Aluminum patio furniture - powder coat or paint?


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Old 05-26-19, 11:12 PM
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Aluminum patio furniture - powder coat or paint?

Hello:

I have a nice heavy aluminum patio furniture set. It’s over 15/yrs old and stating to show wear. (The wear is specifically to the paint fading and dulling.)

I think this was originally powder coated. A few small areas are starting to flake. But all in all the current coat is still in pretty good shape, in regards to adhesion to the aluminum.

So, I want to cover over the coat that is already on the furniture.

Looking for recommendations; should I try to powder coat it or use something like rustoleum spray paint?

I have never powder coated any.

If the recommendation is powder coat, I see a powder coating system at harbor freight for $69. Any thoughts if this would do the job? Again I have never done anything like this before. Does this process use a lot of paint/powder and does it start to get expensive. The videos I have looked at, I seems to use a lot of paint to accomplish coverage.

If we go with rustoleum, should I prime the current coat already on the furniture? I will be paint it as close as possible to the current color. Again, there are just a few spots where the original coat/paint has come off.

So, to powder or to paint, that is the question.

Any advice on either method would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
kpierce
 
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Old 05-27-19, 02:28 AM
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Painting would be a lot simpler. Most powder coat systems require the powder to be baked which is something a diyer can't do with large items. I don't know but suspect powder coats that aren't baked won't dry to as hard a finish.
 
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Old 05-27-19, 03:59 AM
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The HF powder coat kit is intended for small parts. Powder coating requires baking the part in an oven to fuse the paint. If that's the way you want to go I would just take it to a powder coater and have them paint it for you. Stripping the furniture first will yield the best finish but it's an extra cost.
 
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Old 05-27-19, 04:09 AM
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If I'm not mistaken most/all powder coaters around here sandblast the items before they powder coat them. I suspect a mild/quick sandblasting would be cheaper than having to remove more material.
 
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Old 05-27-19, 05:31 AM
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A clear exterior grade poly will protect your furniture and bring back that new shiny look. A water-based poly will be very thin like water and can be brushed on or sprayed.
 
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Old 05-27-19, 05:50 AM
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No argument that powder coating is best!

Being that it's AL is a huge plus!

We have a 10 year old set, the table is aluminum and chairs are steel. Despite touch up and being stored in the winter all the chairs have some level of rust.

It will be much more expensive to powder coat but considering that you will get another 15 years it is probably the cheapest!

The kits are for small parts and are very messy and require a dedicated oven so not even a possibility for something this large!

Any type of poly coating will be gone in a couple of years, painting will last longer but they will need sand blasting to get a clean surface for the paint!

That is possible but you would need a compressor and pressure pot sandblasting equipment!
 
 

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