Metal Types We Use at All County

Basically, our shop started off doing duct work which is galvanized steel. Over the 30-year period, metal duct work has been replaced so much by flexible duct. It’s not a mainstay. Galvanized is still our main product, but we also have stainless steel. Stainless comes in two particular types. There is 304, and there is 316. We use 304 which is a common grade. It’s what you would see in a restaurant. It comes in either a polished finish which has a plastic PVC film to protect that polished finish, or a 2B finish, which is more of what you would use in roofing. It’s a satin finish, and it doesn’t need as much delicate handling.

316 which is a marine grade stainless steel. A 304 will show pitting, which is little brown spots, because this stainless steel has less zinc in it. The 316 on the other hand, because it’s a marine grade, holds up much better.

The other product that we use a lot is aluminum. We can use it in either a sheet form. There again, it comes in 3003 or 5051 alloys. Generally, the 3003 is what we use because it’s malleable. It’s easy to bend. It’s easily workable. 5051, on the other hand, is a little more rigid, but in a lot of applications that’s what they’re looking or. Both of them are very easily weldable. We’ve had good production on both of them.

The other would be copper. South Florida is near the salt air. A lot of times when engineers and architects design their homes or their businesses they need copper. We do custom flashing. We do work for roofers where they might need scuppers, or overflow scuppers for water drainage. We’ve also done custom gutters, water gutters, down spouts, copper ventilation systems. Anywhere there is salt air, a good product would be copper.

What’s the difference between diamond plate and Tread Brite?

It’s just a trade name. It’s like a tissue or a Kleenex. A diamond plate is something that is a trade name where people realize because it has a tread. Treat Brite is the same type product in appearance except it’s the aluminum counterpart for what steel would be which would be diamond plate. A lot of times people will say, “I want some aluminum diamond plate.” I don’t correct them. I say, “Okay.” Tread Brite is really more of a trade name for aluminum that has a tread to it.

Aluminum is going to hold up much better because it’s a non-ferrous material. It will corrode, but it has so much more life than steel would. A lot of times we use Tread Brite, especially in buildings like a restaurant, or on top of a building. A lot of times they have expansion joints between the building. We’ll use Tread Brite to put up there, so that people don’t slip. It’s a good product for outside usage.