwork. We hold BS EN 1090 EXC2 certification.
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Execution Class 1 (EXC1): Applies to structures with the lowest risk to human life and minimal consequences of failure. Common uses include agricultural buildings (e.g., barns) and minor residential structures Execution Class 2 (EXC2): This is the most common and default class. It covers standard buildings, such as typical residential and commercial properties ranging from 2 to 15 floors. It strikes a practical balance between material control and fabrication oversight Execution Class 3 (EXC3): Reserved for higher-risk structures or those subjected to fatigue. Typical applications include high-rise buildings (over 15 floors), pedestrian and road bridges, and crane tracks. Execution Class 4 (EXC4): The most stringent class, meant for critical infrastructure where failure could result in catastrophic consequences or widespread loss of life. Examples include large sports stadiums, concert halls, and nuclear facilities
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Primarily commercial — approximately 90% of our balustrade and handrail work is for commercial clients. We do take on residential work, most commonly wall-mounted garden handrails for steps, decking, and garden walls in mild steel with a powder coat finish.
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Yes. We can work from reference images or from an existing installation to match or exceed the style and finish. On several occasions, other contractors have approached us specifically to supply mirror finish stainless posts to extend their own existing balustrade installations.