Get Rid of Peeling Once and For All

The last thing you want is for a freshly coated, super glossy finished product to crack, flake, and peel away. Instead of a clean aesthetic, the surface is scared by a flaking effect. The beautiful color peels away until the underlying metal is exposed and inevitably the process must start from the beginning. Although powder coating is more durable than other forms of paint, it is not indestructible. Pinnacle Powder Coating takes every precaution to properly and efficiently coat products to avoid chipping and peeling.

The main reason for powder to peel or flake off the substrate is due to lack of adhesion between the powder and the substrate. This can be caused in a number of ways such as poor surface preparation, where the surface may be contaminated with oils, paints, chemical sealers, etc.

If the part was not prepared correctly or at all, it can also cause the powder to chip easily. Powder coating does not adhere well to a completely smooth surface, it needs a texture to grab to. This is why substrates should always be blasted or chemically pre-treated before powder coating. Depending on the material, Pinnacle Powder Coating uses one or both of these methods to pre-treat projects. The number one sign of insufficient prep is the cause of the chipping is that you will see a smooth-shiny finish where the powder coat has chipped.

Under curing is also an issue with peeling powder coat. Powder which is under cured lacks many of the mechanical properties of a cured powder. Aesthetically, the powder finish may look great however it will have poor adhesion and be quite brittle which makes it susceptible to chipping, cracking and flaking off from the substrate. When a part is curing in the oven, it goes through several stages of curing and if you remove the part from the oven too soon or the temperature is not high enough, then the powder cannot complete its full cure cycle.

Too much powder can also cause powder coating to peel. If the coating is too thick, any time the part is bumped by another object, that force on the powder coating finish which makes it easier to knock a chunk of paint off. It is important to apply the correct amount of powder on a part for this reason and because too much powder often results in orange peel. Orange peel is an uneven texture of smooth finish products that resembles the skin of citrus fruit.

What to Do When Powder Coats Flake?

Usually the best approach to repairing damaged coatings is to simply redo it. This can be a fair amount of work, but here’s how to do it properly:

Disassemble the component that needs to be recoated if necessary. Sand it down or media blast it until the part surface is totally even and clean of any contaminants. The old powder coating likely won’t need to be completely removed unless there is a major issue with it. Then, use some sandpaper to work down the edges of where the coating broke off until it’s smooth. This works great if you’re planning on using a non-glossy or textured coating.

For glossy surfaces, you’ll likely see any imperfections, bumps or waves in the substrate. If you want it to be perfect, your best bet is to blast it down to the bare metal.

Get started on your next project with Pinnacle Powder Coating by calling 419.660-9883 or submitting a form on our contact page.