Surface Finish
Factory Finishing.
The term factory finishing applies when the items supplied to site have been completely treated with all the various coatings necessary to comply with the paint manufacturers specification. We are now using products from "TEKNOS" and pride ourselves that by following their recommendations implicitly, together with a modern purpose equiped paintshop, we are able to give the very best finish to all our products.
This ensures that all surfaces are treated (not just the ones that are seen), and that the componants are clean and dry prior to coating. This is esential for a successful result and explains why it is almost impossible to achieve on site.
The Process:
The initial coats, which comprise a preservative and then a basecoat primer, are both applied automatically using a "Flow Coater". This is a machine which bombards all surfaces with the material, ensuring both the full coverage and correct penitration.
The next stage is to manually treat all areas of exposed end grain with a sealer. This is a very labour intensive operation and one that many other companies omit. If you imagine that wood is like a cut flower, just as the flower stem sucks up water, so too will the end grain of timber. The sealer is designed to prevent this and is very important to the performance of a finish.
We then spray apply two coats of top coat, either translucent or an opaque finish. We are able to measure the thickness of coating and this also is important to the correct performance, and is generally equivalent to at least 8 brush coats.
All the materials used are water based and micropourous, and widely acknowledged to be amongst the best available. The Teknos website gives much useful information and can be accessed at www.teknos.co.uk
Options:
Over recent years, the trend has been towards a solid colour finish. This can be a RAL or BS shade, or Teknos can provide a match to any particular shade. We also continue to offer a range of translucent stains though the final shade is dependant on the raw material colour and exact matches can never be guarenteed. There is also a special material available to us, to enable the various aluminium componants such as glazing beads and vent canopies to be colour matched to a solid colour.
Another popular option is to apply a two-tone finish. This is where we apply a differant colour to the inside and outside of a product. In summery, most things are possible, we are always pleased to discuss your needs.
Lifespan:
Many factors effect the maintenance requirements of a timber window or door, not least are the colour, the amount of exposure, the type of timber used and many others. One golden rule is that an opaque colour will outlast a stain, and a dark stain will outlast a light one. A clear finish would never be recommended for an external application. For further information please download the pdf datasheet "Teknos Coating Durability Guide"
All coatings will last longer if the correct periodic maintainance is carried out. Please download the pdf datasheet: "Surface Finish Maintainance Sheet"