Summary for anodized aluminum railing Discussion
Worn finish on anodized condominium railings asks whether a black balcony railing with a finish that has partially worn off is typical of anodized aluminum and how it can be fixed. Leon Stone explains that anodizing is normally a very hard, wear-resistant finish, so the problem may be either insufficient anodizing thickness if the damage is localized, or fading of the black dye if the change is more uniform and sun-related rather than true wear. In either case, the practical correction is to remove the railing and re-anodize it. He also notes that architectural aluminum is often bronze instead of black because bronze inorganic dyes are more stable, while black dyes are organic and less durable in sunlight.
Q. I live in a condo which has a black exterior railing on all the balconies on which the finish has partially worn off. It appears as if the railing was anodized. Is this typical of anodized aluminum? if so, what can be done to correct.
Leon Stone
Tampa, Florida, USA
2004
A. Anodizing is a very hard and wear resistant finish, but it is possible that the anodizing wasn’t thick enough (if the wear is in selected spots), or that the black dye wasn’t resistant to the sun (if the ‘wear’ is fairly uniform and may be fading rather than actual wear).
The railing would need to be removed and re-anodized. Most architectural aluminum is bronze, rather than black, because the inorganic dyes for bronze are more stable than black dyes, which are organic.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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2004