ᐅ Welds on Painted Handrail – Assessment?

Created on: 15 Jul 2020 18:07
T
Typ12345
Hello everyone,
we are currently building, and I think most people know that this can be quite a stressful process. You sometimes have to overlook minor defects, but when it comes to the welds on our new railing, I’m not sure if these can still be considered small cosmetic flaws or if they are already major visual or even structural defects.

Close-up of a black metal railing with a visible weld at the joint, blue sky.


Here, of course, I deliberately chose one of the worse welds.
There are also paint damages that are so obvious that, in my opinion, any reputable tradesperson should have fixed them before final acceptance.

Close-up of a gray metal edge with water droplets and chipped paint.


Friends with welding experience who have seen this say such work is unacceptable. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert myself, but this is the response I received from our construction supervisor via the contractor:
“The welds are flawless!
I don’t know what expertise the owner has to claim that the welds would not hold...
The two ‘paint damages’ probably occurred when lifting the 180 kg (400 lb) railing.
We will retouch these with a paint pen so they are no longer visible.
Corrosion protection is fully ensured anyway, because the entire railing beneath the paint layer is hot-dip galvanized.”

What do the welding experts here think about this? And do you know what options I have? Are there special expert inspectors to whom I should turn?

Thanks in advance!
P
Pierre
12 Aug 2020 12:13
That is really sad!