POWDER COATING MAINTENANCE

Care and maintenance

Virtually all Sanctum aluminium products are supplied pre-finished and ready to install.  The finish of choice for all aluminium products is powder coating – where the finishing coat is applied as a powder to an electrically charged surface, and then baked on for a great looking, robust and protective finish.   
Powder coating is one of the most durable colour coatings available and, with very little effort on your part, it will provide you with many years of excellent service. 
To extend the life of powder coated articles and to comply with warranty requirements for powder coated aluminium surfaces, a simple, regular maintenance program should be implemented. 
The Australian environment is particularly demanding, and harsh sunlight, atmospheric pollution, dirt, grime and airborne contaminants can all accumulate over time and should be removed at regular intervals. 
As a general guide, your screens and gates should be properly cleaned every three months.  In harsh environments and / or areas where pollutants are more prevalent, such as poolside installations, beachfront houses and industrial applications, then a more regular cleaning program is recommended.  

Tips and tricks for maintaining powder coated surfaces

  • Carefully remove any loose surface deposits with a wet sponge.
  • Use a soft brush (non abrasive) and a dilute solution of a mild detergent, eg, pH-neutral liquid hand dishwashing detergent in warm water (DO NOT use solvents) to remove dust, salt and other deposits.  This is recommended at least every 90 days (three months).
  • Ensure you thoroughly rinse the surfaces with clean fresh water after cleaning to remove all residues.
  • DO NOT use turpentine, white spirits, thinner or other aggressive solvents on powder coating (these may be harmful to the extended life of the powder coated surface and should be avoided as the damage may not be visible immediately and may take up to twelve months to appear)
  • You can use isopropyl alcohol or methylated spirits and rinse with warm soapy water.
  • A good quality automotive rapid detailer spray is a useful maintenance trick. These are available at any automotive accessories retailer, and most commonly supplied in trigger action spray bottles.  Simply spray on the surface and then wip clean using a soft rag or microfibre cloth.   These will remove surface grime and fingerprints, and leave a lightly protective coating on the screen between washes.  
  • Wash off bird and bat droppings as soon as possible. These can be quite corrosive and damage the surface of your finished screens.  
  • To avoid marks, DO NOT RUB powder coating excessively, especially metallic finishes.  
  • Please avoid leaving sunscreens on powder coated surfaces.  These may adversely affect the coating over time.