ᐅ Columns above windows and front door – Which material to use?
Created on: 25 Jul 2017 08:33
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Benebrue
Good morning everyone,
First, we would like to briefly explain our situation. Since June 2017, we have been living in our single-family house in the district of Borken, NRW. We had it built as a turnkey project through a developer, and the final inspection is still pending. So far so good, but we have noticed in some places that the work does not always appear to be flawless in our opinion.
Above the windows and the front door of our house, the facing brickwork is supported by posts or rails anchored in the floor slab. Overall this is basically fine, except for the following points:
Thank you very much for your help and best regards.
Benedikt
First, we would like to briefly explain our situation. Since June 2017, we have been living in our single-family house in the district of Borken, NRW. We had it built as a turnkey project through a developer, and the final inspection is still pending. So far so good, but we have noticed in some places that the work does not always appear to be flawless in our opinion.
Above the windows and the front door of our house, the facing brickwork is supported by posts or rails anchored in the floor slab. Overall this is basically fine, except for the following points:
- The posts used are rusting, although according to the developer they are supposed to be stainless steel (V2A).
- The installed strips are 3mm (1/8 inch) thick and are not magnetic.
- The weld seams where the brackets are welded can be clearly seen through the strip – and this is exactly where the strips are rusting.
- A total of 19 of these elements have been installed.
- In the neighborhood, much more solid, thicker posts are used. Also, the color of the posts installed elsewhere looks more like stainless steel and simply of higher quality.
Thank you very much for your help and best regards.
Benedikt
There will still be some surface rust, but don’t worry about it. V2A stainless steel doesn’t completely corrode on a house. For that to happen, it would need to be constantly exposed to seawater, which it probably isn’t in NRW. Of course, they installed it pretty quickly, but the material is definitely not cast iron or galvanized steel; it’s raw stainless steel. I can’t say for sure if 3mm (1/8 inch) thickness is enough for long-term durability. Traditionally, a masonry protective layer would have been added, but the builder probably found that too complicated. Karsten
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Knallkörper25 Jul 2017 13:03Benebrue schrieb:
Can you explain why the weld seams are not correct?Simply because they corrode. Producing a weld seam also requires post-treatment to prevent corrosion, which for TIG welding of V2A or more precisely 1.4301 stainless steel, according to the state of the art, means polishing or pickling. Even for purely aesthetic reasons, the part should have been fully polished or brushed before installation, in my opinion.
It will never fully rust through; I agree with Karsten on that. It can be painted, but the quality depends largely on the primer—maybe your builder will agree to that. He can certainly insist on it with the supplier of the profiles.
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Knallkörper25 Jul 2017 14:08There is nothing on it yet. Before painting, it needs to be primed (and of course cleaned and degreased first...), and in my opinion, priming is especially important for stainless steel (V2A). However, I am not an expert when it comes to painting.
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