january 2007
For some time the Europeans have been specifying a high standard of powder coating known as the Qualicoat standard purely for architectural finishes. The standard has now been introduced into the UK and many coaters have signed up to the standard in order to offer a credible finish for the industry.
Normally a powder coat finish is as good as the coater can supply and it is difficult for a user to identify if the coating is to the correct high standard as it is usually the pre-treatment or the paint thickness where problems lie. To meet the Qualicoat standard not only must a coater invest in new methodologies and possibly new machinery, the basis of the standard is that the resulting finishes are independently tested by a third party to ensure the standard is being maintained.
By ensuring that the Qualicoat standard is specified and supplied on all architectural coatings, from residential doors and windows to high rise building, the chance of a future failure of the coating is negligible. Repairs to coating can be costly, not only to the coater but the building owner where parts of the building may be disrupted for lengthy periods.
Does this mean the costs of the powder coating is more expensive? Existing UK coaters who have adopted the standard are not charging any more in order to offer the Qualicoat finish, indeed virtually all the finished material being supplied from Europe meet the standard already.
Specifiers, fabricators and end users should all specify the qualicoat standard in all their work to ensure we maintain the excellent quality that architectural powder coatings can achieve today.
