Spray Paint vs. Powder Coat

WindwardDrift_Crawler

New Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Location
Asheboro, NC
I'm trying to spice things up a bit to my Toyota and paint my bead locks and roll cage that I'm currently fabricating. just wondering from people's experience, would it better to powder coat things like that or rattle can? I know Powder coat is better quality and thicker but I'm sure it would scratch up on rocks with a 4,000 lb. truck grinding against rocks and what not. Just curious what people thought and did about this kind of thing. Love to hear your feedback!
 
I do powder coating so my opinion is if it's something that's gonna get a lot of rock rash then just rattle can it.
For all the other stuff powder is awesome and holds up better than any paint against normal scuffing , UV and chemical resistance . And sometimes if you scuff it against a tree and it does not go to bare metal you can "flow" the powder back out with a heat gun but that's a 50/50 chance.
For wheels i suggest powder the wheel and pay a little extra for the clear and rattle can the beadlock ring.

BUCKEYE PERFORMANCE INC.
828-779-2242
 
I've had plenty experience with both and I prefer powder coating for various reasons. I've never heard anyone say, "I wish I would've just spray bombed that".
 
BUCKEYE PERFORMANCE INC. said:
I do powder coating so my opinion is if it's something that's gonna get a lot of rock rash then just rattle can it.
For all the other stuff powder is awesome and holds up better than any paint against normal scuffing , UV and chemical resistance . And sometimes if you scuff it against a tree and it does not go to bare metal you can "flow" the powder back out with a heat gun but that's a 50/50 chance.
For wheels i suggest powder the wheel and pay a little extra for the clear and rattle can the beadlock ring.
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I was going to powdercote my sliders for the durability....but after every ride they're bare steel again (no idea why)

However, my corners I DID powdercote, because I typically don't smack body. But ALL of my underbody/side body is sprayed. Bumpers are factory powder but I have to spraybomb patch those after every ride as well (again, no idea why)
 
I don't think I'll pay to have anything powder coated again. I had a winch bumper done and it was scratched up on the ride home in the bed of my truck. I thought it would have held up better than that. I'll rattle can rums and bumpers for trail jeeps from here on.
 
ghost said:
I don't think I'll pay to have anything powder coated again. I had a winch bumper done and it was scratched up on the ride home in the bed of my truck. I thought it would have held up better than that. I'll rattle can rums and bumpers for trail jeeps from here on.
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Are you talking about surface scratching, or about scratches down to bare metal? Did they do any kind of surface passivation coating (or other pretreatment process), or did they just blast and powdercoat the bare metal?

It's still a plastic coating, so it will scratch in the bed of your truck, just like something painted. Mechanical abrasion of a plastic coating is going to happen if you put something abrasive in contact with a plastic coating. ;)


There are 7 different families of powdercoat chemistry though, so it's a little hard to discount all of them based on your experience with one coating. How's that for sympathy from an engineer? :D
 
Fabrik8 said:
Are you talking about surface scratching, or about scratches down to bare metal? Did they do any kind of surface passivation coating (or other pretreatment process), or did they just blast and powdercoat the bare metal?

It's still a plastic coating, so it will scratch in the bed of your truck, just like something painted. Mechanical abrasion of a plastic coating is going to happen if you put something abrasive in contact with a plastic coating. ;)


There are 7 different families of powdercoat chemistry though, so it's a little hard to discount all of them based on your experience with one coating. How's that for sympathy from an engineer? :D
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Yes I get this now. Just scratches not to bare metal.

It was my first experience and probably my last. I'm not entirely sure what it was. I was under the impression before this that powder was more durable. It isn't at all. With rattle can after I scratch it it's some cleaning sanding and spray.
 
I have access to powder coating at my disposal. I have several items powder coated and they've withstood hellacious use. With the right application it's great. However, on something that will see abrasion, stick to paint.
Another thing that folks find out the hard way is that brake cleaner and some acids will destroy a powder coat. Just a heads up.
 
XJsavage said:
Another thing that folks find out the hard way is that brake cleaner and some acids will destroy a powder coat. Just a heads up.
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Also depends on powdercoat chemistry family. :p

I use brake clean all the time on something that's powdercoated, I can't remember if it's urethane or if it's polyester TGIC. Either way, it doesn't care.
 
Fabrik8 said:
Also depends on powdercoat chemistry family. :p

I use brake clean all the time on something that's powdercoated, I can't remember if it's urethane or if it's polyester TGIC. Either way, it doesn't care.
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I can find out exactly which ones it is by calling the powder coater I use. Whichever one was used on my fuel cell is certainly top of the line and for good reasons.
 
A wrinkle finish powdercoat is more durable than a regular gloss coat.

Personally I'd spray bomb it. We deal deal with a lot of powder coating. And it rubs/scratches and chips off. Nothing is going to stop 4000# pushing on a rock, and it's far easier to spray it again.
 
I took a piece of my buggy to a local paint shop and they matched the color perfectly. Bought 2 cans for touch up.
 
Thanks for all the input. Yeah I think as much as my truck is attracted to rocks and how much I would be mad to ruin a perfectly good looking powder coat job, I'll stick to spray paint! Thanks again guys
 
Note with paint: to get a good job hold the button down past the end of the painted are before letting go of the button, then hit it again before coming back. Never stop or circle back on your surface. Light thin coats as opposed to heavy coats gives you a much better finish. If you have a large surface overlap by 40-50% of the previous pass. Do this and you won't get drips. If you have light areas, go back across those while still semi wet. In the end we're talking about spray paint not professional paint job. Add to that's it's a damn rock bouncer, not a show truck.
 
Find a good quality spray paint that you like and readily available. Color match powder to that spray paint so you have an affordable way to touch up scuffs and scratches with rattle can on powder. :)
 
rockcity said:
Find a good quality spray paint that you like and readily available. Color match powder to that spray paint so you have an affordable way to touch up scuffs and scratches with rattle can on powder. :)
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Mine is a gloss powder. I thought powder didn't adhere paint well....
 
ghost said:
Mine is a gloss powder. I thought powder didn't adhere paint well....
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Never known that. I know multiple people that have powder coated chassis and they use spray paint for touch ups.

I have matte black powder on my buggy for just that reason.
 
rockcity said:
Never known that. I know multiple people that have powder coated chassis and they use spray paint for touch ups.

I have matte black powder on my buggy for just that reason.
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Now I understand why you guys powder your chassis. I never could understand that......
 
My first buggy I used rustoleum hammered paint. After using it I wished I had powder costed it for durability and better looking.
 
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