SPECIAL FINISHES
SCROLL DOWNSELECTING A FINISH
One of the advantages of aluminum panel siding is that it has an almost endless variety of finishes.
Before selecting a finish, it is important to understand the difference between each type of finish.
PAINTED FINISHES
Painted finishes offer excellent weather resistance and an endless variety of colors ranging from dark to bright. It is possible to obtain colors with a shiny appearance, either micaceous or metallic. It is also possible to choose the level of gloss of the surface layer in order to obtain a greater reflection or a more matte finish.
Some paint applicators are also able to have textured paint finishes (sanded finish) and even have printed finishes such as replica woods, stone or others.
There are also colors called “Prismatic, pearslescent or shimmer”. These are glossy finishes that change color based on the position and orientation of the sun. These finishes are only available in aluminum composite.
All these finishes generally follow a similar application process, that is, a pretreatment of the aluminum, the application of a primer, the application of a primer color “Base coat” and a protective layer “Clear coat or Top coat ”.
There are many different paint product, the warranties on the finish can vary from 1 year to 30 years. For the DURALUM line, it is also possible to choose the type of paint either liquid coating or powder coating, each of which offers their advantages.
NATURAL FINISHES
Natural finishes are generally those that show off the original material. Depending on the finish, they offer good weather protection and can even be finishes that vary considerably over time. This type of finish is usually chosen for architectural aesthetic reasons.
These finishes are often more expensive than painted finishes, because they are less common and more difficult to reproduce consistently. In addition, these finishes generally have lower warranties, from 0 to 10 years.
One of the best-known treatments is anodizing, which produces shades of silver, champagne, bronze and black. These finishes show the grain of the aluminum. The anodic layer component is aluminum oxide, it is considered the second hardest element on the Mohs scale. Although anodizing has its share of advantages, it is a difficult treatment to control and calibrate, this often results in a difference in color between 2 different anodizing batches.
There is also a variety of brushed and polished finishes, allowing the original color of the material to be retained while standardizing the finish. These types of finishes can be combined with a coloring process to achieve unique results.
