The best powder coat for stainless steel outdoor kitchen cabinets.

Stainless steel is an amazing material, and the best material for outdoor kitchens. There is good reason why hospitals, commercial kitchens and food processing plants all use it. Stainless steel is a hygienic, non-porous surface which is coupled with easy cleaning. And the primary choice for applications which require strict hygiene control. Stainless steel has a major advantage over other materials as its high corrosion resistance allows it to be used in rigorous environments. It is also resistant to fire and heat, and retains strength at high temperatures. No other material can hold up to the salt and heat the way stainless steel does. 

In our quest to make an amazing product, we took the best material and protected it even more! We searched and tested the best powder coat manufacturers to find the highest-quality colors with the highest standard in architectural powder coat. 

Remember, not all powder coatings are the same! But we made sure to use the best. 

 The Highest Performance, Fluoropolymer Powder Coating 

Fluoropolymer powders are exterior grade powders that are used on the outside of buildings, fenestration and curtain walls, for example. Fluoropolymer powder coatings is the highest performing powder coat for the outdoors and 4 Life Outdoor Cabinets, exceed the performance requirements of AAMA 2605, as per the American Architectural Manufacturers Association.

The powder coat we use is an architectural grade fluoropolymer powder coating technology formulated to meet the most stringent exterior performance standards for the architectural industry.

POWDERS AND AAMA – MEETING THE AAMA COATING SPECIFICATIONS

Talk to anyone in the North American high performance coatings industry and they will probably start talking about AAMA pretty quickly!

So what is AAMA and why do coatings experts talk about it so much?
AAMA is an acronym for the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, and they have together a whole variety of voluntary specifications – testing and performance requirements – for many different aspects of the architectural manufacturing world.

There are three specifications that apply to the coatings industry; AAMA 2603, AAMA 2604 and AAMA 2605. We use the highest standard at AAMA 2605.

UNDERSTANDING HIGH PERFORMANCE, EXTERIOR FLUOROPOLYMER COATINGS.

 Fluoropolymer coatings are the gold standard for high performance, exterior coating protection in North America.
A quick look at the levels of weatherability, durability and aesthetic appeal offered by Fluoropolymers make it easy to see why. 

 One important thing to note is the salt spray testing. At first glance it may seem that the AAMA 2604 test
is longer than the AAMA 2605 test. This is not the case – the 2605 test is actually a different, much more
aggressive test, so the time frame is shorter. 

ASTIM B117 – SALT SPRAY AND SALT FOG TESTING

SALT DOES NOT STAND A CHANCE

ASTM B117 is an American standard that provides a controlled accelerated corrosive environment to evaluate the coatings or substrates corrosive resistance. Any product/material that is exposed to the elements must be able to withstand corrosion. ASTM B117 or salt spray test takes these products/materials and exposes them to controlled conditions to measure these corrosive properties. Samples are placed inside a chamber and exposed continuously to an atomized / fog salt solution along with a controlled temperature. Type IV deionized water with 5% salt by volume is used in the salt solution that causes potential corrosive behavior. Aside from the corrosive behavior to the visual aspect of the samples that are tested, physical aspects can also be evaluated as well to ensure the product or material is still functioning. Our cabinets surpass this test with no slistering or adhesion loss after 4000 hours.

Our cabinets also pass the “South Florida Weathering” test – AAMA 2605 Section 8.9

 We have made sure to test every aspect of our cabinets to withstand Mother nature’s worst. Each cabinet is meticulously inspected to make sure that we are proud of each cabinet we make. 

If you have any questions regarding the cabinets, please give us a call or send us a note.

We are happy to help. 

All the best,

4 Life Outdoor