How We Powder Coat Our Custom Driveway Gates
We Can Powder Coat Gate Panels 20′ long x 9′ tall
Once upon a time we painted our gates. Then we learned through experience that powder coat painting provides a far better solution than wet paints could ever hope for. Since 2014 we have done our powder coating in-house. Many gate companies either elect to outsource their powder coating elsewhere or resort to wet painting. Doing our own powder coating in-house is excellent for us because it greatly increases the finish quality and brings much faster turnaround times than with outsourcing the powder coating. This results in a longer lasting, higher quality product. We mostly make black powder coated gates, but also can make the drive way gates green or white, etc. Powder coat is considered environmentally friendly compared to liquid paints because their are no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) which are emitted during the curing process. There is far less waste as the excess powder coat (overspray) can be reclaimed and recycled.
Sandblasting Improves Coating Adhesion
Before being powder coated the metal must be free of any rust, oil or dirt and that is accomplished by sandblasting the driveway gates. This gives the powder coat maximum adhesion. Powder coat that strongly adheres to the prepared surface of the custom driveway gate is much less likely to allow corrosion beneath the coating.
With our powder coating line we have the capacity to powder coat anything up to 20′ long and approximately 9′ tall. It is extremely rare that there is a driveway gate too large for us to apply a beautiful powder coated finish to. The most critical aspect of metal finishing is, of course, proper part preparation and pretreatment.
As mentioned above, we use sandblasting to remove all rust, mill scale, and dirt from the metal gate surface. We also add eco-friendly cleaning and pretreatment solutions to prepare a very clean, oil and oxide-free metal surface. This sets the foundation for an extended coating life. It also eliminates toxic impact upon our environment.
Each steel gate receives a coat of zinc rich primer for added corrosion resistance. This primer gives our steel gates an outstanding amount of resistance to the formation of rust, even when the powder coat has been scratched all of the way down to the metal. This is followed by top coats of exterior grade polyester powder coating that is baked to a beautiful finish.
Some metallic finishes even get a clear coat or we can add a clear coat on special request! Our standard topcoat color is a 60% gloss black specially formulated for high color retention and resistance to the elements, which is important because driveway gates spend nearly all their time in the outdoors with very little protection other than the paint coating.
Sandblasted Aluminum:
Aluminum gates are still sandblasted but they receive two coats of topcoat instead of any primer. The first layer of our polyester top coat acts as a primer layer on the aluminum. The second layer is essentially just an added layer of protection that we like to put on for an even longer finish life. Powder coat is more durable than paint, yet any dings or scratches incurred during installation are easily touched up with the corresponding Rustoleum paint color to keep everything looking great and corrosion/rust-free.
Aluminum gates are still sandblasted but they receive two coats of topcoat instead of any primer. The first layer of our polyester top coat acts as a primer layer on the aluminum. The second layer is essentially just an added layer of protection that we like to put on for an even longer finish life. Powder coat is more durable than paint, yet any dings or scratches incurred during installation are easily touched up with the corresponding Rustoleum paint color to keep everything looking great and corrosion/rust-free.
