Coatings warranty – fact or fiction?

Warranties for coatings are no different from warranties for other products. There is an implied assumption that if the warranty specifies a certain time period, then the product will perform up to this period. Any failure during this period is covered by the warranty. However, industry pressures have, unfortunately, led some product manufacturers to push warranty limits beyond their intended timeframe, which could put the integrity of the construction projects that they are supplying at risk.

In this blog, Aodeli general manager and former state sales manager for Dulux, Wayne Saunders outlines what you need to know to guarantee that you are being offered a warranty that can and will stand the test of time.

GOOD – Powdercoatings

These coatings come in different grades but were only developed as industrial coatings. The standard Dulux Duralloy and Interpon D1000 coatings were launched with a 7-year warranty. However, product manufacturers over time have pushed these warranties beyond their intended requirements; in some cases as much as doubling the time period. If you have received such a warranty, please do read the fine print.

Note: The only powdercoat product that is equivalent to Fluoropolymer coil coating is PVF3 or Fluoropolymer Powder, which is very expensive and brittle – this means it cannot be post fabricated.

BETTER – 2 Coat Fluoropolymer Coatings

These thick-film system coatings consist of two coats including a corrosion inhibitive primer and fluoropolymer topcoat. They are ideal for applications requiring greater flexibility as well as abrasion and corrosion resistance. They come with a genuine 15-year warranty.

Note: Be wary of getting warranty offers on 2-Coat products that are higher than 15 years. Global coating manufacturers such as PPG and AkzoNobel will only provide a 15-year warranty on this coating system. 

BEST – 3 Coat Fluoropolymer Coatings 

Three-coat systems consist of a nominal 0.8 mil each of a proprietary urethane primer, a fluoropolymer colour coat and a clear topcoat to seal and protect the entire system. Think of the third layer as sunblock, which is an important consideration in Australia’s harsh UV climate.

Note: This system comes with a genuine 20-year warranty as supplied by global paint manufacturers. This is why Aodeli only offers a three-coat system on its entire range of products as standard. We want the projects that we are supplying to look great year after year after year and this is the only coating system that can guarantee this. 

Why do we provide warranties? 

A warranty should be a safeguard for customers, i.e., something to fall back on should the coating fail during their recommended time period. We have heard about some extremely exaggerated warranty periods that are going far beyond what the coatings were designed for and that could put several construction projects at risk.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Hopefully armed with the above information, you will be able to verify whether the warranty information you are being provided with is realistic. However, if you are concerned about a warranty or would like to discuss coatings in general, please feel free to contact the Aodeli team.