Why choose Metalier's light metal coating?
One of Metalier’s most important attributes is that it is a light metal coating.
Lightness is sometimes the main reason Metalier is chosen for a particular job.
We’ve been working with a contractor to see how best to manufacture light fittings in the shape of pelmets. The architects wanted the look of real brass. Each fitting is a meter long and 200 x 200 mm deep so they are substantial.
There are three options. One is metallic paint, one is sheet metal and one is Metalier’s light metal coating. It was a good time for us to review the options again.
First because we were conscious of costs we painted a metallic paint on 10mm MDF. The brief was for 10mm thickness. The architects rejected the paint option as a solution. It looked like paint not metal, particularly in the brass colour.
Second we looked at sheet metal which is available in 2mm, 5mm and 10mm thickness. We haven’t recently looked at the cost of sheet metal. Even the man in the Metal Company said you won’t want to make these fittings in sheet metal. They’ll be too expensive and too heavy.
Making the fittings in 2mm sheet brass would be a similar cost to Metalier’s light metal coating but it would not give the desired thickness and chunky look. Even at 5mm thick the fittings would be very heavy and require extra ceiling bracing.
10mm was impractical because of the weight and the price was many many times the price of a Metalier solution. Not only was the price of the material more expensive. It is also more expensive to fabricate.
The third option was Metalier brass on 10mm MDF. It ticks all the boxes of reasonable cost and a workable light weight.
We are solution driven and immensely practical at Metalier. While we always hope the solution is a light metal coating, sometimes it’s not and we will always tell you when this is so. We love talking about new projects and helping you to make them work. You can contact us here or complete the form below. We love to hear from you.
