In outdoor public furniture, different metals are chosen for different applications and environments. The most commonly used metals includes aluminium, mild steel and stainless steel. These metals require different levels of finishing depending on on the application and environment.
Aluminium has natural corrosion inhibitors that form a layer on the top of this raw material. The most commonly used finish for aluminium is to leave it in its raw state (helps to hide scratches), anodising (only applicable to extruded or plate aluminium), powder coating, and two-pack epoxy paint. You can apply other finishes but they are simply cost prohibitive in most circumstances.
Mild steel in its raw state is very exposed to the elements and corrosion in outdoor applications, it requires a level of protection for it to have any sense of longevity. One of the more robust finishes for steel is to be hot dip galvanised, this offers a high level of protection at a very reasonable cost and is often left in the galvanised state (helps to hide scratches), or when a colour finish is desired then powder coating offers excellent value, robustness for a non architectural finish. If steel is being used in seaside or harsh environments, then the best value finish is two-pack epoxy painting over the top of hot dip galvanised steel using the Dulux Weathermax system. If the environment isn’t corrosive and a higher architectural level or a custom colour is required then the use of a standard two-pack paint system will be sufficient and help keep the costs down.
Stainless steel, like aluminium is naturally anti-corrosive and is usually kept in its natural looking state, unless a colour match or high levels of corrosion protection are required. If a colour is desired then powder coating can be applied unless the colour is custom, then the above two-pack epoxy paint systems can be used.
At Furphy’s, we have various coating options to suit your particular design requirements and ensure longevity on our metal-based products. We generally use powder coating for most of our products and two levels of epoxy paint systems due to colour or corrosion protection.
Download our Powder Coat Colour Chart or contact us for more details about your particular location and requirement.
