Powder-coated colors help protect your aluminum fence, and they don’t degrade like paint. It’s hard to beat aluminum fence panels, and powder coating provides one more layer of protection.
As soon as you install your aluminum fence, the atmosphere starts to attack it. Temperatures, both warm and cold, put stress on your fence, and moisture is always an issue. Humidity can wreak havoc on wood fencing, causing fence rot in extreme situations. This is of no concern if you own an aluminum fence from Great Fence, however. On top of that, we apply colors through a powder coating process that eliminates issues such as flaking and blistering that can affect a painted surface. Whether it’s a white or black aluminum fence or any other color, you can rest easy knowing your fence will stand up to the rigors of weather.
We sell powder-coated aluminum fence panels in a number of finishes and colors. You can get hunter green, sandstone, white, gold, bronze and black aluminum fence panels with a glossy finish, and our flat finishes are available in black, white, bronze and khaki.
Powder Coating Described
When we powder coat your fence panel, we apply a number of layers of color with a dry powder using an electrostatic process. We then cure it using heat, with the result being a strong, smooth skin that protects the aluminum fencing.
Powder-coated color adheres better to the aluminum surface. It stands up to all sorts of nasty weather, including temperature extremes. Humidity is no match for a powder-coated finish. However, we do recommend a quick wash down once or twice a year if you live in a salty-air climate.
As great as it is for the beauty and longevity of your fence, powder coating is also better for the environment. The process uses less energy than other coating processes, and we can recycle the waste from the process or dispose of it safely.
Finally, powder coating is safer for the workers who apply the finish. Workers are exposed to carcinogens when applying liquid spray paints. Powder coating eliminates this issue. In addition, solvents are needed in liquid paint to maintain fillers and binders. These solvents release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pose hazards to workers, and they are also dangerous for the environment, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because it is dry when it’s applied, powder coating emits nowhere near as much of these compounds.
Key Facts About Powder-Coated Fencing
You can get a good idea of a coating’s durability and quality from the paint film thickness. You want this to be 0.8 mils or greater.
Shininess can be measured by specular gloss. For low gloss, look for a value of 19 or less. Medium gloss scores 20 to 79, and high gloss is 80 or greater.
An ASTM score of H for dry film hardness is normal for fencing, but F indicates greater durability.
You want no failure in dry, wet and boiling water adhesion tests, and you want the substrate to experience no removal of film from impact. Look for an abrasion coefficient of 20 or greater.
You want no blistering from exposure to cleaning chemicals. You should see very few blisters after exposure to humidity and salt spray for 3,000 hours.
Powder coated finishes rate 7 or better on tests for scribe or cut edges, and their minimum blister ratings are at least 8, as measured by the ASTM D 1654 standard.
