technical information
We provide comprehensive technical details to guide you through regulations, material selection, and maintenance for our products.
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Powder Coating Process
Powder coating has evolved since the 1940s and is now the standard finish for window and balustrade systems. It offers durability, excellent coverage, and a wide range of colour options—more than 80 colours, with colour matching to existing joinery available.
Powder coating is preferred over anodising due to its affordability, durability, and variety of colours. High-gloss colours may fade faster in direct sunlight, while light or muted colours last longer and may enhance your view through a balustrade. With regular cleaning, especially in coastal areas, powder-coated surfaces can maintain their appearance for many years.
Queensland Pool Fence Regulations
Stay compliant with Queensland's updated pool fence regulations. A Grade Aluminium can help ensure your fencing meets the latest standards—without costing you too much.
Glass Selection for Balustrades
Our standard offering for balustrades is toughened safety glass, which is 4-5 times stronger than ordinary glass. It provides enhanced safety by breaking into small particles upon impact, reducing injury risks. Manufactured to meet Australian Standard 2208, toughened glass is ideal for sliding doors, shower screens, and vehicle windows.
If you prefer a clearer view, we recommend clear glass, but grey, bronze, or green tints can enhance your home’s features. Laminated safety glass, which sandwiches a flexible plastic film between glass layers, is also available. While not as strong as toughened glass, it provides extra safety and resistance to penetration. Laminated glass is best suited for fully framed applications such as windows.
Both toughened and laminated glass comply with safety regulations, but toughened glass offers superior strength and a longer service life.
Toughened glass
It is mandatory to use “safety glass” in balustrades and although laminated glass is also available, the recommended product is toughened safety glass, which we use as standard.
Toughened safety glass has 4 to 5 times the strength of ordinary glass of the same thickness, making it ideal for use in sliding doors, shower screens and the side windows of motor vehicles.. It provides much greater resistance to impact and in the unlikely event toughened glass does break, the glass forms small particles, which reduce the risk of injury.
Toughened glass is manufactured by a heating and cooling treatment whereby high compressive stresses are set up at the surface with balancing tensile stresses in the centre. The high compressive surface stresses give toughened safety glass its increased strength.
Toughened glass is manufactured to conform with Australian Standard 2208 Safety Glazing Material for use in Buildings.
Toughened Safety glass offers a complete and proven solution whenever the benefits of ordinary glass need to be combined with safety, strength and resistance to thermal stress.
If the view is important, we recommend clear glass but in some cases tinted glass (grey or bronze or green), can enhance the features of your house.
Laminated Safety Glass
To make laminated safety glass, the manufacturer sandwiches a thin layer of flexible clear plastic film called polyvinyl butyral (PVB) between two or more pieces of glass. The plastic film holds the glass in place if the glass breaks, helping to lessen injuries from flying glass. The film also can stretch, while the glass still sticks to it. It is quite difficult to penetrate laminated safety glass, compared to normal window pane glass. The “sandwich with some give” that laminated safety glass is made of also helps hold the occupants in a vehicle! Banks use a multiple-layer laminated glass to help stop bullets. Laminated glass has less resistance to load than Toughened Glass. In balustrades it is normally two 3 mm sheets of float glass, laminated either side of tough plastic film (0.38 mm PVB).
It is more suitable for four edged framing (windows and overhead glass panels), than partially framed balustrades.
The cut edges of laminated glass can, if exposed for periods of time, be subject to some delamination of the internal vinyl layer, which can be unsightly
Both toughened and laminated glass types however are categorised as “SAFETY GLASS” and “comply” in glass balustrades, but the more expensive toughened option has strength advantages and would give a better service life.
Cleaning and maintance of stainless steel
Stainless steel is not maintenance free, but maintenance friendly. When using stainless steel outdoors you need to clean periodically, more often in environments such as coastal areas or around swimming pools. In most applications stainless steel will not rust or stain even after years of service, but it is not rust or stain proof. With proper care and maintenance, stainless steel can remain beautiful and functional for many years even when exposed to harsh environments.
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