OK to paint metal outdoor bench?

10 years ago

Hi!

I bought a cute, inexpensive bench for front yard the other day but am not loving the color now (it looked different at the store, honest!)

I'm in PHX vicinity and it will sit in an open area.

While the below description says "powder-coated finish," the price was less than $100 and I'm thinking it was just a quick spray job. Does anyone have any advice or experience (or both!) with painting these cheapie versions of outdoor furniture bought from big-box stores? If it's possible, what type of paint, primers, etc?

"43.63-in L Steel/Iron Patio Bench"

"Heavy-duty steel frame with powder-coated finish "

The bench is red and I'm thinking of repainting it in a light purple, to reflect some of the colors of the desert we look out on...

Thanks in advance for any help!

Kimmey

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Comments (7)

OKMoreh
10 years ago
A powder coat is a finish that is applied dry (no solvent) and then cured by heat. The material is essentially some kind of plastic or polymer. I wouldn't assume that the piece is really sprayed with ordinary paint; powder coating requires special equipment but is also used on cheap products.

Paint does not adhere easily to powder coating, but it is possible to paint over it. First degrease, then send lightly and apply a primer (I would probably use a high-bonding primer).

Here is a link that might be useful: Painting over powder coat
Annie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
Our garage door was powder coated so I used BM Stix as my primer...it's been a few years and so far, so good.
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KimmeyK
Original Author
10 years ago
okmoreh, thanks for that info! It explains a lot!

I didn't realize powder-coat had plastic or polymers in it. (Did google but I basically got shop listings that did this commercially so guess they didn't need to educate someone like me - lol)

As I said, the addition of plastic/polymers makes total sense as to why just any old paint for metal wouldn't work.

One thing I'm now wondering, if after degreasing and then lightly sanding as you suggested, how do you think the Krylon spray paints for plastics, Fusions, would work? Or not work ;-) Just curious now...since the paint has plastic in it. I did read all FAQ's that were on Krylon's site but they never mentioned anything regarding powder-coat coverup.

I really appreciate your answer to the original question - thanks so much!!

Kimmey
KimmeyK
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you annie for relating your personal experience. Very helpful to know it can be done and that your garage door is still "so far so good."

Appreciate the reply!

Kimmey

This post was edited by KimmeyK on Sun, May 4, 14 at 14:51
OKMoreh
10 years ago
Krylon Fusion has a formulation that bonds chemically to some plastics, so it sticks better to them than ordinary paints would.

But it's still basically paint. It can be used for other surfaces, including metal and existing paint, so I would consider it an option.
lam702
10 years ago
I plan to paint my steel garage door this summer too, not sure if its powder coated or not. What type of primer and paint should I use?
KimmeyK
Original Author
10 years ago
okmoreh, thanks for the reply regarding my Fusions paint idea. I probably will try that just because now I'm curious... thanks again!