Article by Sarah Krouse from Home-o-logy. Original article can be found here.
This post was made possible by Georgia Powder Coating who compensated in part for this project. {Home-ology} modern vintage only sponsors companies which it believes will provide added benefit to its readers. All opinion are 100% my own.
After replacing our home’s exterior, updating the outdoor living areas was the icing on the cake. We honestly use those spaces as much as any other room of our house, so I wanted to incorporate stylish pieces that would stand the test of time. And if you follow this blog, you know the impetus to that plan was the vintage Homecrest patio set.
At the start, this set was weathered and worn and definitely in need of updating.
But because the set was a collectible vintage wire-frame set from the 1960’s, I opted to forgo my usual routine of DIY’ing and have the set professionally restored. Besides, the mere thought of sanding and painting the multitude of surfaces on a multitude of pieces put me in a tailspin of panic. Could there be anything more torturous than trying to tackle a project like this solo? I vote no.
So, after researching ratings and comparing prices, I enthusiastically dropped my beloved pieces off to be professionally powder coated. I chose a larger company, Georgia Powder Coating, because they do all the work in-house, unlike most smaller businesses that have to farm out certain aspects of the job. Being able to sandblast, repair, and paint all at one location saved me quite a bit of time, not to mention expense.
Remember the chaise lounges? Here they’re on their way for a facelift. Lucky devils.
During this process I learned much more than I ever thought I wanted to know about painting, particularly the difference between powder coating and spray paint. If you’re like me and usually diy your projects rather than paying someone to do it for you, you’ll find it interesting to learn that there are some major benefits to powder coating over spray paint that have made me think twice about future projects:
- Efficiency of time
- Value
- Environmentally Friendly
- Economical
Sometimes it just pays to let the pros take over, and in this case I’m convinced. If you’re considering a possible diy project yourself, I encourage you to consider powder coating as an economical alternative. Let me show you how it’s done.
Here’s our old glider. This glider was definitely a little worse for it’s 70 years of wear but was sentimental to the hub’s, so we opted to add it to the collection of pieces we had restored.
And the first step in its restoration was removing the loose paint + debris.
Once it was cleaned, the piece was then sandblasted to remove the remaining layer(s) of paint, taking it from this:
Once the powder coat is applied, the piece goes to the oven for curing. This process transforms the powder to a liquid form which allows it to flow into all the tiny crevices and seals the entire piece within an extremely durable coating.
That coating will outlast a spray paint’s ability to withstand scratching and wear for many, many years.
So pretty!
Thank goodness for the durable finish because I’m just not disciplined enough to store my outdoor furniture during inclement weather. In reality, this piece will be exposed to all the elements. It’ll see rain, snow, sleet, + hail, along with all that nature has to offer. But with it’s new finish, it will hold up like a champ.
I’m totally impressed with the entire experience. I’ve also learned a valuable lesson regarding the importance of my own personal time + money well spent. If you’re considering diy’ing your metal furniture, I highly recommend you reconsider that notion. Not only is powder coating more economical, it’s also faster, easier, + longer lasting. And it gets even more economical when you consider that you’ll powder coat once to every three or four diy versions using spray paint. But most importantly, I’ve learned that there’s an even more attractive aspect, there’s no environmental footprint. Powder coating is 100% environmentally friendly with no chemicals and no waste. I honestly didn’t expect that. Seriously, there’s just nothing not to love here!
If you live in the North Georgia area, I can’t say enough great things about Georgia Powder Coating. They did a fantastic job that was seamless from start to finish. I highly recommend them and and encourage you to learn more about their company and the process of powder coating. You can also visit their site and read more about the benefits of powder coating here.