The Finish Needed for Long-Lasting, Beautiful Streetscape Products

When talking with customers about outdoor streetscape products, they often ask, “What type of finish does it have?” They ask this because, when shopping for streetlights, decorative signage, mailboxes, benches, and other important site amenities, buyers are seeking a solution that will look good for years. They need products that will resist color fading and retain their gloss, despite uninterrupted exposure to weather and the elements. Good hardness and abrasion resistance are also desirable qualities that help to ensure the streetscape pieces will hold up over time. A powder coat finish can deliver the beauty and durability customers want, but not all powder coat finishes are created equal.

Powder coat specifications

The different qualities of powder coatings range from standard to high performance. While some offer poor resistance to color fading and chalking, others have been developed to offer superior durability and maintain their appearance for years even in harsh environments. One resource that buyers have in identifying these high-performance powder coatings is the standard from the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, often referred to as the AAMA. AAMA #2604 is the AAMA specification for paint suitable for high-traffic exteriors. A powder coating that satisfies AAMA #2604 offers good color and gloss retention, chalk resistance, good hardness and abrasion resistance. Powder coatings that meet or exceed this specification are popularly referred to as super durable polyester powders.

Beyond the quality of the powder coat, the overall durability of the coating is also affected by the process used to apply it. One important step that is often overlooked is pretreatment. Pretreatment is essentially a cleaning of the metal surface that occurs before the powder coating is applied. During pretreatment, the dust, dirt, oils, and even oxides that have accumulated on the surface of the metal are removed which allows the powder coat to create a stronger bond with the product’s surface. Without pretreatment, the powder coating, regardless of how high the quality, will attach to the oxides and the dirt and the oils, instead of the true surface of the material, which compromises the longevity of the coating.

In short, when looking for an outdoor streetscape product that will look great for a long time, consider products that have been coated with an AAMA #2604-compliant powder coat and verify that the application process includes pretreatment.

Brandon Industries—Quality Streetscape Solutions™

Brandon Industries has produced high-quality streetscape solutions since 1987. They are proud to offer a wide selection of beautiful, high-performance streetlamps, decorative signage, and site amenities. Their products undergo a rigorous pretreatment process and feature an AAMA #2604-compliant polyester powder coating.

Learn more about the standards and applications for powder coating for streetlights, sign poles, benches and other streetscape products.