Kick Plates| Robert Brooke

Kick Plates are available in a variety of materials including aluminum, stainless steel, polished stainless steel, polished aluminum diamond plate, satin nickel, brushed solid brass, polished solid brass, life time polished brass, polished aluminum brass, brushed bronze, oil rubbed bronze, duranodic aluminum (dark bronze), anodized satin black, and clear acrylic plastic. Our kick plates can be mounted by matching finish screws, blank, or two–way tape. They are available in any size and orders usually ship within 7–10 days.

If you are looking to renovate an existing property or have a new construction project requiring new kick plates, we can help with the material selection process, size, and mounting.

History of Kick Plates

Kick plates have been used for over 200 years to decorate, protect, and hide damage on doors. We sometimes hear them called Mop Plates or Armor Plates. Either way, they are all the same thing, the only difference might be the size.

You can use kick plates to add a decorative element to your door. Choosing the correct accent finish really finishes off the front of houses. They also offer an element of protection, especially if people are bringing in material on hand trucks. And lastly, they are really good at hiding damage from dry rot or doors that are delaminating.

Most of the Kick Plates we sell are 16 gauge, which is .050” thick, with the screw mounting. However, we can get other thicknesses and types of mounting.

Material Options for Kick Plates

Aluminum Kick Plates – Our aluminum plates are a satin or brushed finish. The metal is anodized to prevent oxidation and tarnishing. They are the least expensive of all the materials and lightweight which lowers the shipping cost. One small drawback is the material is porous and dirt can get in there, meaning it will have to be cleaned occasionally. The aluminum stock is cut to size with 4 beveled edges and is 18 gauge thick (.040”). This material was very popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s in schools and churches. This finish is sometimes called US28.

Stainless Steel Kick Plates – We offer our stainless steel plates in three different thicknesses, and two different finishes. We have the brushed or satin finish in 14, 16 and 18 gauge thick, which are .060”, .050” and .040” respectively. We only offer the Polished Stainless Steel in one thickness, which is 16 gauge, .050”. The polished finish is a perfect match for polished chrome, with the added benefit of being much stronger. Polished chrome is usually a solid brass plate that is plated with chrome and then polished, but stainless is much denser than brass and will be much stronger and dent resistant. This finish is also called US32D, and we use type 304  stainless steel.

14 ga
16 ga
18 ga
Polished Stainless 

Stainless steel is the finish of choice for almost all hospitals and most new buildings looking for a clean silver color and a finish that will not rust or tarnish over time.

Aluminum Diamond Plate Kick Plates – Our Aluminum Diamond Plates are constructed of solid aluminum. They are 1/8” thick and have a gloss or polished finish. These plates have the Diamond pattern, and the diamonds are 1–1/8” long. These plates would make an ideal addition to a man cave.

Satin Nickel Kick Plates – The Satin Nickel is a popular finish we have been seeing the last 15 years. The Satin Nickel Door Kick Plates are solid brass plates that are Nickel Plated and then brushed to give them the satin or brushed look. These plates are 16 gauge or .050” thick.

Brushed Bronze Kick Plates – The brushed bronze finish was very popular in the 1960’s. It is very similar to the brushed brass, but it has an orange hue to it. The base metal is solid bronze which is brushed to give it that satin look. The plate is then clear coated to prevent oxidation. This finish is also called US10.

Brushed Brass Kick Plates – Our Brushed Brass finish plates have a solid brass construction, 16 gauge (.050” thick), and the surface is satin or brushed. The plate is then clear coated to prevent oxidation or tarnishing. Brass is unstable in the environment, and has to be clear coated to prevent this from happening. You may already have a polished brass plate and see clear, plastic-like film peeling off. The clear plastic film is the clear coat to prevent tarnishing. All it takes is a little pinhole or dent and some moisture for this process to start. This finish is also called US4.

Polished Brass Kick Plates – Our Polished Brass finish plates are a solid brass construction, 16 gauge (.050" thick), and the surface is polished. The plate is then clear coated to prevent oxidation or tarnishing. One of the issues we see with brass plates is that they oxidize or tarnish over time. Brass is unstable in the environment, and has to be clear coated to prevent this from happening. You may already have a polished brass plate and see clear, plastic-like film peeling off. The clear plastic film is the clear coat to prevent tarnishing. All it takes is a little pinhole or dent and some moisture for this process to start. A good alternative would be to use a Lifetime Brass Kick Plate, which we discuss next. This finish is also called US3.

