Painted vs anodized aluminum?

[*Inside]

Quoted local aluminum (0.040”) prices:

White on white: $100/sheet for 5x10, $70 for 4x8
Clear satin anodized: $195 for 5x10, $125 for 4x8

Almost twice as expensive!

Other than looks, how much better is anodized aluminum vs painted?

[halfdome, Danny]

I can't speak for painted but I've skinned 3 teardrops in annozied aluminum and would never use anything else.
I don't even hose it down just clean it with Sprayway glass cleaner and dry with a couple micro fiber cloths.
Danny

[eLink]

Clear satin anodized: $195 for 5x10, $125 for 4x8

That is a great deal for 5x10 anodized. I got a quote last year for $450 per sheet!
Where are you located?

[*Inside]

San Antonio, Texas. The quote is from Allied Plastic Supply which has locations around Texas.

I also bought plexiglass for my backyard COVID "friendzone" there last year

[*Inside]

I can't speak for painted but I've skinned 3 teardrops in annozied aluminum and would never use anything else.
I don't even hose it down just clean it with Sprayway glass cleaner and dry with a couple micro fiber cloths.
Danny

I hate how nice it looks, but it'll also run around $700 for 2 sheets of each! For that much I could do filon

[working on it]

I can't speak for painted but I've skinned 3 teardrops in annozied aluminum and would never use anything else.
I don't even hose it down just clean it with Sprayway glass cleaner and dry with a couple micro fiber cloths.
Danny

I hate how nice it looks, but it'll also run around $700 for 2 sheets of each! For that much I could do filon

*As a kid, in the 50's, I saw several aluminum teardrops with pock-marked aluminum (from hailstorms, and/or tree branches). The first day I had my HHR Panel, it got dinged by a falling oak branch, and I've had cars dinged by large hailstones. So, I chose to paint my 4x8 trailer with the "mix" followed by several coats of acrylic enamel (tractor paint and "silo" paint, with a back-up plan to use bedliner if it wasn't hardy enough.

*As it has turned out, the paint has aged well, only needing a cleaning (of mildew, usually) from storage in a garage bay (un-sealed/open to temperature changes/dampness) between trips. During camping trips, there is always rain, wind, maybe light hail, and the wooden structure hasn't leaked nor the paint damaged (yet), no tree branches either, so the back-up plan wasn't used. Maybe aluminum would've been ok, but I didn't want to chance having to replace it, later. I also never expected to always have the trailer in a garage full-time either.

[tony.latham]

It just depends on the look you want. It's as simple as that.

For that much I could do filon

If you do a Google search for "filon delamination" you'll get over 5,000 hits. (But keep in mind, I have never used any of the stuff so this isn't from experience.) More if you search for "filon bubbles".

Tony

[saltydawg]

I can't speak for painted but I've skinned 3 teardrops in annozied aluminum and would never use anything else.
I don't even hose it down just clean it with Sprayway glass cleaner and dry with a couple micro fiber cloths.
Danny

I hate how nice it looks, but it'll also run around $700 for 2 sheets of each! For that much I could do filon

for 1100 I got enough fiberglass sheet to do the out side of 4 tear drops. ANd have some left over.