American Made aluminum chair at Grand Rapids Chair Company.jpg

Building a Better Aluminum Chair

by Andrea Reynolds

Aluminum has been widely used as a go-to seating material for many years. It's no surprise as its lightweight and durable properties make it a natural fit for dining spaces. What you may not know is that properly building and finishing an aluminum chair is comparable to woodworking, requiring a deft hand to grind, shape, contour, and blend each joint and creating that signature brushed pattern.

In fact, some manufacturers, including us, will tell you welding and grinding an aluminum chair is more of an artform and less of a manufacturing process. So, to bring this difficult and lustrous skill to light, we're sharing what it takes to build a better aluminum chair. 

MADE IN AMERICA MATTERS

You know the saying "the proof is in the pudding"? Well, for aluminum chairs the proof is in the welds. Poorly finished aluminum chairs will have lumpy, inconsistent welds that are discolored with a different texture than the rest of the chair. In a word, it's ugly, and these welds are a tell-tale sign of manufacturing facilities with low wage and low skill workers. 

At Grand Rapids Chair Company, we continue to build our aluminum chairs and barstools right here in our Michigan factory. This is important because to manufacture our aluminum seating, each of our skilled craftsmen go through at least six months of rigorous training.

Our attention to detail is evident in the precise and smooth contours of our chairs and the near-invisible welds at joints.  This is because we take the time to hand-weld and hand-grind the aluminum parts, carefully blending the seams to create a lustrous, smooth, and consistent finish from the top to the bottom on the chair. 

aluminum chairs.jpgA Grand Rapids Chair Company welder.

FINISHING DETAILS

Our aluminum chairs and barstools can be finished in your choice of a classic brushed pattern or powder coated in a color of your liking. Our brushed aluminum chairs are the perfect example of true craftsmanship; when you look closely, you will notice a delicate, uniform scratch pattern throughout the entire chair. This pattern is carefully done by hand create a "brushed" look that gives each chair dimension and shine.

Both options are extremely durable and designed to withstand heavy use. Once you pick your frame finish, choose a wood, upholstered, powder coated, or brushed aluminum seat.

brushed aluminum barstools.jpgThe "brushed" pattern on our brushed aluminum is all done by hand. Pictured here: Siren barstools with brushed aluminum frame and seat in clear coat. 

powder coated aluminum chairs.jpg If a custom powder coat is what you crave, we can match any metal finish you can imagine. Pictured above: Siren Barstools in custom orange orange frame and seat. 

If you're looking for high-quality aluminum dining chairs or barstools, we offer eight different products to choose from, each one hand-crafted right here in our Grand Rapids, Michigan, facilities. While we love seeing these chairs painted in an array of colors, we're admittedly smitten with a simple brushed aluminum chair, allowing the craft and the skill to really shine.

aluminum chairs at university of kentucky.jpgUniversity of Kentucky, view other Higher Education projects in our Education Spaces brochure.  

QUALITY REASSURANCE

Nothing says reassurance quite like the longest available warranty in the industry. It’s why our products are tested to meet or exceed BIFMA standards and are a backed by a standard 10-year warranty. We are so confident in the quality and craftsmanship of our aluminum products, it’s why it’s one of longest warranties in the industry. You have lots of choices, and we want you to feel confident you can choose us.

Restaurant furniture