Custom balustrades made from stainless steel wire or mesh allow for greater light and airflow, unhindered views and a modern sleek appearance. When used indoors, they can also make a space appear bigger, brighter and more open.
But as well as all that, they can save you time and money.
Here’s how.
1. Quick to install
Stainless steel wire rope cables and preformed mesh (e.g. Jakob’s Webnet) are relatively easy materials to handle and are light in weight.
This makes for a quicker installation than heavier and more solid materials such as timber, glass or concrete. And a faster installation translates to lower costs for time and labour!
2. Lower material costs
Stainless steel Webnet is relatively low cost at $150 to $650 per sqm. This compares favourably to, say, glass at $400 to $800 per sqm for a barrier and over $1,000 per metre for railings.
Unlike glass and various other materials (e.g. perspex, perforated panels, and Kaynemaile mesh) Webnet does not require a sub-frame. This helps keep the costs down even more.
3. Cheaper to make non-climbable
Webnet balustrades can easily be made non-climbable by using a smaller aperture size – 40mm or less.
Webnet or cable barriers can also be made non-climbable by building them full length – such as on a multi-storey atrium. It generally costs less to make a non-climbable atrium barrier from stainless steel mesh or cables than from glass. This is because a non-climbable glass barrier will require panels of at least 1,200m in height – potentially adding to the cost of both materials and installation.
The non-climbable vertical cable atrium barrier at the Learning and Teaching Building at Monash University demonstrates how a stainless steel barrier can allow for safe and full use of the upper spaces. Initially glass was considered for this installation but was decided against due to practicalities and costs to make it non climbable.
4. Super long-lasting
Stainless steel custom balustrades are non-corrosive and incredibly long-lasting, which reduces the cost of replacements. Balustrades made from Jakob’s marine-grade wire rope can last 25 years or more.
This compares favourably to 10 years for glass, 10 years for steel, and up to five years for timber.
5. In-built fire-resistance
Stainless steel is by nature fire-resistant – which means there is no need to apply any additional processes for this.
Timber of course is not fire-resistant. Glass panelling can be made to be fire-resistant – but it will cost more to do so.
6. Low costs for cleaning and maintenance
Ongoing cleaning and maintenance cost money, but with stainless steel balustrades the requirements are very minimal. Usually, an annual inspection is all that’s needed to check that the tensioning is still correct, and to look for any damage, loose parts, compression or accumulated dirt.
The Melbourne School of Design has a full-length atrium Webnet balustrade that has only ever had one problem that needed fixing in the space of ten years or so. And that issue was solved within about five minutes!
Contact us about stainless steel custom balustrades
If you are interested in saving time and money on a custom balustrade, get in touch with our team for a chat!
