Aluminum edge trim is versatile, long lasting, and customizable – a good choice for your finishing project. Not all edge trim made from aluminum is created equal, so here are a few things to help you check the quality before you buy, to help ensure you get the results you want.
- Materials: high quality aluminum ingot will outperform scrap or recycled materials. Ask for manufacturing details from a trusted supplier. Note that some cement materials become alkaline when wet, and because aluminum may corrode when exposed to alkaline substances, it will be important to remove grout or mortar from the visible areas of your aluminum edge trim.
- Hardness: use a tool like the Webster Hardness Tester to tell you how resistant the edge trim is to compressive force. You’ll get a reading on the Rockwell scale and you’ll be looking for a rating of at least 8HW.
- Strength: your sample should test ok for tensile strength, elongation and yield strength. Tensile testing, for example, involves using a tensometer, increasing force gradually until the sample breaks.
- Smoothness: a high quality edge trim should be scratch and mark free, with no die lines. However, scratches and marks once the trim is installed may be unavoidable, depending on the application.
- Color: check whether your edge trim has been subject to anodizing, organic paint or powder coatings. Anodized trim can exhibit uneven color characteristics but this is not necessarily a quality issue. Where you plan to use your trim will help you determine which colorant method is appropriate, and your supplier should be able to advise you on color quality. If your trim will be exposed to any corrosive materials, anodized color may not last as long as the paint or powder, but it depends on a number of factors such as pre-treatment, and whether the color was factory applied. Any color application method can be expected to break down under UV exposure from the sun.
Where Aluminum Edge Trim is Used
Edge trim made from aluminum is a popular product for protecting the edges of shelving, countertops and tables and it provides a neat and tidy finish. For elegant transitions, it can be used as a skirting board for the transition between wall and floor, or anywhere you wish to transition between tile and concrete resin, wood to carpet, or carpet to tile.
Eagle Mouldings has been supplying aluminum trims and extrusions for more than 25 years. They stock hundreds of popular, custom and hard-to-find trims, extrusions and shapes. If we don’t have what your project needs, we can help you create it. Visit us at www.eagle-aluminum.com.
