Stainless steel is a popular material in contemporary landscape and architectural design but for landscape edging – which is often largely hidden – it is an expensive option that doesn’t weather as well as aluminium. So what does a landscape designer do when faced with choosing complementary edging if stainless steel has been used elsewhere in the architecture or landscaping of a project?

Landscape edging specialists ExcelEdge have developed a new variation of their industry-trusted AluExcel aluminium edging that offers an authentic, brushed stainless steel-effect finish that is more suitable for landscape design.

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Anodised aluminium stains less than stainless steel

Despite its name, stainless steel isn’t impervious to stains. It relies on its chromium content reacting with oxygen in the air to create a passive oxide layer on the surface that resists corrosion, but corrosion can occur if that layer is damaged, resulting in unsightly red-brown rust stains.

Stainless steel is also more prone to

  • pitting corrosion caused by chlorides in the environment
  • crevice corrosion caused by low oxygen and chloride accumulation
  • galvanic corrosion caused by contact with some dissimilar metals in damp environments
  • stress corrosion caused by tensile stress in certain corrosive environments

Aluminium is also subject to corrosion, but this is generally limited to pitting and galvanic corrosion and anodising the aluminium will protect it against corrosion and the causes of corrosion.

While pitting changes the appearance of aluminium, its functionality is unaffected. Galvanic corrosion will give the surface of the aluminium a dull appearance. preventing contact or runoff between aluminium and metals such as steel and copper will prevent the aluminium from being stained by discolouration caused by oxidation of the other metal.

While staining and discolouration of stainless steel can be reduced or prevented by regular and appropriate cleaning, this is impracticable for landscape edging. AluExcel Brushed is therefore a more appropriate, lower-maintenance option for this application.

Aluminium is cheaper and more flexible than stainless steel

Aluminium prices are currently about a third of the cost of stainless steel, so using stainless for landscape edging is like burying money where nobody will ever see it.

With AluExcel’s performance proved to be capable of withstanding the demands of commercial landscape design, the additional strength of stainless steel is not just an over-specification for this purpose; being less flexible than aluminium, it is also harder to form into curves during installation.

If you would like the look of stainless steel for your garden edging but want a product that is cheaper to install and requires less maintenance, AluExcel Brushed from Kinley may be just the product you are looking for.

Explore the options on the AluExcel product page or contact Kinley today on 01580 830 688 or at for free, friendly advice and samples.

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