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Q&As since 1989


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How to get rid of Shiny Aluminium

Q. We have a walking way made up of aluminium checkerboard with heavy pedestrian traffic. Especially in the summer time, aluminium gets extremely shiny. How to make it matte?

Tolgay Özer
Technology Materials - Ankara, Turkey
2003

A. I am assuming that you are talking about what we call diamond deck aluminum. The simplest solution is to apply strips of anti skid. This is like 24 grit sandpaper with a self adhering glue on the back. I would look at pieces that have rounded ends and are about 1" wide and a few inches long.

Grit blasting is too messy for most applications. Polyurethane coating could be painted on and appropriate grit added while it is still wet will work, but not as well in the long run as it will be harder to patch when required than removing and replacing a few strips.

You could cover it with the 1/4" thick fiberglass that has particles cast into it on manufacturing.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida

A. There are a couple of ways to go. For the roughest surface, you can't beat an abrasive blasting system. For temporary relieve, any strong pH chemical should effect the surface finish. Maybe the best and cheapest of these is ocean salt water.

AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania