Thread: Powder coating or primer x3 and paint x3?

My experience is that powder coating is more durable than any form of paint, but it needs to be pointed out that any type of finish is very dependent on the initial surface preparation and the quality of the job. (and this is probably the source of the problems you note)

Particularly in the climate that you are in, it is important that there be no pinholes in the coating to allow water or moist air in, and again, either paint or powder coat can be done badly.

For fabricated items such as the grilles, there is a lot of potential for sharp recesses which will be very difficult to prepare properly, so that the final result will depend as much on how they are made and finished as the coating process itself. As they are steel, they should be sandblasted (and primed immediately in that climate!)

The big advantage of paint over powder coating is that it allows repairs or touchup to the original standard, which is only practical for powder coating by redoing the whole item. But this is probably not a big deal for the grilles.

John

Originally Posted by JDNSW

My experience is that powder coating is more durable than any form of paint, but it needs to be pointed out that any type of finish is very dependent on the initial surface preparation and the quality of the job. (and this is probably the source of the problems you note)John

I agree with JD.
Like any trade there are good powder coaters and bad one's. I'm not a powdercoating expert, but a good job will be sand blasted, dipped, zinc plated and then powdered and baked (eg ARB bullbars)
Powder manufacturers will guarantee their product for the longest term if applied to aluminium, but only when applied strictly to their recommended process. I think this is why zinc plating is used, because the powder sticks to certain metals better than others.

Cheers, Murray