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Powder coating a galvanized sliding gate

January 29, 2010

Could you please advise whether powder coating a galvanised sliding driveway gate would be advisable. What sort of a lifespan would the powder coating have before it starts to look shabby (our gate is opened frequently as it is at the entrance to a townhouse complex)? Are touch-ups a problem and would the gate have to be removed to do this?

I would really appreciate your advice.

Kind regards,

Rose Ogden
Complex manager - Port Elizabeth

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January 29, 2010

Powdercoating on galvanized steel is not only possible, its a great idea, and done by many applicators in huge quantities.
But there are few points to watch...
It's a factory process, so the gate needs to be taken down and taken to the coating shop.
The applicator must have a suitable pretreatment system. This is the key to long coating life, and without it you could get as little as a few months life. With appropriate pretreatment you should get 20-30 years using a reputable architectural grade polyester powder (don't use epoxy outdoors).
Touchup of any scratched areas (its a tough coating, but not indestructable) can be done with a matching colour solvent based paint, in a similar way to touching up the scratch on a car's paintwork.

Geoff Crowley
Crithwood Ltd.
Westfield, Scotland, UK