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Corten Cladding
Author : Jeff Andrew
Submitted : 2011-10-11 Word Count : 543 Popularity: Not Rated
Tags: Sculpture, Water Features, Corten, Cladding
Corten is a weathering steel that is known as 'COR-TEN'. This is a steel alloy which is designed to help prevent a need for painting, and to create a rustic appearance after years of exposure to the weather while maintaining a high durability and quality. Cladding meanwhile is of course metal that is coated or bonded onto another metal or material via a high pressure and temperature. This then provides a protective and sometimes aesthetic layer to improve the appearance of that metal or material. Corten cladding then is the application of this metal onto another material and most usually this is used as an insulating layer that is fixed to the exterior of a building and which is designed to have an aesthetic appeal also.
Weathering steel means that the chemical composition in the steel, the material will have an increased resistance to the weather and usual corrosion compared to other steels. This occurs as the steel forms its own protective layer on the surface which is actually caused by the weather itself. This then leads to its being highly popular for use in a range of situations, sculptures and more and if you have seen a kind of jagged, rusty looking statue ever then most likely this is Corten or COR-TEN and is not actually rusty at all but in fact highly resilient. This is 'good rust' and is so protective as the layer regenerates continuously making it very durable.
This is perfect for use in cladding around homes then for the simple fact that as weather conditions deteriorate the exterior actually hardens and becomes more resilient. This then means that you don't have water coming into your property or steeling heat energy from the sides of your walls nor creating mold. This then means that you end up using less energy in order to heat your building and that will save you a lot of money. It also means that you can rest assured that your property will remain dry and this means in turn that you won't be breathing in moisture or mold spores which can be very bad for your health and which can cause asthma, eczema and other problems.
Another great thing about corten cladding is that it's highly resilient as a security measure. This means that if anyone were to try and break into your property, or should anything collide with yours walls, the structure would hold up well and you wouldn't suffer damage to the integrity of the building. It also means that you don't need to worry about pests and other unwanted infestations getting into your property or damaging the walls.
The appearance of corten cladding is by its nature rustic and this gives your home a very attractive look that goes well with many designs. Often this will be brownish in appearance though it is possible to get silver corten cladding also. This also means that you do not need to paint the exterior of your home and that will help you to save money in that respect too.
Author's Resource Box
Many people are not sure what people are speaking about when they mention the word cladding. It can be made from a wide variety of materials, such as corten steel.