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Restoring copper gutters

Q. Aging copper gutters. I recently had 1/2 round copper gutters with round copper downspouts installed on my house. They are new manufactured and are bright brass in color. How long will it take for them to age naturally? Is there anything I can apply to them that will cause them to age quickly (turn brownish)? Please help.

Thomas Cooper
- Atlanta, Georgia
2000

Q. I have rain gutters made of copper that have turned brown. I would like to return them to their copper color. What should I use on them?

Donald Chapman
- Strasburg, Ohio
2003

Q. I too have purchased a house with copper gutters and want to restore them. What if any chemical can I use.

cal flannery
- Hampton Virginia U.S.A.
January 22, 2008

A. Hi.

Brasso will bring up a nice warm color but the polishing is slow and probably too tedious for something as big as gutters. vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] and salt is very aggressive and fast, but will leave the copper raw and salmon colored, and must not be used on really fine detail. Compromises like Revere copper cleaner [Ed. update 2023: no longer available] contain tarnish-dissolving mild acids, so they work quite fast, but are actual polishes that still leave a reasonably warm copper glow. After the polishing, though, you need brass lacquer [on eBay or Amazon] or the copper will tarnish very quickly. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 5, 2010

Please see also --

• Topic 35538 "Need to strip paint from copper gutters"

• Topic 11195 "Painting copper gutters"

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