CATEGORIES: ANODIZED ALUMINUM - GLASS - SIDEWALKS - CONCRETE - COATED PANELS - PAINT - EIFS

ANODIZED ALUMINUM

Anodized aluminum is generally used as trim to commercial door and window units. SafeRestore is remarkable in that while it is an acid product it does not harm the finish. It will remove the oxidation and leave the surface, after rinsing, ready for the A.R.T. coating. This A.R.T. coating is a much better anodized treatment than most on the market in that it cannot fail in the traditional sense. On the West coast we found a surprising number of failed dressings applied to the surface. These include but are not limited to acrylics and urethanes of many types. The problem with all these dressings is that they cannot help but fail in the long run and they create the very difficult and expensive problem of removing them. Whether you are going to strip them chemically or manually abrade them away you have created a tedious and labor intensive situation that can have many negative consequences. The A.R.T. will biodegrade totally in 3 to 7 years and can be replaced by janitors, window cleaners, or restoration professionals in a quick, safe and much less expensive process.

The anodized aluminum restoration process then is decided initially by whether or not you have to remove one of these failed dressings. If you must then as stated before the process will be laborious but take heart that now at least you would never have to go through it again. The removal process can only be started after testing has occurred to determine the best way to remove the failed dressing. One of our safe strippers or restoration cleaners may work or careful abrasion will have to be done with nylon scrubbing pads. The "strippers cleaners" to be tested normally would include Stripsol, Graf-Ex, SafeRestore and PSC. Given all the crazy things that could have been applied all of them must be tested and careful consideration given to the surrounding surfaces and the potential effects these will or will not have. Stripsol and Graf-Ex are solvent-based safe strippers but solvents leave mild dark stains in porous substrates. These stains lessen overtime but should be noted as a consequence of use before starting. The litany of cleaning and stripping concerns are the best reasons not to use a "durable" dressing on the anodize. They are guaranteed to fail and need to be removed and as they fail they generally look very bad.

Anodize that has not been dressed can just be cleaned with the SafeRestore It should be wiped on with a cloth or sprayed on with a trigger sprayer and brushed with a soft bristle brush and then rinsed with low pressure or a garden hose. After it is dry simply apply a small amount of A.R.T. to a shop cloth or other lint free applicator and wipe it on. The A.R.T. should be spread to the point that you cannot leave a fingerprint in it. A thicker coat can be left if it is more for protective than cosmetic purposes such as on oceanfront high rises where it will serve as a salt damage deterrent. On ground level though, even though the product is non-hazardous, you want to spread it out so that it doesn't stay wet to the touch and rub off on clothing. At this level this process is easily repeated every other year or so and does not need to be used as heavily.