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What is the best finish for high-end high-relief decorative aluminum tiles (price/thickness control/availability)

I have a high-end tile company which is looking to manufacture aluminum tiles. I have run up against the problem of finishing the tiles, as my tiles have high relief and extraordinary attention to detail. I cannot "flood" the tiles, but need to have full control over the thickness in order to highlight details. The finish must be durable, cost-effective,widely available, and fairly easy to use (for purposes of mass production). I would greatly appreciate any assistance.

David Morganstein
Tile Distributor - West Palm Beach, Florida
May 17, 2008

Hi, David. A picture and a description of how you process tiles of other material might help us envision this better. For example, I don't know what you mean by you "cannot flood the tiles".

Electroplating of aluminum isn't easy, but it is very thin and would retain detail. And once the surface was copper or brass or silver, you could blacken it and then buff it to relieve the high spots (like an old gold school ring).

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 18, 2008