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Q&As since 1989


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Removal of powder coat finish on aluminum patio furniture

I have some patio furniture that I've sent to a company to have a new powder coat finish applied, however they have called back to say that they're have a difficult time removing the old finish. They have tried aircraft stripper, automotive stripper and abrasive media blasting on one small table and they've indicated that while have some limited success removing the finish, it is very time-intensive, and at $75/hour, very costly. There are a total of 11 pieces of furniture. Some pieces have flaking finishes while some have corrosion from salt-air.

What is the most efficient means of removing a powder coated finish from aluminum?

Anthony Moreno
customer - Lake Forest, Illinois, USA
2007

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2007

They don't need to remove it if you are sure that it's originally powder coating. All they have to do is smooth it out and shoot the next coat on top. By smoothing it out I mean sand the gloss off of the existing paint and take off any flaking paint by feathering it smooth so that an edge doesn't show through when the second coat is applied. There are a few questions about this job you might want to ask yourself:
1. Did they ask you what they should try?
2. Who's paying who? If you tell them what to do they should be paying you for doing their business for them.
3. Aren't they the least bit embarrassed at coming back to you with this issue?
4. If they don't know how this is to be done why don't you take the job somewhere else?
5. Billions of people want a paint job that has the adhesive properties of your paint job and your complaining?
If you specified that all of the old paint has to be removed call them and tell them that you have changed your mind. :-)

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina