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The Color Red - Outdoors

As near as I can tell most paints are out. 10-20 years max, and any UV exposure reduces that dramatically. A north facing wall can help but in a shore side (not salt) environment in Arizona that isn't as much help as it might be elsewhere.

I looked at powder coat, and the best powders start to fade in 20-25 years from what I have read. That's assuming other factors have not harmed them.

Red metals aren't really "red," and they would need to be coated to prevent corrosion. Brass (gold finish) red metal is already being incorporated in the project.

Red anodized aluminum seemed to be an option, but quick checks (not exhaustive) seemed to indicate that organic pigments used in aluminum anodizing will fade. My cursory checks didn't show an inorganic red for aluminum anodizing.

I am prepared (and the person asking is prepared) to leave out the red for these reasons, but I want to make sure I have exhausted my options. No red rust isn't an option. LOL.

I'd like it to look good for the maximum remaining life span of those asking. Maybe as much as 50 years barring further life extension results in medical research.

Reply to
Bob La Londe
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Enamel on metal will work as will ceramic glazes. Takes high heat though. Eric

Reply to
etpm

A red Kynar coating should stand up pretty good. Not easily field applied though - -

Reply to
Clare Snyder

Barns in New England used to be, maybe still are, painted red. The original "paint" was a mixture of skimmed milk, lime and iron oxide. It lasted pretty well.

Reply to
John B.

I've bought steel roofing material with red (factory applied) finish that has a 40-year warranty.

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Other permanent red for walls would be brick, terra-cotta tile, etc. Stained-glass, too, weathers adequately. I've got a red-glass cup somewhere, that grandmom got as a souvenir in 1895, in Atlantic City. No fading of color.

Reply to
whit3rd

A pottery studio owner told me that -all- their red inorganic pigments had been confiscated as hazardous. She did still have high temperature fire clay and gave me a little.

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Probably that's about cadmium red; the duller ochre (Fe2O3) that gives terra cotta its color, probably is still OK.

Tiles in red are certainly available

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Red lead (minium) and mercuric (vermilion, cinnabar) pigments aren't modern, but are also certainly a hazard.

Another heavy metal, gold, colors glass red (might make a glaze of bright red atop a dull tile background).

Reply to
whit3rd

When I gently brought up the chemistry of pigments it was evident she didn't know it so I didn't embarrass her with further questions. I found high temperature ceramic fiber insulation on Amazon instead.

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Reply to
Jim Wilkins

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