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Finishing aluminum patio furniture

1998

I have designed some aluminum furniture for a client. I need to know what kind of finish that I should use. The furniture:, table, benches, chaise lounges, chairs, bar, pantry, will be used poolside in Louisiana, no salt but plenty of chlorine.

The client desires a permanent finish, darker rather than bright and with some texture. Could I sand blast the pieces? Will I need to apply a coating?

I prefer to do as little as possible, no painting, no powder coating, keeping the finish as natural as possible.

Thank you,

Patricia Pitzer
- Accents! for Your Home

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Aluminum was unknown until a couple hundred years ago because it does not exist as a metal in nature, and getting it into metallic form, and keeping it there, is difficult.

So the finish cannot be bare, natural, aluminum--there is really no such thing. Your choices come down to an organic coating (paint, powder coat) or anodizing .

Black and other dark colors are possible from any of these processes. There are numerous job shops (www.finishing.com/Shops) who would be pleased to apply the finish for you. You cannot, practically, anodize it yourself; and a top-quality painted/powder coated finish is not a do-it-yourself affair either because you need proper pretreatment, usually consisting of cleaning, etching, desmutting, and chromate conversion coating.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
1997

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So an aluminum metal finish is about as natural as your computer's microchips:-{

  
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
1997

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ANODIZE is a great way to go for outdoor use. Our shop does all types of anodizing & would be happy to provide you with a quotation.

You can sandblast the parts prior to anodizing to give them the texture you want.

David A. Kraft
- Long Island City, New York
1997

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I have a similar project but it is with a mountain bike frame. Chips and scratches show up bad and there appears to be no finish that holds up. I wish to take the aluminum frame down to metal and need a way to easily and inexpensively (and preferably a way I can do it myself) way to finish the aluminum. Will Gun Blue work If it where buffed in well? Is there any product that can be applied by hand to leave a metal-like finish but will stop it from oxidizing? Responses are greatly appreciated Dave K.

Dave Kalbach
1999

I need to know deeper to finish aluminum, we've been trying to use chromic acid after sand casting, then put into the oven, then powder coating, and top coat, but we cannot eliminate the bubble that appear in the end of the touch.

Please help me! This situation is very urgent to us.

Best regards,

Halim Dani
garden furniture - Yogyakarta, INDONESIA
2001

Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.

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