Metra Building

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Glass

• ✓Warm water with pH-neutral glass cleaner or mild dish soap. Microfibre applicator and professional squeegee.
• ✓On high-gloss aluminium frame faces adjacent to glass, angle the squeegee to prevent solution running onto the frame.
• ✓On curtain walling, clean glass from the top down, one bay at a time. Do not skip bays - solution running onto uncleaned glass below deposits a visible line.
• ✓Check for low-e or solar-control coatings before using any scraping tool on glass surfaces.

Frames

• ✓Powder-coated aluminium: pH-neutral cleaner only. No alkalis, no acids, no solvents, no abrasive pads.
• ✓Anodised aluminium: pH-neutral cleaner with even more care than powder coat. Never use bleach, oven cleaner, or alkaline degreasers on anodised surfaces.
• ✓Wipe with a soft cloth in straight strokes, not circles. Rinse with clean water immediately after cleaning. Dry with a chamois or clean microfibre.
• ✓Clear weep holes in horizontal profile members with a soft tool. Do not use metal tools in weep holes - they damage the drainage geometry of the extrusion.

Hardware

• ✓Wipe all handle and locking hardware with a damp cloth and dry immediately. Italian aluminium windows often carry designer handle sets that are more decorative than robust.
• ✓Lubricate hinge points and locking mechanisms annually with light machine oil or PTFE spray.
• ✓Check sealant at frame-to-glass junctions and frame-to-wall junctions. Report any cracking or lifting sealant before the next clean visit.

Step 2 of 2: The Orloffs Protocol

The Orloffs Protocol

Pro Tools

My daily tool list. This is what I carry to every job.

Follow these steps in order. Each one builds on the last. This is the same sequence I use on every Metra Building installation.

1. 1

   Surface and finish identification

   Determine whether the Metra profile is powder-coated or anodised before selecting cleaning product. Powder coat has a smooth painted appearance. Anodised aluminium has a metallic sheen and shows the grain of the aluminium alloy beneath.

   On commercial projects, identify which areas are curtain walling with drainage channels and which are conventional window frames - the cleaning and maintenance approach differs.

   Note finish condition: chalking, dull patches, or staining on powder coat indicates age or previous chemical damage and needs careful, conservative cleaning.

2. 2

   Glass cleaning

   Work from top to bottom on all glass. Apply solution with the T-bar in full overlapping strokes. Squeegee from top, overlapping each pass by 5cm.

   On curtain walling, complete one full bay before moving to the next. Partial bay cleaning leaves visible lines where solution dries mid-panel.

   Control solution carefully near aluminium frame faces. High-gloss powder coat shows watermarks from glass cleaning solution that dries on the frame.

3. 3

   Frame cleaning

   Apply pH-neutral cleaner to a soft cloth, not directly to the frame. Wipe in one direction with straight strokes.

   Rinse the frame section with clean water immediately after applying cleaner. Do not let the cleaner dwell on anodised surfaces.

   Polish dry with a chamois or fresh microfibre. On high-gloss powder coat this final dry step prevents watermarks.

4. 4

   Drainage channel maintenance

   On curtain walling systems, locate the weep holes in horizontal transom members. These are small slots or holes at the base of the profile, usually covered by a rubber or plastic cap.

   Remove any cap and clear the drainage channel with the soft-bristle brush. Flush with clean water if access allows.

   Replace drainage caps after clearing. A missing drainage cap allows debris to re-enter the channel faster.

5. 5

   Hardware lubrication and check

   Lubricate hinge points and handle mechanisms with PTFE spray or light oil. On Italian-specification casement windows, check the friction stay tension holds the sash at 90 degrees.

   Check multi-point locking engagement. Italian aluminium doors often use three or five-point locking - confirm all points engage with consistent handle resistance.

   Check sealant condition at frame-to-glass and frame-to-wall junctions. Italian silicone sealant in high UV areas degrades to a crumbly texture - flag any sections that have lost adhesion.

6. 6

   Final inspection

   Step back from the facade and view the cleaned surface in raking light. This reveals watermarks, missed sections, and uneven finish that close-up work does not show.

   On high-gloss powder coat, any remaining watermarks get a final chamois pass while the surface is still slightly damp.

   Record any drainage channel blockages, sealant failures, or hardware issues for the building manager report.

Pro Tips

• ★ View high-gloss Italian powder coat finishes in raking light after cleaning - streaks and watermarks invisible head-on are immediately obvious at an angle.
• ★ Never use the same cloth section twice on a high-gloss powder-coat frame. Fold to a fresh face after every wipe or you are redistributing the dirt you just removed.
• ★ Anodised aluminium that has been cleaned with an alkaline product shows a uniform dull patch that covers the entire cleaned area. It is not a watermark - it is surface damage. Prevention is the only option.
• ★ Weep holes in curtain walling horizontal members are often covered by small rubber plugs that get dislodged during facade cleaning. Check all plugs are in position at the end of every clean.
• ★ Italian facade silicone sealants in southern European climates have a shorter service life than manufacturers claim. On a south-facing facade with Metra curtain walling, expect sealant checks every 18 months rather than the standard 5-year interval.
• ★ High-gloss powder coat on Metra profiles in coastal environments picks up salt haze deposits that appear as a faint white bloom. A pH-neutral cleaner removes it, but if left more than a month the salt starts to etch into the coating.
• ★ On lift-and-slide terrace doors using Metra profiles, the running gear carries the full sash weight on every operation. Lubricate the track and running gear rollers at every annual service - seized rollers on heavy glass sashes are a significant repair cost.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2 to 4x per year (Residential: twice yearly. Commercial facades: quarterly minimum. Coastal locations: every 6 weeks.). Frames: Same visit as glass (Powder coat and anodised aluminium both benefit from regular cleaning to prevent deposit buildup that requires abrasive removal.). Drainage channels: Twice per year (Autumn leaf fall and spring pollen are the peak blockage periods for curtain walling drainage.). Hardware lubrication: Once per year (Annual service. More frequently on heavy sliding doors and high-use commercial entrance doors.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“Metra products appear most frequently in Italian new-build residential developments and commercial glazing projects exported to southern Europe and the Middle East. The common thread is high-gloss aluminium in strong UV environments. The most damaging single error on Metra products is using an alkaline cleaner on anodised profiles. It happens when a contractor grabs a standard tile or concrete cleaner without checking the pH. The result is permanent surface damage on a premium material. Curtain walling drainage maintenance is the least visible and most important task on a commercial Metra facade. A blocked weep hole causes a water entry report from inside the building - which triggers an expensive investigation before anyone checks the drainage.”

Justin Orloff