Superior design - Outside Products

Superior design

We believe our kit form structures are the sturdiest available for public use. Each component has been carefully designed to take into account how they interact with every other part of the structure. Below is a quick guide outlining some of the differences that make our products perform so well.

Timber Posts with the Strength of Steel
The timber post design we've developed incorporates the strength of Australian steel from the bottom of the footing right up to the rafter. We then clad it with QLD plantation grown Hoop Pine which is rebated to leave a neat 20mm shadow line the full length of the post. They are so sturdy, we don't even need to use bracing between the posts and rafters, ensuring compliance with the Australian Standards for head height and removing hand holds that kids could use to climb onto the roof. Download a PDF drawing of the post.

No Gang Nail Plates
Gang nail plates are a fairly cheap connection method that has an inherent fault; they don't stay in timber when exposed to the weather. They work extremely well in residential construction because the timber is protected from the weather, however when they are used outdoors, the natural expansion and contraction of timber grain actively pushes the plates out of the timber. One of Australias leading suppliers of gang nail plates states that trusses should be protected from the elements to ensure the plates don't suffer from this problem, which can lead to structural movement or total collapse. The liability issues here are too great to contemplate.
Whilst some companies try to overcome this by adding screws or flat head nails to attempt to hold the plates in place, at Outside Products we think it is better to avoid them altogether for exposed situations. Bolted steel connection plates are the solution for exposed timber trusses. 4mm thick steel plates bolt each member to the next, avoiding the possibility of gang nail plates working loose over time. It does cost a bit more upfront, but the longer term benefits with maintenance, repair or total product replacement will see the money well spent.

Marine protection of public use structures – alternative to stainless steel
Through many years in this industry, we have seen many different types of materials used in various corrosive environments. There are recommendations from different sources including the steel industry to not use hot dipped galvanised steel in a corrosive environment. Galvanising is essentially a pure zinc anode similar to what you would find on a boat motor. The theory is that the zinc rusts instead of the structure it is protecting. This is seen as white powdering on the surface. That is fine until the zinc is all gone, and then the steel starts to rust (red rust).
Because zinc galvanising has the ability to migrate; that is zinc in the surrounding affected area also acts on the areas immediately around it, powder coating or painting over the galvanising can actually make things worst by not letting the zinc migrate. Powder coat is porous, allowing the salt to penetrate and be held against the surface of the steel. Similarly, painting even with 2 pac paint, whilst not porous in most cases, will get scratched, again allowing the salt through to the surface.
Until fairly recently, the only viable alternative was to use marine grade 316 stainless steel for components like brackets and posts supports. As the cost of stainless steel continues to rise, this is becoming less and less viable.
Outside Products and Rhino Linings have joined together in trialling a product designed originally for coating over concrete and steel use in acid retention basins. There is a more common and well known variation of this product used in car ute trays and truck decks. When we use it on our steel components, the product is applied by a special high flow, low velocity spray gun to the required thickness (3-4mm) to completely envelope the steel providing a 100% seal from the atmosphere. It will not scratch or crack and is very difficult to cut through to the steel.
This Rhino Lining plastic coating over un-galvanised mild steel is warranted to out perform stainless steel in a marine environment for structural integrity and will not tarnish/tea stain. We do however go the next step and galvanise the steel first anyway for added peace of mind.
The cost is several times less than stainless steel making it a very cost effective method of providing public infrastructure that will outlast the alternatives with no maintenance.
The finish is stippled, not smooth. For this reason alone, we still recommend using one of our timber structures with our timber posts as the steel post insert is hidden from view.

Recommended use of Steel Components in Corrosive Environments
Corrosive Environment Classification	Distance From Breaking Surf or Heavy Industry	Distance From Calm Marine or Light Industry	Steel Component Finishes (listed in order of preference considering performance and cost)
Very Severe Marine	0m-100m	N/A	Rhino Linings over mild steel Stainless steel
Severe Marine	100m-200m	0m-100m	Rhino Linings over mild steel Stainless steel HDG steel without paint system
Marine	201m-400m	101m-200m	Rhino Linings over mild steel HDG steel without paint system HDG steel with paint system
Moderate	401m-1000m	201m-1000m	HDG steel without paint system HDG steel with paint system
Benign	1001m +	1001m +	HDG steel without paint system HDG steel with paint system

Fascias
Even our gazebos have a true plumb fascia allowing simple fitting of gutters and downpipes. We connect the fasias with a unique 3 directional hidden bracket we devised that essentially turns the fascias into a structural 'ring-beam'. This braces the entire roof frame, all but eliminating the twist that you might find in some of our competitors shelters.

Vandal Resistant Connections
Another distinctive feature are our proprietary vandal resistant connections which we make from 316 grade stainless steel to guarantee they'll last. Smooth and sleek to enhance the aesthetics at eye level, they are used wherever bolted connections can be easily reached by vandals.

Engineering
Each kit form structure comes with Building Approval Drawings and Third Party Engineering Certification (Form 15) and is backed by our 10 year warranty.
Third party engineering provides you the peace of mind that the engineer is not financially involved in the company, therefore there is no benefit for them to stretch the limits of the steel and timber used in the design.

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