Laminated aluminum

[ALANSD]

http://www.chmetal.com/700.html#

This is a link to a material I found that might be just the ticket for updating interiors to a CCD type look. I am getting some to try on my entry door, as I am not happy with the riveted sheet aluminum I put on there.
The engineer tells me this stuff will take abuse, hold its shine and can be used on curved areas like cabinet faces. I am anxious to try it and will post resulting photos if it goes well.

[59toaster]

VERY interesting stuff. I plan to line the wet bath in a stainless to water proof. I was going to use some .025 sheet. this might be a better alternative.

Keep us posted. Might have to swing by and look at it when you get it.

[ALANSD]

you are welcome anytime! (Bring your toolbox....just kidding)
I am waiting for the samples to be shipped to me, and then I will see what will work for my applications.

[Over59]

Great looking panels. Can they be purchased from the same site, I didn't see a "buy me now" button. Sure 'm gettin spoiled. I could use this for the overhead in the sleeping quarters. I'ld just hand bend it to a rib frame of expoxied solid plywood. I was going to use the 2024 and veneer but this stuff is nice. In your search did you find a site with the colored aluminum panels?

[swebster]

Alan,
Great looking stuff. As you know I've been experimenting with the "veneer" approach using thin aluminum flashing coils. The results have been mixed. Certainly achieves the CCD look but some of the longer overhead sections tend to "bubble" in that the thin flashing just doesn't hold it's shapre very well. Once it warms up a little I plan to try some adhesives to "bond" the veneer to the older, thicker panel.

I looked at a similar laminate products from Outwater Plastics and remember that they seemed expensive. I think I figured out it would be less expensive to re-skin with 0.25 than to cover with laminate. I was wondering if you knew what the prices looked like on this stuff as it looks like a fantastic solution.

On your door; I tried the flashing and really did not like the results at all. The channel around the door did not have enough clearance to slide the new materiel over the old and I didn't like the multiple seems on the door. I ended up removing the original panel to replace the door window and after looking at them I plan to replace them entirely with new sheet aluminum, using the old ones as templates.

[ALANSD]

Yeah I used the flashing for the bottome sections of the door below the lock, and i am not satisfied with the results. I am not sure of the cost on this new stuff, but I am looking into it further,. They are sending the samples, and may talk me through an install on the door and another area to see how it goes. Hopefully it is affordable. Wilson Art makes a great looking laminate also, that is not metal but lloks like it...this Chemetal stuff actually is a metallic surface bonded to the laminate underneath.

Nice material. I could see using some of it to line the interior of cabinets or as door panels with wooden frames. I also sent for samples.Thanks

[malconium]

Here is a source for an alternative laminate metal material.

http://alsacorp.com/products/sheetingfx/sheetingfx.htm

Malcolm

[ALANSD]

I like that too, I am hoping for an affordable aluminum solution to cover maybe the cabinets, or some wall areas, not sure yet. I will try the door first thought as the test area.

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

I like that too, I am hoping for an affordable aluminum solution to cover maybe the cabinets, or some wall areas, not sure yet. I will try the door first thought as the test area.

I just received a sample of .024 diamond plate aluminum from an ebay seller. It's actually stamped, but looks great to me. I'm going for an industrial, race shop kind of theme. I'm going to test it on the cabinet doors and for sliding into trim rails too. Check out his stuff here:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQ...sassZcutsmetal

[bison]

I had a dog kennel made from this material and it works great, it has been used for architectural signs/details for some time now.

[swebster]

sfixx,
Great find! I sent him a note about this product and asked if he can make it without the diamon plate. That product (without the diamond plate pattern in my case) could be just the ticket for those if us looking to convert to the CCD style interiors. I like the brightness, the thickness is lightweight so it should hold it's shape and the self adhesive backing would make installation much easier (I've been wrestling 13' long pieces of .010 into place....not fun).

I can also see applications for the dimond plate. I've been thinking about using it on my stairs and as a kick plate up to the drivers compartment....but it's really expensive stuff and the thickness can cause issues on the retracting stairs. This could be used as a great "makeover" veneer.

I'll post what I find out.

[ALANSD]

Yes that diamond plate is very tempting also....what do you think about using it on the entry step, or is it too thin? If it is more decorative than functional I might use it to update the door as mentioned. The industrial look could be way cool too.

[swebster]

I saw a picture of a diamond plate step on an AS TT and loved it. It looked like a similar "stick on" product cut out about 1/2" smaller than the step with 1" radius corners. The owner also painted the stairs with aluminum paint. The whole thing looked great.

Diamond plate for the whole interior would look very cool. I saw some toy haulers at the local RV show that had that "race trailer" style interior. For our interior plans it might be too much visual stimulation so I'm hoping this guy can ship the same material sans the embossed plate pattern. It's the stick on backing that really appeals to me from an installation point of view.

I'm thinking you could cut paper patterns, transfer to this material, drill out the rivets on the original panel, clean the wall really really well, set the "veneer", remove the backing and "stick" it into place, then re-rivet through both materials into the ribs. You would just repeat this process down each sidewall.

