Cladding
Aluminium Cladding
Aluminium needs very little maintenance and keeps its colour for a long time saving you potentially time and money in maintenance. It can take the shape of traditional weatherboards or is also used in sheets, so-called composite panels. Usually, aluminium is fixed with clips onto the wall.So, what are the good and the bad about aluminium weatherboards/ composite panels?
Weatherboards made out aluminium are made out of natural materials that are potentially recyclable. Recyclable is great in theory but sadly not yet in practice. No products that we are currently aware of are made out of recycled aluminium. Most metal products contain a mixture of metals and therefore the recycling is difficult as a wrong mixture might mean properties of the product change. So, we ship off container loads of metal to china to be recycled. Very costly in CO2 emissions both to ship and recycle.
Advantages of aluminium cladding:
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Aluminium requires only minimal maintenance and no repainting
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Aluminium cladding is lightweight while strong
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Aluminium cladding are metal and as such recyclable
Disadvantages of aluminium cladding:
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Aluminium is a very carbon emission intensive material in its manufacture (2)
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Powder coats or anodized finishes are both not environmentally friendly or healthy for human beings. The processes are damaging to the environment once the baths are disposed of
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Aluminium frames are significant conductors so lose heat from your room and add to your heating costs compared to other products
Sources:
(2) Bath University, 'Inventory of Carbon and Energy', Authors: Hammond, Geoffrey; Jones, Craig; Lowrie, Fiona; Tse, Peter