Surface World February 2019 SW_Feb_2019_LR | Page 30

QUALICOAT UK & IRELAND
Cleaning powder
coated facades
Powder coated fi nishes
on aluminium profi les
are extremely durable
which is the reason why
powder coating to the
QUALICOAT standard is
rapidly on the increase.
Finish life expectancy
can be maintained and
even prolonged with
regular routine and
simple maintenance.
in the future. Warranties vary in time and are
dependent of the powder coat finish used
and the location of the installation. For
example, where the coating is close to
the sea, a marine grade or QUALICOAT
‘Seaside’ specification for the coating must
be used and the cleaning regime reduced
to three monthly intervals as the atmosphere
is more corrosive.
Importantly, the completed project needs
to be cleaned down professionally prior to
handover using the correct procedure
to ensure that the finish is not damaged.
It is crucial to have areas of impact or
abrasion damage repaired should it be
present. During cleaning, the protective
tape must be removed from the inside
and outside of all powder coated surfaces.
External tape should not be left on the
powder coating in excess of six months in
any circumstances as the tape can often
degrade in UV light and become firmly
attached to the powder coating.
Once handed over to the client, in normal
use such as in cities, the powder coat finish
should simply be washed down at yearly
intervals with clean water or with a ph neutral
mild detergent solution in water.
This should be enough to
protect the visible surface of
the powder coat for many years
and can simply be done during
the cleaning of windows.
The powder coat finish wash
down is especially important
where squeegee bars are used
to clean the glass, as their use
tends to place the residue of the
cleaning contaminants directly on
the powder coated frame which
can begin to etch into the surface
finish of the coating.
On new and refurbished
buildings powder coated finishes
will always come with a cleaning
and maintenance regime from
the company who coated the
aluminium profiles. These will be
minimal cleaning requirements
and need to be adhered to as
well as recorded when cleaning
takes place. This will ensure the
coated finish is maintained within
the warranty wording and will
help should there be any claim
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FEBRUARY 2019
Crucial to any maintenance regime is
preventative maintenance and powder
coating is no exception. If the coating in
use has become damaged exposing the
aluminium, it should be repaired as soon as
possible in order to seal the surface again.
If left, corrosion could begin which will
affect the area. For repair, either contact
the original coater, or any QUALICOAT
approved application can offer guidance.
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland offer a basic
guide which can be downloaded from their
website. This can be referred to as where the
original maintenance information has been
mislaid and not available to refer to.
The next QUALICOAT UK & Ireland
members meeting takes place in
Norwich in November, please contact
the General Secretary, Jan Lukaszewski,
via the QUALICOAT UK & Ireland
website, should you wish to attend.
For details on the availability of various
colours and fi nishes contact any
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland member
for more information. For updated
information about the use and
specifi cation of QUALICOAT in the
UK and Ireland, please visit the UK
& Ireland Association website at
www.qualicoatuki.org
read online: www.surfaceworld.com