When Steel Studio manufactures a custom steel balustrade that requires precision fabricating and painting, not only is design and quality of importance, but the most important consideration is what effect the balustrade will have on the environment.
In Johannesburg, the latest environmental and equestrian estates often require that the designs of new homes comply with estate rules. These design requirements can sometimes include external finishes like plastering techniques, paint colours, roof designs and often balustrades too. A serious consideration in the process of design is also how the house fits into the environment it is set in and what, if any adverse effects there are to the land it lies on.
A steel balustrade that complies with estate rules and also suits the exterior of a home.
The brief was for a modest steel balustrade design that would blend in with the design of the earthy, yet stylish home. It was important for the designer that the balustrades were customizable to suit the earthy colors and straight lines of the house. A timber handrail was one of the design requirements. A hard wood was chosen for this application to withstand exposure to environmental elements. A custom paint colour was selected to paint the steel balustrade with. However, it was important that a paint product was chosen that would be durable to withstand external elements that would affect the longevity of the steel balustrade but also future contamination to the environment.
What environmental impacts of a steel balustrade installation needs to be considered?
In today’s environmentally conscious world, mild steel as a choice of material for balustrades is often forgotten because it is often harmful to the environment if not manufactured, sealed and maintained with care. Stainless steel has become the balustrade material of choice, due to it’s non-corrosive and self-repairing properties, leaving the environment undamaged, even at the end of its lifespan. The challenge with mild steel is that it needs to be manufactured by expert fabricators to ensure the strength and durability of the system. It also needs to be sealed and painted correctly. Also, the system needs to be adequately maintained to prevent damage, corrossion, and weakening of the balustrade. Once you have a professional fabricator to manufacture your steel balustrades, you need to select a durable and affordable range of paints from your paint supplier that is not necessarily wholly non-toxic, at least it will be less harmful to your environment and yourself. Not only is toxic paint one of the leading causes of human health conditions, especially indoors where air pollution is three times more than that of outdoor air, but landfills are also filled with products that contain toxic paints, which all land up in our groundwater and depletes the ozone.
What should you paint your steel balustrade with?
To paint your steel balustrade, ask your leading paint supplier for a Low-VOC, Zero VOC or Natural paint that will give you good coverage performance, including covering flaws from previous coats. Note that even Zero-VOC paint formulas still contain small traces of toxic ingredients. If you’re concerned about the environment, as you should be, a natural paint that is manufactured from raw ingredients is the way to go. However, you need to ensure that the paint is durable and hard-wearing, especially if applied on exterior balustrades to prevent long term maintenance and corrosion causing run-off into groundwater. The objective is that if you want a mild steel balustrade that needs to be painted that you need to source the best paint you can to protect the environment as best as you can.
How correct maintenance can uphold a steel balustrade.
If a mild steel balustrade is manufactured, sealed and maintained correctly, the damage to the environment is drastically reduced. A steel balustrade needs to be sealed and painted properly with high-quality, non-toxic materials. Not only that, but the precise manufacturing of the system is important to ensure that welding and grinding is ground and polished to a smooth surface that can get sealed and painted.
Assuming that the owner does ensure that maintenance is done to any damaged areas as soon as it is noticed so that the balustrade isn’t exposed to the elements and starts corroding, the environmental effects will be minimized. A steel balustrade that is damaged and not maintained immediately will erode in the damaged area and weaken the system, causing the entire system to be volatile and potentially unsafe.
Steel balustrade as a quality finished and safe product.
After all of the design considerations and product selections, including primers, paints and hard woods, the client of this stylish and earthy home received a balustrade that didn’t intrude on the design of the house or that of the estate. The steel balustrade was primed and painted well in a custom color to suit the earthy tones with minimal exposure to the environment. A hard timber handrail finished off the steel balustrade to complement the natural colors and setting that the home was placed in.
For some design inspiration on steel balustrades, visit our web page https://www.steelstudio.co.za/balustrades/ or call us on +27 011 608 1963 to speak to one of our qualified sales executives for a no-obligation quote.