Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


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Finish for aluminum flooring

I am an architect working on a high-end modern house, and have installed about 3000 sf of 24"x24"x1/8" aluminum "floor tiles" over the plywood subfloor as the finish flooring. Looks fantastic. Until someone scuffs their shoe or drags furniture over it. Any suggestions for a finish we can put down that will be low maintenance, low sheen, and durable? The flooring is, of course, already installed, eliminating some possibilities, but any suggestions for this floor or future projects would be appreciated.

David Maynard
- Los Angeles, California, USA
2003

David, there are clear polyurethane coatings that can be applied to the aluminum to increase its scuff resistance. These coatings are best applied prior to the installation of the flooring and it may may be possible to apply them prior to forming the actual floor tiles. To maximize the adhesion of the polyurethane coating, the aluminum should have a pretreatment applied.

Roy Nuss
Trevose, Pennsylvania, USA
2003

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David ,

Three means of protecting your flooring project:
1. Clear coat anodizing ( prior to installation )
2. Satin finish lacquer
3. Franklin Co. " Defence" acrylic solution

Frank Pozdol
- Addison, Illinois USA
2003

Love the floor! We did an aluminum counter top and the fabricator recommended rotary brushing the finish. For some reason the grain of the rotary brush discourages additional scratching. It has been installed for about 3 1/2 years now and still looks great. Normal wear on it has softened the rotary pattern and it looks nicely "worn." If it scuffs at all, his recommendation was to use fine grit sandpaper. We haven't had to do that.

Nancy Blondin
- minneapolis, Minnesota
April 10, 2011