Hot dip galvanised steel handrails and barriers fabricated on the Kāpiti Coast and installed across the Wellington region.
The Fabricator supplies and installs hot dip galvanised steel handrails across greater Wellington. We fabricate the steelwork in our Kāpiti Coast workshop, send it out for hot dip galvanising to AS/NZS 4680, and install it anywhere from Paraparaumu to the Wairarapa. Galvanised is the right call when you need a long service life on structural steel and stainless is more than the job requires.
Hot dip galvanising means the fabricated steel is dipped in molten zinc at around 450 degrees. The zinc bonds metallurgically to the steel rather than sitting on top of it like paint, which is why a galvanised rail keeps protecting itself even when the surface gets scratched or drilled. On a Wellington site that matters, because handrails take knocks.
We fabricate the full rail first. Every weld, every hole, every bracket is finished before the steelwork leaves us, because you cannot drill or weld a galvanised rail afterwards without breaking the coating. Getting the drawings right the first time is most of the job.
Stainless is the better answer on architectural work where the finish is on show and the budget allows. Galvanised wins on structural and commercial work: service stairs, plant platforms, car park barriers, walkway balustrades, industrial mezzanines and public infrastructure. Per metre of compliant handrail, galvanised is typically a third to a half the cost of a 316 stainless equivalent, with a service life measured in decades rather than years.
Where the rail needs to be a specific colour, we specify a duplex system. The steel is galvanised first, then powder coated over the top. The zinc handles corrosion, the powder coat handles appearance, and the two together last considerably longer than either on its own. This is our default on exposed commercial handrails that also need to meet an architect's colour schedule.
In a Wellington inland or suburban environment, a properly galvanised handrail to AS/NZS 4680 will run 40 years or more before first maintenance. Within a few hundred metres of the coast, expect a shorter interval and specify a heavier coating thickness. We will tell you at quote stage which category your site falls into.
Galvanising adds a step outside our workshop, so allow around one to two weeks on top of fabrication for the dip and return. We plan it into the programme up front rather than discovering it at the end.
Mild and structural steel tube and flat bar, hot dip galvanised zinc coating to AS/NZS 4680, optional powder coat topcoat, galvanised and stainless fixings
The Fabricator fabricates galvanised steel handrails in our Kāpiti Coast workshop and installs them across Wellington City, Porirua, the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and the Wairarapa. We handle the fabrication, the galvanising and the install as one job.
As a rule of thumb, a galvanised steel handrail runs a third to a half the cost of a 316 stainless equivalent for the same compliant result. The gap widens on long runs and simple profiles.
Yes. A duplex system galvanises the steel first and powder coats over it. You get the corrosion protection of zinc and the colour and finish of powder coat, and the combination lasts longer than either alone.
Inland and suburban Wellington sites typically run 40 years or more before first maintenance. Coastal sites within a few hundred metres of the sea need a heavier coating and a shorter maintenance interval, which we specify at quote stage.
We avoid it. Cutting, drilling or welding galvanised steel breaks the coating and creates a corrosion point. We fabricate everything to final dimensions before galvanising, and where a site change is unavoidable we repair the coating with a zinc rich cold galvanising compound.
Metalwork can't always wait. Call the workshop direct for honest advice and a fair quote.
