What does the finish really look like? Say, compared to paint?
This is a common question from people who are having parts powder coated for the first time. In a nutshell, the cured, powder-coated item appears as it has been “dipped” in a very high-gloss paint, removed and allowed to dry. Because of the high temperatures involved in powder coating, the powder will “go plastic” and flow evenly over the surface of the part (similar in viscosity to a light oil). For this very reason, we are very careful not to touch the part when it comes out of the curing oven and is still hot, simply because the finish has not yet hardened (and we don’t like getting burned either!). Because very little powder is actually over any given area (1-3 millimeters thick), there is little change of “drips” or “sags” in the finished item. This results in a show-quality look to the part and is the main reason top contenders at auto shows have powder coated items on their cars. Finish quality wins shows! In addition, the amount of “clear” in a powder (non-pigmented particles)
