To uphold the allure of your aluminum windows and doors, it's imperative to conduct effective care, maintenance, and cleaning both during your project and afterward.

During construction, it's crucial to safeguard surfaces to prevent damage. Construction activities like using cement-based products or welding can harm surface finishes. It's vital to ensure that the joinery remains covered until construction is complete.

Regular cleaning is essential to maintain the finish of windows and doors. Use a mild liquid detergent with warm water and a soft brush, followed by rinsing with fresh water. In typical environments, clean the joinery and hardware every four months; in marine or polluted areas, clean monthly. Avoid using strong solvent-based cleaners.

If the powder-coated aluminum joinery sustains scratches or damage, Dulux offers repair kits in most colors. Spray cans are suitable for scuffed or scratched surfaces, while dabsticks are ideal for minor scratches or chips.

CLEANING

Windows & doors

Window and door frames should be cleaned each time your windows and doors are washed in order to remove atmospheric dirt and grime. A soft brush with warm water and a mild household detergent are recommended. Rinse with fresh water.

• DO remove obvious deposits as they occur

• DO mask windows if painting. Use only methylated spirits, isopropanol or water to remove fresh paint splashes

• DO NOT use abrasive steel wool, scrapers, scouring liquids or aggressive solvents, thinners, petrol, etc.

These will all damage the windows and doors and the surface finish

• DO NOT expose your joinery to excessive heat, heaters or hot air guns as these may damage the surface finish of the joinery.

Cleaning once every three months should be sufficient, however, in coastal or industrial environments more frequent

washing will be required. The frequency of washing in these harsh environments should be determined by the degree of

salt and/or other contaminant build up on the windows and doors, but ideally should be at least once a month. Washing

should include the rinsing of all window and door cavities to avoid salt build up and corrosion.

We strongly recommend that you protect your powder coated joinery from the possibility of damage by some sunscreens.

The damage occurs when skin which has sunscreen on it has touched the powder coated metal surface.

USE, CARE AND MAINTENANCE of Hardware

Your windows and doors feature a bespoke hardware solution with unique features.

Powdercoated hardware should be cleaned regularly with a wet sponge or soft brush, warm water and a mild detergent

and rinsed with fresh water. Plated products should be cleaned with a wet sponge or dry duster. NEVER use detergent on plating.

Plated hardware is not recommended for coastal applications and is excluded from any warranty as deterioration is possible

under some environmental conditions. Stainless steel hardware also needs regular cleaning. It is resistant to rust, however rust spots can sometimes occur.

These can be removed with a mildly abrasive cleaner and rinsed with fresh water. In cases of heavy corrosion a Scotch-

Brite hand pad can be used. Stainless steel hardware should not be exposed to bleach products, hydrochloric acid solutions (sometimes used for

tile and concrete cleaning), cement dust, soap concentrates and water with high iron content, such as bore water.

We recommend regular treatment with 3M Stainless Steel Cleaner and polish to further protect and enhance stainless steel hardware.

SURFACE FINISHING

Powdercoatings and anodising are surface finishes that have been well proven for corrosion resistance and durability.

Regular cleaning as detailed in the Care and maintenance of your windows and doors section is required in order to

comply with warranty requirements. Powdercoating warranties, as offered by Dulux, are:

• Duralloy, 10 years on film and 10 years colour integrity

• Duratec, 20 years on film and 15 years colour integrity

Anodising warranties offered, are: 12 micron which is

available with a 10 year warranty whereas, 25 micron is

available with a 20 year warranty, these are on a job-specific basis.

Projects within the coastal sea spray zone i.e. within 500 metres of the sea or 100m from tidal estuaries and

sheltered inlets, should use 25 micron anodising or Duratec as a minimum.

When judging colour consistency and integrity of finish, the accepted industry standard is inspection from a distance of

two metres. Slight surface finish blemishes and/or colour variations that are not visible from two metres are deemed

to be acceptable. For products treated with anodising, variability of colour and visible grain are common features and are not defects.

Powdercoated tracks in sliding and bi-fold applications will wear over time and show a silver use line. This is

unavoidable and does not contravene either the warranty orthe durability requirements of the building code

GLASS

Glass is a very delicate product that can be easily damaged during the construction process. Extreme care is required

when cleaning glass as scratching can occur, so never use abrasive cleaning solutions or razor blades in the

maintenance process. Please ensure that any concrete, plaster, mortar or paint

is removed as soon as possible from the surface of the windows and doors or glass before the splashes harden.

Wipe with a damp cloth and wash down with clean water or mild detergent immediately. DO NOT use solvents.

Only detergents and cleaning solutions which are recommended for cleaning glass should be used. Commence

cleaning by soaking the glass surfaces to loosen dirt and debris. Then using a mild, non-abrasive window washing

solution, uniformly apply to the glass surfaces with a nonabrasive applicator and follow with a squeegee to remove all

the cleaning solution from the glass surface. All water and cleaning residue should be dried from the window glass,

gaskets, seals and frames as dried residue can permanently mark the surface of the glass.

When washing double glazing and laminated glass use the same procedures as above but ensure no solvents come

into contact with the edge laminate interlayer or unit sealant. Avoid cleaning tinted and reflective glass surfaces in direct sunlight.

A separate warranty of 10 years applies to your double glazed units, and is held by the window manufacturer in

conjunction with their glass supplier.

SUSTAINABILITY

Wide-ranging environmental measures are being implemented by APL, the window solutions supplier for First

Windows & Doors. These measures are fully outlined in a policy document, APL Window Solutions & Sustainability

(available online at firstwindows.co.nz).

Aluminium balances two features – on the one hand, the disadvantage of a high embodied energy (the energy used

in metal manufacture); on the other hand, they have a long product life and excellent recyclability.

Aluminium is an attractive recycle prospect – it has a high value, and the facilities used for remelt and repurification

are readily available. Remelt uses only 5% of the energy consumed in the manufacture of the original metal product.

First believes that energy-rich materials, like aluminium, are best used for appropriate end uses where their unique

properties are indispensable. Window construction is one such application.

Aluminium alloys have unique properties of strength, light weight, ductility and corrosion-resistance. The metal’s use

in windows allows span, scale, strength, functionality and aesthetic capability.

uPVC reduces energy consumption through its high thermal efficiency rating. Also, instead of using heavy metal lead,

the PVC stabilisers are made of calcium and zinc which is a much more eco-friendly option.