Awesome Awnings - would you have guessed?

Posted by on 8 August 2018

Would you have guessed?

Did you know that these awesome awnings and gorgeous shelters, created by Americana, are protected and decorated by the same types of coatings used on commercial storefront and in some cases skyscrapers?

Makes sense. They are just as exposed to the elements, but are seen up close - even more so (something tells me the state park shelter or business awning is viewed way more than the exterior of floor 61 on a skyscraper!).

It also makes sense that Americana manufactures a wide range of steel and aluminum products, including shelters, outdoor canopies, awnings, and wall enclosure systems for state parks, schools, playgrounds, homes and businesses. As well as custom, made to order products that ensure the product is tailored to the design need, Americana, who have been manufacturing quality products since 1947, also provide many standard stock products.

Working closely with the architect, a lot of care and attention goes into the design and manufacture of every product. For example, take the park shelters. Perfect for resting after an afternoon’s hike, these structures have seen some serious attention before making it into that park! The steel for the park shelters is CNC machine cutout and then welded by certified welders. The shelter components are blasted to near white metal then washed with an Iron/Phosphate pretreatment to clean and prep the surface prior to applying a high performance powder coat.  

It’s not just the products that are custom made. The high performance powder works hard to deliver exterior weathering and corrosion capabilities and the tough, scratch resistant film that powders are known for. And as well as stock colors, the coating can also be matched to whatever the end user desires – be that a company brand palette, match to the rest of the project or simply the whim of the owner.

Buddy Ballard, Production Manager explains “We choose a high performance powder coating rather than a liquid coating as it is simply much more durable. It’s tougher, more scratch resistant and more weatherable than liquid paint. We have less freight damage and a quicker turn around on getting products out the door.”

And then there’s the environmental advantages.

Ballard continues, “Sustainability is really important to us. We recognize that sustainable design is a huge part of what our customers are involved in, whether that is an architect designing a commercial property requiring an awning, or the design team working on a public park requiring a beautiful shelter. Ensuring that the coating that gives the piece its final aesthetic appeal is also the environmentally responsible choice is key. IFS Coatings do that every time. We strive to provide our customers with the best products to meet their needs. As a family owned business, with all our products made here in the USA, this is genuinely important to us.”

So whether you’re working on a project requiring any one of these products, or taking some shade during an afternoon in the park with your kids, you can rest assured that both the structure, and the coating deliver the very best there is on offer.