by Ron Joseph
June, 2008
Coating Longevity
Q: We are doing a special free-standing metal portal for a building. It is in Oakland, Ca and faces south, but there is no other particular special weather problems. Colors will be dark green and dark red.
for maximum longevity of the painted surface, how would you compare Dupont Imron and the powder coating Tiger Dryac seris 38?
Thanks for your help,
A: DuPont Imron is an excellent coating and I presume so is Tiger Drylac's series 38. Unfortunately I do not know anything of this particular powder coating. Is it a polyester, polyurethane, TGIC, etc.?
Although you said there are no other particular weather conditions, is this really true? Depending on where the free-standing portal is located in Oakland, will it be subjected to frequent San Francisco fog that enters across the Golden Gate Bridge? What is the substrate? What surface preparation do you intend to follow? Are you only concerned with color and gloss retention, or is corrosion an issue? I have been involved with several liquid and powder coating failures in the Bay Area and these have usually been due to improper specifications.
During the past few months I have inspected some exterior art work in San Francisco, (along the Embarcadero, in Golden Gate Park, and near the ocean on the west side of the city), and have seen several powder coating failures.
If you are interested, I'll be happy to discuss this with you further by phone.
Good luck,
Ron Joseph
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