In the Mood for Zinc

22 architectural zinc moodboards, each built around real preweathered zinc samples from the DMD library.

In the Mood for Zinc

For most designers, the word “zinc” evokes the color gray. When zinc rolls off the mill, that’s its natural color. But gray is just one possibility for this rich material. There’s a whole gamut of natural tones and textural possibilities when treated by DMD custom patina technicians.

Architectural moodboard: DMD weathered zinc sample #25913 with glass, cedar

This page shows a sampling of the possible colors and tones. Every surface in this article is real weathered zinc from our sample library, developed in our shop by the same patina technicians who handle our weathered steel. Like all of our finishes, each one is a true patina (not a coating). Patinas protect the metal, renews itself, and grow with a kind of integrity that doesn’t happen with paints and finishes.

Every number below is a finish we can run for your project. Scroll, and skip around, they’re in no particular order.

A note on the boards: the zinc on the left is a photograph of the real sample. The board on the right is a rendering built from that photograph. These patinas have artful variance, meaning that no two sheets are exactly alike (like leather or marble). When specifying a material with custom patina, expect variation.

DMD Zinc #25917 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25917
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25917 with black brick, white oak, pale concrete, glass, fern
The board: black brick, white oak, pale concrete, glass, fern

Weathered Zinc #25917

Deep slate zinc against black brick and white oak. The pale concrete and glass keep the board from going heavy; the oak adds warmth for a soft landing.

DMD Zinc #25903 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25903
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25903 with board-formed concrete, black slate, moss, birch
The board: wood-formed concrete, black slate, moss, birch

Weathered Zinc #25903

Silver zinc with charcoal clouding, on board-formed concrete and black slate. Moss and birch soften a palette that would otherwise be all gray.

DMD Zinc #24067 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24067
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24067 with Carrara marble, ash, terrazzo, pale concrete, frosted glass
The board: Carrara marble, ash, terrazzo, pale concrete, frosted glass

Weathered Zinc #24067

The calmest surface in the library, with Carrara marble, ash and white terrazzo. Zinc can sit in a calming, quiet interior palette without skipping a beat.

DMD Zinc #24107 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24107
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24107 with black brick, dark concrete, white oak, olive
The board: black brick, dark concrete, white oak, olive

Weathered Zinc #24107

Smoky brass-gold zinc against black brick and dark concrete, with white oak and an olive branch. Dark and rich with an almost Mediterranean feel.

DMD Zinc #25912 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25912
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25912 with cross-laminated timber, limestone, sage glass, dried grasses
The board: laminated timber, limestone, sage glass, dried grass, zinc plate

Weathered Zinc #25912

Soft dappled blue-gray on cross-laminated timber and limestone, with a sheet of sage glass. A mass-timber palette that stays cool without going cold.

DMD Zinc #25915 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25915
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25915 with black brick, birch, dark concrete, smoked glass, moss
The board: black brick, birch, dark concrete, smoked glass, moss

Weathered Zinc #25915

Warm gray-brown hazed zinc against black brick, birch and smoked glass. Tonal, low-contrast and very quiet. This is a board for a dark, moody elevation.

DMD Zinc #25918 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25918
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25918 with terracotta, travertine, sage glass, dried botanicals
The board: terracotta, travertine, sage glass, dried botanicals

Weathered Zinc #25918

Near-black zinc flecked with silver, on terracotta, cream travertine and sage glass. The warm stone makes the black feel deliberate rather than industrial.

DMD Zinc #25902 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25902
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25902 with red brick, white oak, white render, bronze
The board: red brick, white oak, white render, bronze

Weathered Zinc #25902

Warm gray zinc with charcoal dapple, on red brick, white oak and a white render panel. A renovation palette: the zinc reads as the new layer over an old building.

DMD Zinc #24265 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24265
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24265 with terracotta, travertine, linen, pale oak, dried botanicals
The board: terracotta, travertine, linen, pale oak, dried botanicals

Weathered Zinc #24265

Warm gray-brown weathered zinc with terracotta, travertine and natural linen. The board that looks most like it came out of the ground.

