Let’s talk finishes

What do you do to finish a project? Polish? Powder coat? Paint? Looking for recommendations of what looks best!

Very open question which all depends and the use of the object and abuse it might see. wall signs don’t need much more then paint and a clear coat. but if your making car parts might want a little more on it

For signs and fines a lot of people powder-coat. The caveat to that is the cost involved in getting into powder coating. If you have a good compressor with clean, dry air then you can run an automotive paint gun or a simple rattle can does the job. Some people like the finishes for signs that are rustic and look weathered. There are finishes from places like SteelFX and Sculpt Nouveau that will give you that. It really all depends on the form or function of what you are making and the “look” you are going for in the piece. I have found myself leaning more towards powder coating, just because I like the finish and the fact that I won’t have the fumes associated with the other coatings floating in my garage, which my wife says gives her an instant headache. I do have ventilation set up, she is just very sensitive to the smells.

2 Likes

I do mostly powder coating and some polishing. You can get a decent powder coating setup for under $500. I personally use a redline ez50 gun which work great imo. I have applied 3 coats with no issues. Here are a few things I’ve coated

3 Likes