Should an Iron Gate Be Powder Coated or Painted

Two gates that look the same black from the street can be a decade apart in how they age, because one was baked in an oven and the other was brushed on in a driveway, and the recoat intervals iron gates round rock elizabethbaron works from are shorter for the painted one than most can labels claim. In Round Rock, TX the afternoon sun on a south facing gate pushes steel surface temperature well past the air temperature.

What is the difference between powder coat and paint?

Powder coat is dry polymer powder sprayed on with an electric charge and then cured in an oven, which melts it into a continuous skin. Paint is liquid, applied by brush or spray, and dries by solvent evaporation. The powder skin is thicker and harder, while paint stays more flexible and can be touched up on site.

How does each one handle Texas sun?

Heat and ultraviolet light break down the binder in both coatings, and the color chalks first. A quality polyester powder coat holds its color for years on a gate in full exposure, while a brushed enamel often dulls within a couple of summers. Dark colors absorb more heat, so a black gate near Old Settlers Park with no shade tree overhead ages faster than the same gate on a shaded lot.

What surface prep does each need?

Both need bare, clean steel. For powder coat the shop blasts the frame, removes mill scale and sometimes applies a zinc primer or hot dip galvanized layer first. For field paint the gate needs a wire brush, a degreaser, a rust converter on any pitted area and a coat of metal primer. Skipping prep is the reason most painted gates peel in sheets rather than wearing evenly.

Where does a coating fail first?

Coatings fail at sharp edges, weld toes and the underside of the bottom rail, where water sits. Chips near the latch and hinge points let moisture creep under the film. Expansive clay soil holds water against the lower bars after rain, so the bottom few inches of a gate rust first even if the upper frame still looks sound.

Which one suits which gate?

A new steel frame is best sent out for powder coat, since the oven cure cannot be matched in a driveway. An older gate that is already installed and still sound is usually repainted in place, because removing it for coating means taking out the hinges and posts. Aluminum gates take powder coat well but need a different primer than steel.

Guides

These pages cover coatings, prep and the places a finish wears through on a gate.