Clean, smooth and ready for its finish.
The same full-strength welds, dressed smooth, with the spatter removed and the outside faces cleaned up. Built for steel that is seen and used every day.
- Built to
- ⅛″
- Finish
- Dressed
- Price
- $$$
The same at every level
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Same crewThe same experienced Fabworx welders and fabricators build every level.
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Same strengthEvery weld fully fuses the steel. Strength never changes with the level.
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Same steelThe same quality material from the same suppliers.
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Same checkEvery piece is measured for size and square before it leaves the shop.
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Same warrantyEvery level carries the Fabworx workmanship warranty. Your written proposal spells out the terms for your job.
What you will see
- 1Clean joint lines
Each weld is dressed to a smooth, flat line. Neat and professional, and easy to spot if you look closely.
- 2Even grind marks
The cleaned faces show fine grinder marks. Powder coat and paint cover them well.
- 3Smooth to the touch
Spatter is removed and edges are eased, so it is comfortable on the hands.
- 4Built to ⅛″
Gates swing true, posts line up and sections meet evenly on site.
When Level 2 is the right fit
A front gate, a porch railing or an entry stair sets the tone for the whole property. Dressed steel looks clean, crisp and professional to everyone who walks up.
Powder coat and paint go on best over dressed welds and cleaned steel. The coating covers the grind marks and the result looks sharp for years.
Built to ⅛″, gates swing true, posts stand plumb and railing sections meet evenly from one end to the other.
With the spatter removed and the edges eased, handrails and gates feel smooth and comfortable in the hand.
For homeowners, landlords and property managers, Level 2 is the sweet spot: steel that looks great and stays that way without showroom-level hours.
Not sure? Answer a few quick questions and we will suggest the right fit.
Built to ⅛″
Level 2 is built to an eighth of an inch, about two quarters stacked.
We check square the way the trades do: measure corner to corner both ways (A and B). On a Level 2 piece, A and B match within ⅛″.
The gray band is the ⅛″ spec zone around a perfect square, and the red line is the frame as built. A frame can lean a little, but it never leaves the zone. Both are drawn 20 times larger than real life so you can see them; on a real 4-foot frame the difference is too small to notice. Tap the drawing to enlarge it.
We always build as accurately as we can, and most pieces come in closer than their spec. The spec is our promise. Holding a tighter spec takes more shop time: more precise cutting, the piece clamped in fixtures, welds laid in a careful order so the heat does not pull it out of square, and more measuring and correcting along the way. Steel shrinks as a weld cools, and keeping it within 1/16″ means managing that at every joint.
Ruler shown enlarged. For scale: ¼″ is about a pencil’s thickness, ⅛″ is two quarters stacked, 1/16″ is one quarter.
The same weld inside, every level
Every Fabworx weld fully fuses the steel, laid down by the same experienced, certified welders. That never changes. What changes from level to level is the work done on the surface after welding, and the time spent holding the piece to its spec.
That time is the difference in price. Matching the finish to where the steel is going means every hour in the shop goes into something you will actually see and use.
How we build Dressed
- Cut & fitParts cut and fit to size
- WeldFull-strength welds
- Remove spatterWeld berries knocked off
- Dress weldsWelds ground smooth
- Clean surfacesOutside faces ground even
- InspectChecked for size and square
What you get
- Full-strength welds by the same Fabworx crew that builds every level.
- Built to an ⅛″ spec for size and square.
- All weld spatter removed.
- Welds dressed: ground down smooth so they are no longer raised.
- Outside faces ground and cleaned for an even look.
- Edges eased so it is smooth to the touch. Ready for paint or powder coat.
Left natural
- Each joint stays visible as a smooth, clean line.
- Grinding leaves fine, even marks that a coating covers.
Built for
Built for the steel everyone sees: gates, railings and curb appeal.
- Driveway and entry gates
- porch and step railings
- mailbox posts
- house number signs
- Deck railings
- pergolas and shade structures
- fences and pool fencing
- planters
- Exterior stairs
- balcony railings
- garage and carport steel
- property refresh projects
- Apartment walkways and stairs
- handrails
- bike racks
- site furnishings
- Awning frames
- patio barriers
- sign frames
- trash enclosures
- Pieces getting a durable color coat that should look sharp for years
Three finishes, one standard
The level and spec for your job are confirmed in your written proposal. One project can use more than one level, for example Seamless on a feature railing and As-Welded on the supports behind the wall.