Qualicoat Seaside vs Qualimarine — when coastal coating is mandated.

For 80 % of European projects, Qualicoat Class 2 (3000 h salt-spray, EN 12206-1) is more than enough. But for hospitality sites within 5 km of the coast, harbour / marina installations, or projects in tropical-saline climates (Greek islands, Cyprus, Maltese marinas, Côte d'Azur), the Class 2 envelope is too tight — chloride deposition rates push the coating beyond its tested service life. That's where Qualicoat Seaside and Qualimarine come in.

This article walks through when Seaside or Qualimarine is mandated, how they differ from Class 2, what the warranty implications are, and the tender language that makes the spec explicit.

What "Seaside" means

Qualicoat Seaside is a *pre-treatment specification overlay* on top of standard Qualicoat Class 1 or Class 2. The base coating performance is the same — what changes is the substrate prep:

- Standard prep: chrome-based or chrome-free conversion coating, ~0.5–1 g/m² coverage. - Seaside prep: chrome-free conversion coating with a *minimum* of 1.5 g/m² + a deeper acid etch (chemically removing 2–3 g/m² of substrate aluminium before conversion). The deeper etch removes the EN-type rolling-mill skin layer, which is more chloride-permeable than the bulk metal underneath.

The result: the same powder coat (any RAL colour, any gloss level) applied over a substrate that's been more aggressively cleaned + prepared. Salt-spray performance on accelerated test extends from 3000 h (Class 2) to ~5000 h equivalent.

When it's mandated: per the Qualicoat 18.0 spec, Seaside is the recommended pre-treatment for sites within 5 km of the open coast. In practice, most hospitality clients on Côte d'Azur, Mediterranean coastal Spain, Greek islands, Croatian coast and the entire Algarve specify Seaside as a baseline.

What "Qualimarine" adds

Qualimarine is the *full* coastal protocol — Seaside pre-treatment + an additional layer:

- Seaside-grade conversion coating on the substrate. - A primer layer (mandatory, 30–40 µm) before the topcoat. - Topcoat 60–80 µm (vs 60–80 µm in standard Class 2). - Total system thickness: ~100–120 µm vs the 60–80 µm of standard Class 2.

Qualimarine is what you specify for: harbour-side fittings (pontoons, marina infrastructure, yacht-club terraces), salt-water spray zones (first row of pergolas on a beach restaurant), and any installation within 1 km of breaking surf. Salt-spray performance on accelerated test reaches ~9000 h.

Class 1 → Class 2 → Seaside → Qualimarine — the spec ladder

| Class | Salt-spray (h) | Chloride exposure | Use case | |---|---|---|---| | Class 1 | 1000 | minimal | Inland residential, garden pergolas, low-rise fences | | Class 2 | 3000 | moderate | 80 % of EU projects — urban, suburban, ≥ 5 km from coast | | Seaside | ~5000 | high | Coastal sites within 5 km, hotels / restaurants on the seafront | | Qualimarine | ~9000 | extreme | Harbour, marina, salt-spray zones, ≤ 1 km from breaking surf |

The progression is mostly about *substrate preparation*, not about the powder paint itself. Same powder, same colour, different prep — the prep is the dominant chloride-resistance factor.

Warranty implications

The PONARC group warranty schedule reflects this:

- Class 2 (default for the EU): 10-year warranty against perforation corrosion. Excludes installations within 5 km of the coast. - Class 2 + Seaside upgrade: 10-year warranty extends to coastal sites within 5 km. - Qualimarine upgrade: 12-year warranty including salt-spray zones. - Without Seaside / Qualimarine in a coastal install, warranty drops to 5-year cosmetic only — perforation corrosion is excluded.

This is *not* a price-gating tactic — it's the chloride science. Class 2 alone in a salt-spray zone will pit + corrode within 3–4 years; that's not warrantable performance.

What changes for the dealer + the architect

For the dealer:

- Seaside upgrade: ~8–12 % cost premium on the structural aluminium components. - Qualimarine upgrade: ~18–25 % cost premium. - Lead time impact: nil for Seaside, +1 week for Qualimarine (extra primer cure). - The dealer must specify the upgrade at order entry — it cannot be retrofitted on installed product.

For the architect:

- Tender language must be explicit. "TIGER Coatings powder coat any RAL" alone defaults to Class 2. - For coastal hospitality, write: "TIGER Coatings powder coat with Qualicoat Seaside pre-treatment per Qualicoat spec 18.0, any RAL, gloss [matt / satin / gloss]." - For harbour-side: "TIGER Coatings powder coat with Qualimarine full system per Qualicoat spec 18.0..."

How to know if your site needs Seaside

Three quick tests:

1. Distance: site is within 5 km of the open coast → Seaside. Within 1 km of breaking surf → Qualimarine. 2. Chloride deposition: ISO 9223-equivalent C4 (high) atmospheric corrosivity category → Seaside. C5-M (very high, marine) → Qualimarine. 3. Visible test: nearby aluminium hardware (street lighting columns, signage frames) shows pitting / chalking within 5 years → match the local environment, upgrade to Seaside or Qualimarine.

If two of three apply, default to Seaside as a minimum.

Connecting back to our products + standards hub

The PONARC group hospitality vertical — coastal restaurant pergolas, marina pavilions, beach-club lounge enclosures — defaults to Class 2 + Seaside upgrade as the baseline for any project named on the Mediterranean, Atlantic or Aegean coastline. Qualimarine is available on request for harbour-side and salt-spray-zone projects.

The full set of surface standards (Qualicoat 18.0, EN 12206-1, EN AW 6060/6063 alloy, ISO 9223 atmospheric corrosivity) lives in the surface section of the standards hub. For the related Class 2 deep-dive, see the Qualicoat Class 2 explained article.

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*Need a Seaside or Qualimarine spec sheet for a coastal tender? Contact our engineering team — full coating system documentation including pre-treatment + topcoat + warranty schedule within two working days.*