Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Any fix for anodized architectural railing?

2002

I'm trying to suggest a fix for a problem with bronze anodized balcony railings on a building. The design of this older, multi-story concrete and stucco building causes rainwater from the floors above to land on the top of the railings of the floors below.

This rainwater carries leachate from the concrete and mortar, and it harms the railings, probably through a combination of abrasion and alkaline attack. How big a factor this leachate is, vs. whether the quality and thickness of the anodizing are sufficient is a different matter, subject to possible litigation. But my feeling is that better anodizing would have lasted longer but would still eventually fail, and that powder coating would have survived no better (in fact the end caps are powder coated and seem to be suffering just as bad).

The question is, though, what to do. Are there available molded plastisol end caps, bronze colored adhesive backed heavy plastic tapes? Or is the only answer to paint, and keep painting, these railings?

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

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Ted,

I have recently used 'bootstripe' tape to redo the decorative stripping on my boat. Tough stuff, and obviously weather resistant. I believe they have this available in bronze / gold colors, although I have never seen it in widths above 2" so you still will have to do a little searching (might start at a marine or RV supply store) to see if this might help.

Chad Dannemann
- Houston, Texas
2002