When shopping for an early cost comparison, it can be challenging to understand the difference between paint and powder coating.
Even though powder coatings have existed for a while, the term has recently begun appearing in everyday speech.
Industrial products like playground equipment and fire extinguishers are frequently powder-coated, but when working on our crafts, we rarely consider using the same choice.
Whether it is preferable to powder coat or paint a metal surface is debated in various fields. However, in reality, each choice has advantages.
However, before deciding, it’s critical to understand the fundamental question: which one to go in the powder coating vs paint battle?
Powder Coating VS Paint: Brief Comparison
| Comparison Factor | Powder Coating | Paint | Winner |
| Application | Requires specialized equipment | It doesn’t require any special equipment | Paint |
| Texture | Guaranteed fine texture | The fine texture isn’t guaranteed | Powder coating |
| Performance | Resistant to chalking | Not resistant to chalking | Powder coating |
| Color Matching | Difficult | Easy | Paint |
| Safety | Environment-friendly | Contains chemicals | Powder coating |
| Cost | Check the price | Check the price |
Factor 1: Application
Using specialized electrostatic spray deposition equipment, a powder of resins and pigments is meticulously deposited on a surface for powder coating.
With the help of this technique, the powder particles are drawn to the surface, where they are subsequently sealed in place with heat.
Any extra powder can be collected and used again later. However, powder coating is complicated; therefore, it’s usually best for experts to apply.
On the contrary, painting is a far less complicated procedure; in reality, everyone can do it. A brush, roller, spraying can, and some simple protection is all required; hiring an expert is not. Then, wet paint is put on a surface and allowed to dry without using heat.
To attain the desired finish, you frequently need to apply several layers or coats of paint, and you must let each skin dry before applying the next. Then, you only need one application of powder coating.
Because of this, the method is more effective. But for huge things, the curing procedure takes a long time.
Winner
This segment certainly goes to paint, as it is much simpler to apply.
Factor 2: Texture
The textures of powder coating and painting are different, as you will see. A fine powder used for powder coating resembles baking flour when it is first produced.
This powder is applied precisely, yielding an exceedingly smooth and uniform surface, free of brush strokes, drips, or inconsistencies.
It is more difficult to apply a smooth, even coat of liquid paint, whether used with a brush or a spray can. It frequently spills and spreads unevenly, which causes the final texture to be slightly harsh.
The powder is the best option to prevent production traces and have the finest finish possible.
Winner
With powder coating, it is more sure to have your desired texture once the job is done, so this round goes to powder coating.
Factor 3: Performance
The purpose of a finish is to shield metal surfaces from corrosive elements and other environmental harm. The finish loses its ability to act as a barrier if it is scratched or chipped.
The thermal bonding that occurs during curing, plus the fact that powder coating may be put in considerably thicker layers, make it function better than wet paint in terms of resistance to chipping, scratching, and other damage.
This performance is crucial for outdoor equipment like guard rails and bike racks.
Along with being physically resilient, powder coating has excellent color retention. Unfortunately, paint and powder coating resins degrade over time when exposed to moisture, heat, and sunshine.
The resin and pigment particles lose adhesion due to this procedure, known as “chalking.” As a result, a chalk-like layer of impacted particles develops on the coating’s surface.
Early chalking gives the coating a faded appearance; however, severe chalking gradually erodes the layer to the point where surface protection is compromised.
The resilience of the resin affects how quickly the resin chalks. Powder coatings with polyester as their base are widely used as top coats because of how well they resist chalking.
Winner
Since powder coating can resist chalking more than paint, the winner for this round is powder coating.
Factor 4: Color Matching
Wet paints can immediately display their final, dry-state colors, which is advantageous for color matching.
This makes it simpler to accurately blend and match paints and produce hues just a little off the primary color spectrum.
Anywhere you buy wet paint, the seller can blend primary and secondary colors easily to match a needed hue precisely.
The supplier could also add white or black to the mixture to match a specific color’s tint, tone, or highlight.
Getting a specific color depends on the polymers broken down to create the powder when mixing powder colors, which requires a specialized production process.
As a result, predicting the hue of a particular blended color may be difficult. Different powders will not combine to make a single, consistent color, unlike liquid paints that do. Instead, when particles combine, a scattered variety of colors will result.
Winner
It is easy to attain the same color finish you desire with liquid paint, which isn’t as simple as powder coating. So, paint wins over powder coating in this round.
Factor 5: Safety
Besides being more robust than liquid paint, powder coating is safer to preserve and use.
For several reasons, liquid paint is dangerous. First, it is the most explosive among paints and powder coatings.
A hazardous chemical fire can quickly result from careless storage. Additionally, working with wet paint puts the operators’ health at risk.
Volatile organic chemicals are released by wet paint. Long-term exposure to VOCs, particularly in enclosed settings, irritates the respiratory tract and worsens existing health issues. In addition, VOCs are a significant contributor to industrial pollution.
Powder coatings don’t produce any VOCs and pose zero health and safety issues because they don’t contain any liquids that could evaporate.
Winner
From the above, we can see that powder coating is much safer than paint, as it doesn’t produce any harmful content. That’s why powder coating takes the lead in this sector.
Factor 6: Cost
As a result of the frequent requirement for specialized equipment and labor, powder coating is typically more expensive than painting. However, DIY powder kits can be purchased for use on smaller products for $100 to $200.
However, if you want something professionally powder coated, you must pay between $100 and $500, or $55 to $75 per hour of labor.
Painting can be cost-effective whether you perform it yourself or employ a specialist. Paint can be purchased for as little as $15 to $20 per gallon in hardware stores and can be applied at home.
Depending on the project’s scope, you typically pay a professional between $30 and $100 per hour.
Winner
Applying paint is a general task that anyone can do and is available everywhere.
This segment is dedicated to painting because it does not require additional costs and is inexpensive.
Powder Coating VS Paint: Pros And Cons
Now that we know how powder coating and paint perform, let’s see which is more suitable for you.
Look at the pros and cons tables for powder coating and paint to understand which is compatible with your project.
Powder Coating
| PROS | CONS |
| ✅Finer texture ✅Just one application is required ✅More robust long-lasting ✅More secure and simple to store ✅Environmentally friendly ✅Reusable excess powder | ❌Fewer color options ❌Best left to the experts ❌Greater expense |
Paint
| PROS | CONS |
| ✅Extra color choices ✅DIY friendly ✅Cheaper ✅More available | ❌Inconsistent texture ❌Lower resistance ❌Contains VOCs ❌Difficult to store |
Final Words
The use of powder coating is becoming increasingly common due to new technological developments and falling costs, particularly in industrial settings.
For its further creativity, apart from conventional resins, innovative finishes like IronArmor are becoming more and more popular.
While liquid paint will always have a place in the industry, new powder coating and IronArmor products will soon take the market.
FAQ
Which lasts longer, powder coating or painting?
Powder coating will typically ensure superior, more long-lasting protection for the surfaces of metal-bodied objects because it is more durable and stronger than paint coatings.
Is powder coating better than paint?
While painting may seem like a quicker and more affordable option, powder coating is highly preferable for the majority of situations. In addition to offering a brilliant color and a rock-hard protective surface, it is safer, less poisonous, and simpler to clean up.