We are going to demolish our house and build a new one. We are very fortunate to have a beach front position but in the years we've lived here we have seen how much damage sea air/spray does. We want to make sure the aluminium windows and doors will last as long as possible under the conditions.
The choice we have to make is between 25 um (high grade) anodised or upgraded powder coat such as Dulux Duratec.
The window companies we have spoken to all push the anodised but we are still unsure. Generally the anodised is cheaper but no guarantee, Duratec gives a guarantee.
Also the favour for anodised seems fairly recent, years ago everyone in our street used powder coat, so we can't find anodised windows to see how they hold up 10 years on. We have 2 standard powder coat windows now that have stood up well but they are not on the fully exposed side of the house.
We are so confused. Everyone we speak to seems to push the anodised but then says make sure you wash the frames monthly and no guarantee.
Recently we spoke to a window company and said we were leaning toward Duratec (better the devil we know). He said they cut it anyway so ends would be exposed. Wouldn't the same be true for anodised?
We don't want to spend an extra 4-5 thousand on upgraded powder coat if not necessary but are now wondering if the push for anodised has more to do with profit margin for the window suppliers.
Would appreciate advice from anyone with knowledge of these finishes.