What To Consider When Evaluating Metal Panel Finishes For Your Commercial Construction Project

What To Consider When Evaluating Metal Panel Finishes For Your Commercial Construction Project

As an architect, builder, or building owner, your options for construction materials are endless. Stone, brick, glass, metal, and more…The material list can be overwhelming. But as you decide on what you want to use, consider these 5 things when evaluating metal panels and more specifically metal panel finishes.?

5 Things To Consider When Evaluating Metal Panel Finishes

Adding metal panel finishes to your project increases durability, boosts sustainability, and reduces maintenance requirements. While there are countless finishes that you can apply to your panels, here are some of the most common ones:

• Brushing to create uniform grain
• Polishing to reduce the roughness
• Blasting to smooth out the metal
• Coating to fight against corrosion
• Heat treating to increase resistance

Moreover, there are 5 other things you need to consider when evaluating metal panel finishes.?

1. Aesthetics

As humans, we are very visual. Think about what we’re attracted to. You wouldn’t walk into a restaurant that appears rundown or dirty (especially if you’ve never experienced the food). You also wouldn’t purchase clothes that don’t fit your body type. Likewise, you wouldn’t pick metal panel finishes that don’t support your vision or design.?

Many people think of metal panels as only appearing gray or silver with ridges. Panels like these give off a clean industrial look, but it may not be your client’s style. Contrary to what you may believe, you can customize metal panels to fit any design – starting with its color, texture, and pattern. You may even be able to mold panels to suit your particular vision. So if you want a more simplistic aesthetic, you can create it. Whereas, you can also achieve an edgier appearance using the exact same material – simply by adjusting the finish.?

Take a look at how different of a design you can achieve with the same construction material.?

[insert photo comparison of 2 projects with different aesthetics but the same metal panel]

2. Environment

The other thing to consider is the environment your building will be in. Coastal areas will require you to think about the sun, heat, salt, and wind for your finish decisions. High humidity or rainfall areas require a little more thought into rush prevention and how to combat potential standing water.?

So when studying finishes, look at it from both a sustainability perspective and a wear and tear perspective.?

For sustainability, consider some of the following points:

• The accessibility of the materials
• Whether it's commonly used in your area
• Where it is sourced from

What extra finishes or protective coatings do the panels require

Similarly, assess what in the building’s environment will cause unusual wear and tear. This could include weather or even debris.?

If you prefer the look of metal panels but worry about how to combat environmental impact, there are a few steps you can take.

1. Add Weather-Resistant Barriers

You’re located in an area where metal paneling makes sense, however, you would like to add extra protection. One option is to reinforce your metal panels with weather-resistant barriers. When shopping for metal panels, you may find that some have built-in insulation or systems that help block UV rays. Others may offer special protection to keep the rain out of the building. Depending on what is important to you, it’s worth looking into paneling that holds up to the environment around you.

2. Understanding UV Protection In Paint Finishes

You may know you need UV protection for your roof but don’t know where to start. It’s important to think about choosing a paint finish with the right Solar Reflective Index (SRI) value as it measures solar reflectance and thermal emissivity. Together, these values determine whether that finish will reflect or absorb heat.

Standard black has a reflectance of 0.05 and emittance 0.90 = 0

Standard white has a reflectance of 0.80 and emittance 0.90 = 100

Put simply, and as a general rule, darker colors absorb heat while lighter hues are better at reflecting the sun’s rays.

Moreover, the best part about modern UV protective finishes is that there’s no need to feel limited by color choices. Centria offers a selection of shades that meet low-slope and steep-slope SRI requirements for optimal UV protection.??

Ask our team about metal paneling for your next project.

3. Flexibility

The other to consider is the actual design. Some metals may be more malleable or adjustable to fit certain design elements. So it’s imperative that you explain what you want to do with the panels before ordering them. You may be surprised that there may be other options available that are better suited for your design.?

4. Budget

Of course, we can’t talk about construction materials without addressing the financial aspect. It’s crucial to know and stick with your budget. But to do that, you need to work with an expert who understands and has a full catalog of options to sift through to meet your design and budgetary needs.?

Metal panels are less labor-intensive to install than other building materials. They are also fairly low-maintenance. This is why so many builders continue to make metal panels their first choice – even custom creations.?

While the term “custom” has typically been associated with premium or expensive, it’s not in this case. In fact, our custom-made panels actually save you money and reduce errors. What’s not to love about that?

Even more, you don’t always want to choose the lowest cost metal panel options on the market as they may not be a good fit for your particular design. Quality manufacturing and getting in touch with an expert in commercial architecture make all the difference for your money-saving goals in the long run.??

At Wade Architectural Systems, we partner with you to find the right material, finish, and customization to meet your design needs. Additionally, you have access to our architectural-grade metal panels, extensive product knowledge, and the most detailed installation drawings in the industry.

5. Access

Lastly, accessibility is a big thing to consider. Depending on where you are located or when you need them by, your desired panels may not be available to you. In construction, we all know time is money. And a simple slipup of not knowing the shipping times to get your metal panels on location may cost your project thousands of dollars in delays.?

Find A Partner To Guide You Through Your Metal Panel Finish Decisions

There is no reason to go about construction material selection on your own anymore. When there’s a partner like Wade Architectural Systems, it makes it easy to present your design needs and wants for us to provide material selections.?

Start the conversation with our team here.