We want to send a thank you to everyone who supported our powder coating portion of our business over the last 6 years! We have decided to stop offering the powder coated products. It was a hard decision but it is best for this chapter of our families life. While we won't be offering powder coating we will still have a few items for Jeeps but we will be opening a new store through Etsy as it is easiest to focus on our business and not all the "boring" stuff through there. We are now under our LAVA LUX business (that we started in 2022 & just added to Etsy). It is our laser & candles shop with a kick of some Jeep products (of course that are carefully selected because of copyright). You can find us at lavaluxlaser.etsy.com and follow our store because we are adding more Jeep products weekly! We love helping fellow Jeepers personalize and customize their Jeeps & again our family says thank you so much! You can also follow us on Facebook as that is our most interactive social platform.

Powder vs. Paint

Paint vs. Powder Coat

First, what is powder coating?

Powder coating is applied as a free-flowing powder in a completely dry form. The coating is applied electrostatically and then cured with heat which causes it to form a hard surface.

 

The Pros and Cons

Answers to the Question – What is Powder Coating?

Find out what it is and whether it’s right for you

Powder coating is one of the most common and most popular types of paint application process. But does that mean it’s the right choice for your job. Learn everything you need to know to make the best decision.

What is Powder Coating?

Powder coating is applied as a free-flowing powder in a completely dry form. Think of it as paint with the solvent part removed. The coating is applied electrostatically and then cured under heat which causes it to form a kind of “skin.” Usually powder is used to coat metals, but there are a number of potential applications.

Pros of Powder Coating

Durability – When cured, powder coating forms a protective finish that is much harder than conventional paint. However, that does not necessarily mean powder coating is the most durable solution on the market. Depending on the application, alternatives may prove to offer a longer-lasting finish.

Environmental Impact – The powder that does not adhere to the surface being coated is collected and reused, meaning that there is little waste. And since the coating process happens in a sealed environment, there is little to no risk of air pollution. This is an advantage to be sure, but changes in industry standard mean that most contemporary coating process operate in a sustainable way.

Cost Effectiveness – As noted above, this process produces very little waste. There can be significant attendant costs related to the heating/curing process though.

Cons of Powder Coating

Color Change – Since unused powder particles are collected and reused, there is the risk of cross contamination. That makes precise color matching a frequent challenge.

Thickness – Powder coating is good at achieving a thick finish but basically incapable of achieving a thin finish. Projects requiring a coating build of less than 6 mils should rely on a different coating process. Along those lines, powder coating is not good at achieving a smooth finish

 

Paint-

It’s first benefit is that it can be used to coat objects that can’t be heated, such as your plastic interior trim pieces, as the process does not require high temperatures to succeed.The third advantage it has over powder coating is its ability to produce a thin finish, making it ideal for objects that have tight fitment spaces. The final benefit is economic; wet paint is more affordable as a finishing process than powder coating, making it suitable for both large and small finishing applications.

 

Disadvantages:

The disadvantage of paint is the lack of durability as compared to powder coating, with both requiring regular maintenance and re-finishing from time to time. The second disadvantage of paint is its inability to achieve an even finish the first time around, with the object requiring several coats to attain an unblemished and even finish. Unlike powder coating which uses powder as the initial coat, this process uses liquid paint which can be tricky to spread across the body of the object keeping the thickness consistent.