Warranties for coatings are no different to warranties for other products. There is an implied assumption that if the warranty states a certain time period, then the product will perform up to this period. If it fails to do so, there is a safeguard (the warranty) to fall back on. Unfortunately, industry pressures have led some product manufacturers to push warranty limits beyond their intended time frame which could put the integrity of the construction projects that they are supplying at risk.
As the saying goes “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. In this blog, our General Manager and former State Sales Manager for Dulux, Wayne Saunders, outlines what you need to know to guarantee that you are being offered a warranty that can and will stand the test of time:
GOOD – Powder-coating
These coatings come in different grades but were only ever developed as an Industrial coating. The standard Dulux Duralloy and Interpon D1000 coatings were launched with a 7-year warranty. However, product manufacturers over time have pushed these warranties beyond their intended requirements; in some cases as much as doubling the time period. If you have received such a warranty, I recommend reading the fine print!
Note: The only powder coat product that is equivalent to Fluoropolymer coil coating is PVF3 or Fluoropolymer Powder which is very expensive and brittle which means it cannot be post fabricated.
BETTER – 2 Coat Fluoropolymer Coating
These thick-film system coatings consist of two-coats including a corrosion inhibitive primer and fluoropolymer topcoat. They are ideal for applications requiring greater flexibility as well as abrasion and corrosion resistance. They come with a genuine 15-year warranty.
Note: be wary of getting warranty offers on 2-Coat products that are higher than 15 years. Global coating manufacturers such as PPG and AkzoNobel will only provide a 15-year warranty on this coating system.
BEST – 3 Coat Fluoropolymer Coating
Three-coat systems consist of a nominal 0.8 mil each of a proprietary urethane primer, fluoropolymer colour coat, and a clear topcoat to seal and protect the entire system. Think of the third layer as sunblock that is especially important to consider in Australia’s harsh UV climate.
Note: this system comes with a genuine 20-year warranty as supplied by global paint manufacturers. This is why Aodeli only offers a three-coat system on its entire range of products as standard. We want the projects that we are supplying to look great year after year after year and this is the only coating system that can guarantee this.
Why do we provide warranties?
A warranty should be a safeguard for customer’s ie, something to fall back on should the coating fail during their recommended time period. We have heard about some extremely exaggerated warranty periods that are going far beyond what the coatings were designed for and that could put several construction projects at risk. Once again, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Hopefully armed with the above information, you will be able to verify whether the warranty information you are being provided with is realistic. However, if you are concerned about a warranty or would like to discuss coatings in general, please feel free to contact me or one of the team at Aodeli (contact us) who will be more than happy to discuss the options with you.