Aluminum for Furniture

Aluminum could be the most popular and widely used metal for human life. A wide range of tools and equipment are made of aluminum, from household appliances such as pots, pans, kettles, plates, windows, and doors to machines and equipment made from aluminum. Aluminum is light, strong hold, durable, and relatively inexpensive. Aluminum is available in various shapes, such as a plate, coil, rod, etc. Aluminum in any form can be easily handled and formed to make any product. It is quite "soft" and "flexible" to be bended, cut, drilled, welded, sanded, and finished to make metal products in any form.

aluminum for lobby desk

Aluminum can also be used to make various kinds of furniture products for indoor and outdoor use; it can be used alone or in combination with wood or other natural materials. Aluminum combined with teak, oak, merbau or rattan is quite popular to make outdoor furniture. Aluminum also can be used as components, such as legs, tabletops, or simply as accessories or hardware for furniture.

Finishing for aluminum.

Generally, aluminum can be directly coated with finishing materials. The material for aluminum should be special to be able to well attach to the metal. With the proper coating, aluminum can be finished in a variety of colors and looks; he can be finished with a paint finish to make a clean-looking and modern impression, or he can be finished with an antique or old-looking look with the application of glaze and stain. If antique finish is going to be generated, then primer metal coat is needed as the first layer. The powder coating or electroplating finish can be directly applied since they will well attach the metal. Aluminum can also be used without being coated with finishing material. The naked aluminum with polishing process can produce a high gloss appearance with a luxury and elegance look.

 aluminum for top table

Here some tips to finish the aluminum.

• Surface preparation.

Although in general the surface of the aluminum coating layer can be received well, we should do the cleaning and surface preparation to ensure the finishing layer can be well attached to the surface. There may be any rust or dirt that could affect the finishing material attachment. Wash the aluminum surface with paint thinner to clean the surface. Aluminum also can be sanded to clean and smooth the surface, but the sanding should be done properly. The gradually sanding process is needed. Start the sanding with the coarse sandpaper (grade 240 or 320), then followed with the finer sandpaper sanding. If a clean and smooth surface finish is needed, then the sanding with #800 or #1000 grade sandpaper should be used as the last sanding. 

aluminum table with antique finish

• Choose finishing materials according to the usability of the product.

Finishing layer is always expected to provide sufficient protection to let the product fulfill its functions. The finishing material selection should match the desired functionality of the product. For the products that require maximum protection, then the powder coating or electroplating is the best choice, since they will give a strong finish layer, high resistant to the chemical, scratch and outdoor weather. For indoor product with the antique models, then we can use the glaze and stain for wood finishes but with special coating for metal applications. We can used a epoxy base coating as first layer then followed with the solvent base or waterbase at the top layer. The special effect can be created by using glaze and special stain if necessary