DMD Zinc #24168 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24168
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24168 with weathering steel, birch, gray felt, pebble
The board: weathering steel, birch, gray felt, pebble

Weathered Zinc #24168

Dark charcoal speckled zinc beside weathering steel, birch and gray wool felt. Blackened zinc and corten together read as one material family.

DMD Zinc #25904 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25904
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25904 with board-formed concrete, oak, white marble, brass
The board: board-formed concrete, oak, white marble, brass

Weathered Zinc #25904

Slate-gray zinc dusted with gold, on board-formed concrete, oak and white marble. Halfway between the slate zincs and the golden ones.

DMD Zinc #25913 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25913
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25913 with teal glass, red cedar, white render, basalt, dried grasses
The board: teal glass, red cedar, white render, basalt, dried grasses

Weathered Zinc #25913

Blue-charcoal speckle with pale teal glass and red cedar. A coastal palette, which brings a Northeastern ocean cottage aesthetic for an interior or exterior application.

DMD Zinc #25916 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25916
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25916 with red cedar, pale concrete, green tile, dried grasses
The board: red cedar, pale concrete, green tile, dried grasses

Weathered Zinc #25916

The most graphic surface in the library — silver-and-charcoal mottle — with red cedar, pale concrete and a glossy green tile. Loud zinc, calm neighbours.

DMD Zinc #25910 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25910
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25910 with walnut, green marble, cream plaster, dried grasses
The board: walnut, green marble, cream plaster, dried grasses

Weathered Zinc #25910

Gold marbled over pale blue zinc, with dark walnut, deep green marble and cream plaster. The board that made us want to write this article.

DMD Zinc #25911 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #25911
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #25911 with terracotta, lime plaster, travertine, walnut, brass, wheat
The board: terracotta, lime plaster, travertine, walnut, brass, wheat

Weathered Zinc #25911

The most saturated blue in the library next to terracotta, lime plaster and a brass disc. Complementary colors, straight off the wheel, and it works.

DMD Zinc #24270 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24270
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24270 with cross-laminated timber, pale concrete, sage glass, birch, moss
The board: cross-laminated timber, pale concrete, sage glass, birch, moss

Weathered Zinc #24270

Fine, even light-gray speckle with cross-laminated timber, pale concrete and sage glass. The most straightforward mass-timber pairing on the page.

DMD Zinc #24062 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24062
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24062 with weathering steel, glulam, concrete, glass, oak leaf
The board: weathering steel, glulam, concrete, glass, oak leaf

Weathered Zinc #24062

The plain brushed weathered sheet we start from, beside our own weathered steel and a glulam block. Two DMD metals, one shop: the Camp Boss idea in miniature.

DMD Zinc #24227 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24227
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24227 with red brick, walnut, black steel, fern
The board: red brick, walnut, black steel, fern

Weathered Zinc #24227

Light silver zinc with dark speckle next to red clay brick, walnut and a black steel angle. The brick is the surprise, and the silver makes it look freshly fired.

DMD Zinc #24108 — weathered zinc patina sample
The sample: DMD Zinc #24108
Moodboard: DMD Zinc #24108 with white oak, white marble, brass, fern
The board: white oak, white marble, brass, fern

Weathered Zinc #24108

A speckled blackened zinc — charcoal and silver mottle with the odd fleck of rust — against white oak, white marble and a brass disc. The pale partners let the texture do the talking.

Get the Samples

A moodboard tells you whether a palette works. A sample in your hand tells you whether the metal does. Every number on this page is a finish in our library — pick one, or two, and we’ll send the real thing, along with the weathered zinc spec pack below (material standards, finish selection, detailing and installation). Check the box and one of our design-assist technicians will reach out to talk through where zinc fits on your project — and, if you’re pairing it with our weathered steel, how the two get detailed together.

Weathered Zinc Specifications

Complete the form below to download our detailed specifications.

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