Contact us
658 Ohio Street,
Buffalo, NY 14203
Toll free: 800-836-2580
Fax: 716-849-0401
Email: [email protected]
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Design Assist for Your Unique Application
Rigidized® Metals provides materials applications assistance for architects, contractors, fabricators, engineers, specifiers, building owners, homeowners and students.
We are uniquely positioned as a high performance metal producer with a singular focus on architectural applications, looking after project details to ensure things go smoothly. We provide resources, guidance and product information to support your projects and visions.
Specification Assistance
Support & Reference for Specifying Engineered Metal Surfaces
3 Part CSI Specification
To make 3 part CSI specification writing more accurate and convenient, we use ARCAT’s spec-wizard.
This Link will take you to the ARCAT site and our 3 part CSI specification.
Additionally, we offer downloadable 3-part Specifications and/or BIM Object files in a variety of formats and versions. Contact a representative to learn more.
Specifying Engineered Surfaces
In the case of building envelope materials, the impact of material specifications is particularly high in terms of visual appearance and cost to the owner. The material chosen plays a substantial role in how the building looks and what it costs to operate in the long term. Rigidized® Metals’ high performance engineered metal surfaces balance visual excellence with true sustainability. Whether the application is interior or exterior, design professionals often agree that our products are worthy of specification.
Download our specification brochure to learn more.
Metallic Corrosion
Aside from catastrophic damage, metallic corrosion is clearly the chief cause of metal building panel failure. When architectural metal panels corrode, there are undesirable consequences that go beyond cosmetics. Corroding panel systems will begin to leak, causing potentially significant damage to the interior of a building.
Download our metallic corrosion brochure to learn more.
Severe Marine Environments
Severe marine environments suggest that duplex stainless steel or titanium would be appropriate material choices for exterior building panel applications. These metals can be expected to last the life of the building with little or no maintenance. In most market conditions, stainless steel has an economic advantage compared to titanium. Additionally, titanium’s corrosion resistance in severe environments is unquestionable.
Download our severe marine environments brochure to learn more.
Material Selection
Selecting the Right Material for Your Interior, Exterior or Roofing Application
Metal Selection Criteria
Before selecting architectural metals for any project, it is first necessary to define the environment in which the building will be located.
Among the factors that must be considered are:
- Atmospheric contaminants/pollutants
- Proximity to salt water
- Nearby application of deicing salts and airborne abrasives (sand, soil, debris)
- Ultraviolet exposure
- Humidity range
- Externally induced fire risk (airborne sparks or brush fires)
- Frequency of maintenance on the part of the owner
Decorative Metal Finishes
Rigidized® Metals features a complete line of architectural metal products offering significantly less product variability than other commonly available materials. Our decorative metal sheets provide the highest degree of consistency and outperform other metals in finish quality, shape and performance.
There are a variety of decorative architectural sheet metal finishes available, including dull or matte textured stainless steel, textured titanium and colorized and mirror-finished stainless steel. Our representatives can help you determine what architectural metal finish option will best suit your needs.
Alternatives to Zinc & Copper
Zinc and copper have been used widely in construction over the last 200 years, offering better longevity than traditional metals, which rely on paint and other coatings to protect them. There are beautiful examples all over the world of these traditional high-end metals. Today, however, there are better alternatives for those who wish to create long-lasting buildings and address modern concerns about the environment. Stainless steel, or titanium, address these concerns beautifully. While these newer, high-tech materials are well-suited to a modern-contemporary design aesthetic, they also look at home on historic restorations.
Advantages to using these materials over zinc and copper include:
- Superior solar reflection
- Self cleaning finishes
- Longer lifespan due to corrosion resistance
- Fire and hail resistance
- No toxic runoff
- Paint-able
- Zero discoloration or fade
Substrates & Roofing Materials
When selecting a material for your next building application, it’s important to know the difference in surface characteristics among our different textures. Rigidized® Metals offers several beneficial surface characteristics by way of clean-ability, abrasion resistance, uniformity, flatness and more. Additionally, using our products on roofing applications adds durability and insulation savings, compared with other roofing products. Compare our products by surface characteristics, as well as our roofing products, in the downloadable charts, below.
Cleaning Stainless Steel Finishes
Cleaning the surface of decorative stainless steel requires care. There are certain mechanical and chemical treatments that must be avoided in order to preserve the appearance and corrosion resistance of this material. In all cases, it is best to use a clean soft cloth if you need to manually loosen contaminants when applying cleaning solutions. If scrubbing and scraping must be attempted, the softest utensil possible (soft bristle brush or plastic scraper, for example) should be tried in a small, hidden test area before proceeding. In the case of a grained finish, wiping with the grain is advisable.
Learn more about the best practices for cleaning stainless steel.
When FG3 Anti-Fingerprint Coating is applied to colored or non-colored stainless, all you need is a damp rag to clean everything from fingerprints and dirt, to permanent marker, from the metal surface. Dirt adhering to the surface of colorized finishes, for example, is a major cause of surface discoloration. The FG3 coating creates an environment that makes it difficult for grime and graffiti to deposit onto the surface. What does sit on the surface will be easily cleaned, or on exterior applications, be washed away by naturally occurring rain water because it can’t successfully adhere to the FG3 coating.
