Perforate, then finish, for best results on aluminum panels

The Choice is Yours

Liquid-based architectural painted coatings are available in a nearly unlimited choice of colors. Linetec’s libraries offer more than 55,000 paint colors for you to browse and select.

If your project requires an exact color, such as matching a customer’s brand, you may want to request assistance from our in-house custom-matching and blending service team. Our experienced applicators can provide you with a full range of options including mica and metallic paints that sparkle and shine, or textured finishes that mimic terra cotta, or coatings infused with antimicrobial protection.

Anodized finishes highlight the natural metallic appearance of your project’s aluminum products. In addition to the typical architectural anodize color palette of clear, silver, black, champagne and bronze, Linetec offers rich Copper and Bordeaux Anodize tones.

Unlike painted finishes that coat and adhere to the metal surface, anodize finishes become an integral part of your aluminum material. The anodic coating produced is extremely durable. The hardness of its surface is comparable to a sapphire – the second-hardest substance on Earth, next to a diamond. This characteristic makes anodize a finish of choice for use in your projects’ high-traffic areas, where wear-resistant and abrasion-resistant properties are important.

For Best Results…

in finishing your perforated aluminum for architectural applications, remember to:

• Specify for high performance. The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) publishes the industry-leading specification standards for architectural finishes. To ensure the highest performance and greatest longevity, specify 70% PVDF resin-based architectural coating systems to meet AAMA 2605 and Class I anodize finishes to meet AAMA 611.
• Perforate, then finish. Whether perforating, cutting, curving or otherwise shaping the metal, we recommend your material forming takes place before it is finished to ensure optimal coverage, adhesion and performance. Be aware this sequence may be a warranty requirement.
• Don’t go too small. If your perforation is very small, the finish may cover the open area and negate the intended appearance. In certain applications – such as when panels are used for ventilation, sound mitigation or shading – a clogged opening can affect the product’s functionality.
• Get rid of grease. Remove residual lubricants, grease and oils before your perforated metal material is sent out for finishing. While pretreatment cleaning is included as part of Linetec’s standard services, it may not be enough to remove remaining lubricants, which can cause issues with a consistent, quality finish.
• Finish all surfaces. With perforated metal, there’s the front, the back, the outer edges and the inner edges of the cut opening. Please request 360-degree or two-sided finishing to ensure every surface has the proper coverage.

Supporting Sustainability

When your projects also have sustainable goals, perforated, finished metal products may offer additional advantages. Vertical and horizontal shading systems can contribute to daylighting and energy efficiency goals. Larger, perforated open areas at eye level can optimize light and views. Aluminum panels and other perforated architectural products can be manufactured with recycled content, and upcycled at the end of their useful life on a building.

As an environmentally responsible liquid paint applicator, Linetec uses a 100% air capture system and safely destroy the VOCs with a regenerative thermal oxidizer, so there is no adverse environmental impact. Anodized aluminum does not contain VOCs; it is an inert, noncombustible material and poses no health risks.

Further supporting your projects’ environmental criteria, we can assist you with additional documentation and certification. For example, our anodized aluminum has been recognized with a Declare Label as Living Building Challenge™ (LBC) Red List Free. LBC Red List Free Declare Label products have been approved as a compliance pathway for the certain LEED® criteria.

Copper Anodize on Campus

Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates (LWA), University of Massachusetts – Amherst’s John W. Olver Design Building earned LEED Gold certification for its sustainable design, as well as recognition for its unique aesthetic. R & R Window Contractors, Inc. installed 26,294 square feet of 0.080-inch perforated and solid aluminum panels finished in Copper Anodize to create the facility’s rainscreen system.

“The copper-anodized finish works well as a modern material in a traditional brick campus context,” said Jeffrey Fishbein, AIA, senior associate at LWA. “The owner valued a low-maintenance, economical and high-performance cladding system.”