Frequently Asked Questions

We receive a good many inquiries about various aspects of storage.  The following are some of the most typical inquiries.

Q.  Why do you use aluminum instead of steel in your storage products?

A.  Steel is not well adapted for museum storage.  We utilize aluminum for 4 very important reasons.  Aluminum is:

1. Lighter than steel.
2. Corrosion-resistant and as such, does not require painting or coatings that can affect stored collections.
3. Stable is all atmospheres.
4. Machinable for design flexibility. 

Q.  Isn't powder-coated steel as good as or better than aluminum?

A. Powder-actuated paint applications were developed to control the potentially harmful out gassing inherent to liquid paint.  There is no advantage to utilizing paint where a structurally sound and neutral material such as aluminum is available.

Q.  Why do you feel the hanging surface of a moving painting storage system needs to be unpainted? 

A.  We try to limit liability for our clients in all our projects. Paint can crack, chip or flake off.  The chipped paint particles can easily contact the surface of an irreplaceable object d'art, potentially damaging it.  Further, the chipped metal surface will be exposed, leaving the potential for more or greater damage.