When IKEA builds a home furnishing store it goes big! The 14th IKEA store in Canada (out of over 350 world-wide) is the first in the Quebec City region and at 340,000 feet it’s the biggest store of its type for hundreds of miles in every direction. Based in Sweden, IKEA knows winter all too well. Corrosion from harsh Nordic climates and de-icing chemicals is a concern they take seriously. Ikea is a company with low cost in it’s DNA so when they set out to build a store for Quebec City initial cost and life-cycle cost were paramount. Environmental sustainability is another public image the retailing giant takes seriously. Durable Hot-Dip Galvanizing coatings of natural zinc fit satisfies these preoccupations beautifully.

Corrosion areas in retail stores are often in high visibility areas and here was no exception. No retailer, especially with such a strong brand image, wants rust or other deterioration to be the first thing you see as you approach their store so Hot-Dip was the natural solution for all the exposed exterior steel.

Several huge emergency escape stair ways were visible from the front of the store so Hot-Dip was specified for these as well as other decorative of functional steel elements. Also, large opaque fencing made from Hot-Dip Galvanized perforated steel sheets and beams surrounds the back of the building and the two front stairways.

These beautiful design features will look great for many decades with Hot-Dip’s legendary durability and its robust surface strength made installation rapid and trouble free. The amazing value equation of Hot-Dip also contributed to this projects success with galvanizing costs often lower than significantly inferior performing paint systems.

With dozens of stores being built every year the ever-growing presence of Hot-Dip at IKEA bodes well as both a market itself as well as another high traffic display of the winning ways of Hot-Dip Galvanizing!