Wood might be your initial choice for a fence or a gate. It can last long when installed professionally. And it can add to your property’s curb appeal. But wood tends to rot, and it can crack or warp over time. Now fences and gates made of metal, these structures not only withstand harsh elements. These also require minimal maintenance, especially when you choose aluminum.
Aluminum Fences are an Eco-Friendly Option
Builders and contractors recognize aluminum as a sustainable and energy efficient construction material. Projects that use the material are up for green building status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, The Alumni Association shares.
Companies make aluminum fences out of recycled aluminum. The projected recycled content of this construction material is 50 percent to 60 percent.
What does this mean?
It means you’re not adding to the sometimes wasteful production process. You’re also helping businesses save on energy costs. Recycling materials can cut down on energy consumption by 90 percent.
In addition to all these, building a fence using aluminum allows you to save trees. According to a Time report, people cut down 15 billion trees annually. Globally, the tree count has plummeted to 46 percent. Your singular contribution to using aluminum as an alternative material for your gate or fence might be small. But it can still help.
And speaking of “help,” aluminum needs little help when it comes to maintenance. But some effort is still necessary to keep it shiny and new.
A Simplified Way to Clean and Mainten Your Fence
Dirt is not harmful to your fence. But the stuff it contains can, which includes lawn treatment chemicals, fertilizer, or grass clippings. All these might stain or fade the paint on your fence.
There are cases where these materials won’t affect your paint. The problem, however, is dirt will make your fence unappealing. But cleaning dirty aluminum fences is easy. You only need a few items: a long garden hose, a sponge, and mild dish soap.
Just work your way from the top to the bottom. Look for areas with dirt stains. Use both the hose and the sponge to sufficiently clean your aluminum fences.
Use a small bucket to mix the soap and water together because it’s better than applying the soap directly to the fence. Once done, rinse all the soap off, again from top to bottom. This way, you can avoid any soap buildup or residue on your fence.
Strong, Durable Barrier for Your Yard
Premium aluminum fences and gates go through a testing process that ensure its strength and durability. It will undergo pre-treatment, chemical resistance, corrosion resistance, and weathering resistance.
The testing process will look for impact resistance, detergent resistance, and salt spray and humidity resistance, among others. Your aluminum fencing or gate should also go through accelerated exposure to see if it will stand up to harsh weather.
This building material is strong and durable enough that the Empire State Building replaced its 5,460 windows with aluminum frames. If that tells you anything it’s that aluminum is flexible and certainly reliable enough to use as a property barrier.
Choose sustainable and recyclable aluminum fences. As long as you install them properly and clean them regularly, your aluminum fences will last a long time.