The specs you need to improve your projects performance

Posted by on 21 June 2022

You are specifying a curtain wall and your client wants a 20 year warranty.  What do you do? 

You spec a curtain wall finished with a superior performance fluoropolymer coating.  Whether they are PVDF liquid or FEVE powder, these systems are often offered with a 20 year warranty. 

You are designing a hotel in downtown Chicago and need to specify interior finishes.  The hotel entrance is a glazed atrium meaning some UV exposure.  You also consider that Chicago sees a lot of snow in the winter, meaning lots of road salts that inevitably will get tracked into the hotel.  You also know that travelers bring luggage, and luggage wreaks havoc on interior walls, columns and other details. 

You decide to specify a super durable powder coating.  Many super durable powders come with 10 year warranties for color and gloss and as they are thermoset, they are tougher against damage. 

Simply put, you know that for any given application on your project, there is a coating that will meet your performance needs. 

How is it that architectural coatings are available in these well- suited categories of good, better, best? 

Whether you are aware of it or not, your finish specifications are most often based on one of three levels of standards set by an industry organization, previously known as AAMA (now officially called FGIA). 

AAMA finish standards are built on the good, better, best model of performance.  Coatings manufacturers use these standards to develop performance finishes.  The codes for aluminum finishes start with the good, AAMA 2603, to the better, AAMA 2604, and to the best, AAMA 2605.  For composite and fiberglass, they are AAMA 623, 624, and 625.  And for vinyl, they are AAMA 613, 614…and you guessed it…615.  In fact, many manufactures set their product codes with parallel nomenclature.

IFS Coatings product for AAMA 2603 is called IFS 300SP, for AAMA 2604 it is IFS 400SD, and for 2605, it is IFS 500FP. 

AAMA Standard	Minimum Weathering	IFS Powder Coating	Typical Applications	Warranties available for color and gloss
AAMA 2603	1 year	IFS 300SP	Interiors	-----
AAMA 2604	5 years	IFS 400SD	High performance exteriors and some interiors	10 year
AAMA 2605	10 years	IFS 500FP	Superior performance exteriors	10 and 20 years

 

It is worth noting that AAMA standards are performance standards and not material standards.  This means that there is no material or chemistry requirement to meet each of the standards.  Many architects know that they want a 2605 finish, and that finishes made with 70/30 PVDF are often used for exterior finishes on high value projects that require a 20 year warranty on color and gloss.  This is not the only way to achieve these goals.  A fluoropolymer powder coating like IFS 500FP also comes with a 20 year warranty.  Writing a spec to reference the AAMA 2605 standard instead of specifying a material type provides your project with more flexibility on price and lead times.  How do you know the finish meets the AAMA requirements?  Look to the coating supplier and/or the OEM of the article (window, storefront, etc.) for this information.    

The AAMA standards are constantly being reviewed and modified by voluntary members of knowledgeable professionals throughout the value chain including representatives from raw material suppliers, coating manufacturers, fabricators, pre- treatment suppliers, and even testing equipment producers. They are updated regularly to stay on top of architectural performance requirements.

When it comes to durable performance coatings AND sustainable design, IFS powders deliver both in spades.

Choose the right IFS powder for your performance requirements in the color you want, and reap the sustainability benefits as well. It’s a win-win.