[sfixx]

I'm definitly looking for the 'design on a dime' solution. Malconium's peel-and-stick stuff is very expensive and way out of my budget. I like the raw aluminum route...I've ordered it from "Aircraft Spruce" before. Just order exactly what you need. I think that their shipping was resonable:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/me/index.html

You should be able to use a spray contact adhesive(after a good cleaning) or simply brush it on and get a great hold. I bet that a construction or panel adhesive would work well too but you would have to let it dry under pressure. I'm more concerned with getting the aluminum to fit under the edges of a overhead doors edging. Has anybody experimented with taking the door apart and laminating the 1/4" panels? What thickness have you tried? I thought maybe I would have to belt sand the panel a little thinner to make it work, no? I don't mind having to polish raw aluminum, or put a brushed finish on it and spay it with a clear matt (or satin) finish.

I'll probably mix the diamond plate and plain aluminum in different areas. I might like the "quilted" aluminum look behind the stove too. By the way Outwater has a ton of stuff in the catalog that I don't see on the website, but like has been said that's top dollar and their shipping isn't cheap.

After having seen the .024 tread plate I might test it on a step but I'm not too confident that it would hold up half as well as the next (solid) thicker size. Doesn't the ebay guy have a .040 size? My 2 folding steps fold up really snug together so I'd have to test first if they would still work with added plates on top.

Steve

[ALANSD]

I received samples of the Chemetal laminates, and I can say they are awesome. The price might be too high for my use in a major way, but the aluminum finishes are fabulous, and would look really good on my countertops, and instead of the wood grain wall trimmed areas. However, most of my interior is in such good shape, a major redo is uneccesary. I hope to do the entry door, and some other trim work.

[swebster]

ebay guy got back to me. Can't get .025 in plain sheets or coils. He can get mill and mirror finish in .040 with or without the diamond plate. Unforetunately this would be way to expensive for my little project.

I do like his products for things like stair treads and other areas of the interior.

Looks like it's back to figuring out how to adhere .010 flashing to the walls. At least it's cheap!

[87MH]

Originally Posted by swebster

ebay guy got back to me. Can't get .025 in plain sheets or coils. Looks like it's back to figuring out how to adhere .010 flashing to the walls. At least it's cheap!

Just got home after picking up some Aluminum sheeting - they rolled a 4' X 12' sheet of 2024 T3 .025 Alclad up into a coil about 10" in diameter for transport in the van, I am certain it could be easily mailed. Total weight of the sheet of .025 was 17.487 lbs, at $7.50 per lb - a bit over $130.

I also picked up a couple of 4X4 and 4X6 sheets of .032 and .040 - same grade - the "drops" each had a few scratches on one side, price on them was $5.00 per lb.

Might be an alternative.

[malconium]

Aluminum:

I took a look at the Aircraft Spruce site and found some interesting information. I already knew that they had a good explaination of the different types of aluminum which can be viewed at the following location:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...s/aluminfo.php

One thing that I found in looking at the pricing for the various types of sheet was that you can buy grade 3003H-14 sheet 0.020 thick in a 4' x 12' sheet for only $39.80. I am including the description of 3003 from the above page here for reference:

3003 This is the most widely used of all aluminum alloys. It is essentially commercially pure aluminum with the addition of manganese which increases the strength some 20% over the 1100 grade. Thus, it has all the excellent characteristics of 1100 with higher strength. It has excellent corrosion resistance. It has excellent workability and it may be deep drawn or spun, welded or brazed. It is non heat treatable. Applications: cooking utensils, decorative trim, awnings, siding, storage tanks, chemical equipment.

This stuff sounds like it would be just fine for interior use doesn't it?

Glue:

I would guess that contact cement of the type used with plastic laminate counter tops would work with aluminum. The trick would be that you would only have one chance to get the positioning right. The new type, while more expensive, also no longer has the totally obnoxious oder that the older stuff had. I redid my kitchen counter tops (in my house not my AS) relatively recently and used some and was very plesently surprised about the oder. I bought a gallon of it from Lowes for something like $25 if I recall correctly. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to dry to the point of being ready to assemble and realy grabs.

Another alternative that I know would hold to aluminum is Polyurethane glue. I was trying to get stick-on wire clamp brackets to attach to the inside of my outer skin. The skin was damp and cold. The adhesive on the stick-on tabs was not sticking. I already knew that the Polyurethane glue required moisture to set so it occurred to me to try using some on the wire attachments. It does indeed stick to wet/cold aluminum. Of course this means the surface would have to be lightly misted if it was not wet. The trick is that it takes a few hours to set up. In the case of my wire tabs as long as I did not attach the wire bundles until the glue set all was well. The tabs were light enough and the glue had enough suction to stick in place - even on the ceiling - while the glue set up.

So the big question would be how to hold a sheet in place long enough for the glue to set up. That of course assumes that the new sheets would be held on only with the glue. In general most of the aluminum sheets have to be flexed to fit the curve of the inner panels where they are going to be attached. My guess is that as long as the alumuminum is stiff enough that it could be held in place at a couple of places near their mid points and the springyness of the metal would hold it in place elsewhere. Maybe a simple brace from the opposite surface (floor or wall) would work. How about something like the adjustable work support that Harbor Freight carries:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=34897

Malcolm