Metal water features: Corten steel or aluminium

Before choosing the metal, decide how you want the water to show itself. Our five models fall into two groups, and the difference shapes the whole installation.

• Alban, Elio and Nereida are self-contained fountains: the water bubbles up in the centre of the cube or cylinder, spreads across the top, slides down the sides and returns to a hidden reservoir. Nereida carries it from a first basin to a second. You set them down, fill them and plug them in.
• Célestin and Léandre are water blades: a continuous sheet of water falls from a panel across its full width. Célestin is fixed high on an existing wall; Léandre is a vertical panel, 1200 to 1600 mm high. Both come with their pump and LEDs but without a receiving basin: the water is collected in a reflecting pool, a water basin or, in aluminium, a swimming pool.

We took from our product pages the sizes offered in both materials. For Alban, the size reads side × height; for Elio, diameter × height; for Nereida, width × height; for the water blades, width × depth × height. Weights are the empty weights shown on each product page; prices are UK prices in each metal's base finish: our signature patina for Corten, and for aluminium the base colour, which costs the same as its seven other colours.

Across the 23 sizes offered in both metals, the aluminium water feature is 1.5 to 2.6 times lighter than its Corten steel twin, most often about half the weight. A Nereida cascade drops from 233 kg to 112.8 kg, and an Elio of Ø 1200 × 700 mm from 119 kg to 45.2 kg.

On price, the gap depends on the model, and in our UK prices it is narrower than you might expect. Elio is the surprise: at Ø 1200 × 700 mm, the aluminium version costs £2,800, slightly less than the £2,860 of the Corten steel one, while the two smaller Elio sizes cost 18 % and 22 % more in aluminium. Léandre costs 8 % to 38 % more in aluminium. The gap widens on the largest water blades: the 3000 mm Célestin costs £3,990 in aluminium against £2,640 in Corten steel, about 1.5 times as much. Alban and Nereida sit at around 1.3 times.

The real difference lies in the choice of sizes. We offer our Corten steel water features in far more dimensions:

• Alban: 20 sizes in Corten steel, from the 600 mm cube to linear fountains with 2 to 6 jets up to 6000 mm long, the cubes also in 3 mm steel; one size in aluminium, 600 × 700 mm.
• Elio: 10 sizes in Corten steel, from Ø 500 to Ø 1500 mm, in 2 or 3 mm steel; 3 in aluminium, at Ø 1000 and Ø 1200 mm.
• Nereida: the same 2200 × 1300 mm size in both materials (see Nereida in aluminium).
• Célestin and Léandre: the same 8 and 10 sizes in both metals, from 1000 to 3000 mm wide (see Célestin in aluminium and Léandre in aluminium).

Salt and chlorine stop the patina of Corten steel from stabilising. If the water feature is to share water with a swimming pool, or if the garden catches sea spray, we point you towards powder-coated aluminium, which does not rust. It is also the obvious choice for a water blade pouring straight into a swimming pool: our product pages reserve that use for Célestin and Léandre in aluminium. Our guide to Corten steel near the sea goes through these situations.

On timber decking or a roof terrace, weight matters too. An aluminium Alban weighs 22.8 kg empty, half as much as in Corten steel; once filled, the load rises sharply, since the water is added to the metal, and every litre weighs a kilo. Have the permitted load checked by a professional before any installation off the ground.

Corten steel arrives with the signature Cortenys patina applied in the workshop, in shades of earth, amber and deep rust. Under running water it takes on shifting reflections and sits naturally among borders, ornamental grasses and natural stone.

In aluminium, each water feature comes in eight colours at the same price, with a 30% gloss: White RAL 9016, Grey RAL 7016, Black RAL 9005, Blue RAL 5001, Yellow RAL 1005, Green RAL 6018, Red RAL 3020 and Orange RAL 2004. Black gives a water blade real depth, white or grey picks up a pale rendered wall, and a bright colour turns the fountain into the focal point of a courtyard.

Corten steel can leave rust run-off on pale paving or a pool coping, especially in its first months. The protective varnish we offer as an option on our Corten water features greatly reduces it without ruling it out: even varnished, a Corten steel water feature can still stain the ground. Stand it on a bed of gravel or on spacers, and read our Corten steel care guide. Powder-coated aluminium leaves no marks on the ground.

Both metals are installed in the same way. The pump and lighting plug into a waterproof outdoor socket with residual current protection, installed or checked by an electrician; plan the cable route before laying any paving. The water feature must be perfectly level for the water to flow evenly, and the pump must never run dry: top up the water in summer.

Before the frosts, empty the water feature, take out the pump and store it somewhere frost-free until spring; the empty water feature stays outside. Our guide on how to install a Corten steel fountain or water feature covers each step. For a water blade, choose the receiving basin at the same time, among our Corten steel water basins or our aluminium water basins.

Start with the spot, then with the movement of water you want to see and hear.

• In the middle of a border or a lawn, a gently bubbling spring: Alban or Elio, in Corten steel for the widest choice of sizes.
• A cascade to give structure to a patio or a path: Nereida, in either metal.
• A wall to bring to life without touching the ground: Célestin, fixed high up, with a basin to collect the water; our Corten steel water walls show every size.
• A vertical sheet of water at the end of a vista or at the edge of a reflecting pool: Léandre.
• Pool surround, coastal garden, roof terrace, a colour to match the window frames: aluminium.
• A material that changes over time on a tighter budget: Corten steel, from £1,220 with Elio.