PAINTS, COATINGS & FINISHES
Amron Architectural project – Product Madness, London
THE FINISHING LINE Architects and interior designers are always looking for novel approaches to create inviting spaces. Amongst these approaches, we are seeing an increase in the use of metal meshes both from the point of view that they are generally made from recycled material in the case of aluminium and steel – but also the style and look of them has that upcycled feel that we are all trying to be more conscious of, writes Anthony Millington, Business Development Manager at Amron Architectural. AMRON ARCHITECTURAL
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etal mesh is an extremely versatile product and can be used for a variety of different applications. Common uses of metal mesh include balustrade infill panels, facade systems, ceiling tiles and even the ubiquitous radiator grille. There are many variations of metal meshes available in the architectural market, but ultimately it comes down to three main types; woven, expanded and perforated.
Knowing your mesh Following profound recent events of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the COVID-19 pandemic, the built environment is especially concerned with the quality and reliability of products, so it’s important we ensure when we work with manufacturers and suppliers that we understand and trust their product and, in turn, understand ours.
Material It is always important to consider the material to be used in the application; this may be for reasons such as weight, FC&A – NOVEMBER – 2020
environment or finish. Expanded meshes are generally made from aluminium because they don’t crack after expanding, whereas stainless steel (certainly for the larger architectural meshes) can tend to crack in the corners of the holes. Woven meshes, however, tend to be mainly in stainless steel, brass, bronze or copper and not so much aluminium due to this type of mesh lending itself to more natural finishes. However, perforated sheets can be made from pretty much any metal; there is just an obvious cost issue of certain materials, one thing to remember here though is that when punching metals such as stainless steel, it can have a sharp swarf on one side of the panel that can’t be removed.
Orientation Woven meshes have an obvious orientation due to their manufacturing process with the warp and weft of the wires. Also, some of the pre-crimped meshes have a front and a back to them owing to the crimping process – this needs considering when the panels are framed. Perforated sheet has less of an orientation issue, but as mentioned before, it is worth noting that there is a good side and a rawer side. The side where the punch tool goes through is good as it is bevelled inwards; however, where it comes out of the other side, it can drag metal through which can be sharp and can’t be fettled by hand 26
as it will take time. In the case of using stainless steel, this can be an issue, however, aluminium is a softer metal and is often powder coated or anodised so isn’t such a problem. Expanded metal has four orientations – both sides are different with one side more in relief than the other, and then there is an up/down orientation. Depending on which way the mesh is hung, you can either see up through the panel or, turned upside down, it becomes solid. Woven meshes have a maximum width dictated by the width of the loom – in the case of standard woven and cable meshes with almost limitless length, which is great if you are doing a long drop that can be tensioned top and bottom. Pre-crimped (rigid) woven mesh will have a maximum width and length so you must make sure you check.
