Why use powder coat?

​Why use powder coat?
 
We use powder coating on all the iron brought to our shop. What does the finish look like? What is the longevity of powder coat?  How do you apply it?  Let me answer these questions for you….
 
I am a professional iron worker, active in this field for over 10 years. Powder coat has become the industry standard due to the longevity of the finish. Powder coat will last 2 to 3 times longer than paint. The finish will keep its shine and look new for up to 15 or 20 years. Powder coat can handle more wear and tear because of the special blend of Polyester and Dicyandiamide it contains. Powder Coat can hold up against the weather due to these special blended chemicals and continue looking new year after year.
 
What do the colors and finishes of powder coating look like?
            You would be surprised with the many finishes you can get with powder coat! You can get nearly all the colors in the rainbow in powder coat, and Yes! you can even get custom colors made that you would like. Powder coat is not the same as paint, you cannot take a little of one color and add it to another color and ruin the powder coat, blended colors in powder coat are completely possible! The finishes you can get in powder coat are almost the same as paint. You can get matte, flat, slimy gloss, and high gloss finishes or a textured /hammered look. The textured/hammered finish is an amazing look and adds a 3D appearance and feel to the color. We can even provide powder coating in candy color finishes. Yes! candy colors!
 
What is the process for applying powder coat?
            First, we take the material we are working with and completely clean it. Cleaning the material is the #1 most important part of the process.  We need to make sure the material we are working with is impeccably clean! There cannot be any grease, oil, dirt, rust and/or fingerprints on the metal. The cleaning process can take a long time depending on how much debris is on the material.    
            Once the material is cleaned, it’s hung on metal racks and placed in the powder spray booth. We hook up a grounding clamp to the metal and make sure it is well grounded.  Powder has the consistency of powdered sugar. The powder coat machine creates an electrical field around the spray applicator attracting the powder to the ground. The powder then sticks to the metal. Once the material is completely covered, the grounding clamp is removed and the rack is pushed into our 20 by 8 foot oven and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
 
Can you paint over powder coat?
            Yes! you can paint over powder coat. The most important thing to a paint job is the prep work done to the material prior to painting it. If you are going to paint over anything, do yourself a huge favor and do not by cheap paint!  When you go to apply the paint, use the appropriate applicator to do so

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