Woodworking is not just for the boys anymore. I am all girl, but I love to play with hammers and saws. This blog is all about women in woodworking and how we can encourage young girls who are interested in building amazing products with their hands and some power tools, too! Browse through amazing project ideas like make-up tables and jewelry boxes, ideas specifically with girls in mind. Women of all ages will also learn how to make traditional furniture, puzzle boxes, and lamps as well as all kinds of decorative items. Girls and women can be incredible at woodworking. Stick with me to find out how.
Industrial & Manufacturing Blog
When installing aluminum fencing, one of the questions that you will face is what finish you want. The two most common reasons people choose powder coating are how durable and environmentally-friendly it is. So what is it that sets powder coating apart from liquid paint in these areas?
Is Powder Coating More Durable Than Liquid Paint?
There's a lot of debate out there about whether liquid paint or powder-coat is more durable. You can find people with personal experiences on both sides of this issue — people complaining about rusted powder-coat or chipping paint while others point to pristine painted fencing or powder-coated metal gates that aren't showing wear at all.
There's a reason for this: Durability is affected not just by the surface coating but also, in large part, by the preparation done beforehand. Just like a wood surface needs to be sanded for paint to properly adhere, aluminum should be roughened before either paint or powder-coat is applied.
When aluminum fencing is properly sand-blasted and cleaned, powder-coating forms a more flexible and even coating than liquid paint. But if you want durability, be sure that your fencing will be well-prepared before being coated. Fencing that is offered with a long warranty is generally a sign that a company has faith in the durability of their powder coating.
How Is Powder Coating More Environmentally Friendly Than Liquid Paint?
It could be argued that the most important difference between liquid paint and powder coating is in how it affects the environment. Both paint and powder-coat involve adhering a coating to the outside of your fencing; the difference is in how it is adhered and the chemicals involved.
Liquid paint means using a solvent to get the paint to flow over a surface; as the paint dries, the solvent evaporates into the air. This is why paint has a lingering chemical smell as it dries. These evaporating chemical solvents are a type of air pollution, which is why you are supposed to wear a breathing mask and ensure good ventilation when working with non-water-based paints.
Powder coating, on the other hand, doesn't use solvents — it uses an electrostatic charge to adhere the dry powdered pigment to a metal surface. No solvents means none of the chemical air pollution of drying paint. Instead, the powder is then baked into a smooth, even coating on the surface of the fencing.
And excess paint that ends up on the ground will dry there and then need to be cleaned up, usually with further chemicals. Excess powder-coat, on the other hand, means dry powder on the ground that can be picked up and reused or recycled.
Get in touch with someone at a business like Tri-State Fabricators to learn more about powder coating and what it can be used for.
Share29 May 2015
