Powder
coating.

Technically yes, practically no. A powder coat applied over an existing finish will only be as good as the bond between the old finish and the substrate — and old finishes are exactly where you can't see what's happening. If the old coating has any adhesion loss, blistering, or hidden rust underneath, the new powder will fail along with it, and often within months. We strip to bare metal on every job we guarantee. It's the only way the warranty means anything.

Typically 2–5 mil (50–125 microns) in a single coat. The exact target depends on the powder formulation and the service environment — exterior architectural work usually runs 2.5–3.5 mil, machine components often run 4–5 mil for extra chip resistance. We measure every part with a non-contact gauge before it leaves the bay and log the reading on the job sheet.

Only if the part is thin-gauge sheet or has internal stresses from welding or forming. Standard cure temperature is 375–425°F, which is well below the melting point of steel or aluminum but can relax residual stresses in thin panels. For thin sheet (under 18 gauge), we drop the cure temperature and extend the hold time — a lower-temp powder is sometimes needed. If you have any doubt, tell us the material and gauge when you send the part and we'll flag it before we run it.

Yes, but the powder has to be custom-produced. Powder manufacturers will match a physical sample or a paint chip, and the process takes 5–7 business days plus a minimum order of about 55 lb. The match won't be perfect — powder and liquid formulations have different pigment systems — but on most colors it's close enough that a client can't tell the difference without holding the two side by side. Send us a sample and we'll quote the match.

Yes, and it's one of the most common substrates we coat. The process is the same, but the prep is different — aluminum is soft, so media selection matters. We use glass bead or plastic media on aluminum to avoid embedding abrasive into the surface. For architectural aluminum going outdoors, we specify a chromate-free conversion coating or an AAMA-grade pretreatment before powder, which is required for a 10-year exterior warranty.

3–5 business days from part receipt to shipping, for jobs using stock colors. Custom color matches add 5–7 days because the powder itself has to be manufactured. Large multi-part jobs run on a schedule we agree to up front — typically shipping partial batches as parts are completed rather than holding everything until the end.

Small parts are the majority of our business. Racks of brackets, batches of small castings, sets of hardware — this is normal volume for us. The only threshold is the shop minimum, which covers setup and cleanup. Below that minimum, we'll still take the job but the per-part cost goes up because the oven time doesn't shrink with the part size.

Yes, standard practice on any part with machined features. We use silicone plugs and caps for threaded holes and bores, and high-temperature tape for flat masked areas. If you have a drawing that specifies the mask locations, send it — we follow drawings exactly. If you don't, tell us what threads and surfaces need to stay clean and we'll handle it.