Lifetime Brass Kick Plates – The Lifetime Polished Brass has a 16 gauge (.050” thick) stainless steel base metal, which is then plated with an artificial brass finish that is then polished. The process is called Poly Vapor Deposition or PVD, which is why we hear the name Lifetime Polished Brass Kick Plate PVD. Because the finish is an artificial brass, it does not have to be clear coated and will never tarnish. The Lifetime Polished Brass finish cost the same as the Solid Brass Polished Kick Plates, and you cannot tell the difference. This finish goes by the name US3 PVD.

Gold Aluminum Kick Plates – The Gold Aluminum plates are a polished finish on an 18 gauge (.040”) thick aluminum plate. The benefit of these plates is the price as they are the least expensive of all the polished brass finishes. Any time you see a really inexpensive polished brass plate, it most likely has an aluminum base metal. These are the plates you find at the big box stores.

Oil Rubbed Bronze Kick Plates – Our Oil Rubbed Bronze Plates are a baked on powder coat on brass based metal. We switched to this finish 5 years ago due to color variations in the US10B Oil Rubbed Bronze finishes. The American version was much lighter than the Asian version, which is where most of the door hardware is made these days. The cost of Oil Rubbing was going through the roof and many platers were having issues with the environmental impact and EPA regulations in the United States. Our Oil Rubbed Kick Plates are 16 gauge (.050”) thick.

Duranodic Dark Bronze Kick Plates – The duranodic dark bronze plates are an aluminum 18 gauge (.040”) thick base metal that is anodized duranodic. This finish is popular with commercial facilities trying to match that storefront dark brown color. The finish is a flat or brushed finish. This finish is also called 313AN.

Anodized Black Kick Plates – The satin black plates are an aluminum 18 gauge (.040”) thick base metal that is anodized flat black. This finish is popular with commercial facilities trying to match that storefront black color of the aluminum framed glass doors and windows. The finish is a flat or brushed finish. This finish is also called 355AN.

Clear Acrylic Plastic Kick Plates – These plates are constructed from an 1/8” thick piece of clear acrylic.

Types of mounting

Kick Plates can be mounted by screws, two–way tape, and they can be glued to the door. Our plates come standard with screw mounting. The manufacturer sends #6 x 5/8” Oval Phillips Undercut Stainless Steel screws, unless you are ordering a Brass, Bronze or Antique Brass Plate, in that case they ship a matching finish #6 screw. An industry wide standard template determines the number of holes on the screw–mounted plates. A height between 6–10” will have 10 holes for plates up to 33” and 12 holes for plates between 33 and 40”.

You can order these plates with tape mounting, but on larger plates and especially plates with a stainless steel base metal, it is not recommended. Stainless Steel plates are too heavy and they most likely will not stick. We can also ship them with no holes, if you want to drill your own holes. This is fine on the Brass and Aluminum base metals, but again Stainless Steel is very hard and a drill press would be recommended. Also, any of the brass or bronze base metals have to be clear coated. When you drill your own holes, the heat from the drill will melt the clear coat, creating areas where moisture could get in. You can glue them on; we would recommend liquid nails, and some “C” Clamps with the door on saw horses.

Determining Kick Plate Size

The sizing of Kick Plates is personal preference. Some people leave a half inch on the sides and bottom whereas some people cover the complete bottom of the door. The people who cover the complete bottom of the door are usually trying to hide lamination, rust or rotting issues with their doors. Either way, it is a personal preference. One thing we would add is to check your door and make sure the new plate does not interfere with the jamb stop. The jamb stop is the molding on the door frame that stops the door from swinging through the opening.

We do not stock any of these kick plates, we custom order all of them. We can make any size plate you would like down to a 1/16” tolerance. The plates on our web sites are more of the standard sizes, if you need a custom size just email or call us with the dimensions you would like, and we will send you a quote. The lead time on custom plates will only be a day or two longer.

Arrival of Your New Kick Plates

Upon receiving your new kick plates, if you order them from us, you will find the plates in a box with a piece of wood for support in shipping. The plates are wrapped in a craft paper, and you will find the mounting screws in the triangular ends of the craft paper if you opted for the screw mounting. The plates will also have a white or clear plastic film over them. This film is designed to protect the plate during shipment and manufacturing. To remove the film, scratch at the corners of the plate and remove. If the film is left on, it will yellow and if in direct sunlight, adhere to the plate and become almost impossible to remove. The film coating is one of the largest issues customers have upon receiving the new plates. Many customers have said the finish is awful, but upon removing the film say how perfect they are!

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  1. Clear Plastic Door Kick Plates

    The Clear Plastic Door Kick Plates are constructed of .125" thick acrylic.  We recommend screw mounting on these  plate, because you can see right through them, and would be able to see the Tape Mount or Glue.  We have the more common sizes listed, but If you need a custom size they run about $0.22 per square inch.

    GKP-CP
    As low as $35.96
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