Powdercoating costs?

[larryq]

Anyone in the business here or knows what the rule of thumb is regarding costs?

I have a couple of roller boxes and their drawers that could use a freshening. 27" x 18" x 36" with four drawers each. If I stripped them to bare metal and removed all the hardware and dropped them off, with no rush on completion, any ideas what it would cost for a shop to coat them?

 

[FJ 432]

I would say you can count on around 100-125 per roller cabinet. It might be cheaper if you keep the the same color say 175.00 for both.

Although it's a pain to strip them down, you end up saving your self money.

 

[larryq]

I would say you can count on around 100-125 per roller cabinet. It might be cheaper if you keep the the same color say 175.00 for both.

Although it's a pain to strip them down, you end up saving your self money.

Thanks. Obviously I'd strip them down as close to bare metal as possible in all spots, but I'd be using a stripping wheel and scraping the corners and crevices. It's impossible to get rid of every flake of paint that way and I wondered if you have to media blast 100% bare in every nook for the process to work, or like with painting, as long as there's tooth the powder can grab hold?

As you can tell I wouldn't be expecting factory fresh results but something that's durable and looks better than the 20 year old paint on there now.

 

[PinkLinc]

I would definitely take them apart and remove all the hardware first but I'm not sure about stripping them. The place I go to blasts everything before they powder it regardless of how you bring it to them. I think it's a quality control measure to ensure a clean surface. I would call ahead and check first.

 

[FJ 432]

As you can tell I wouldn't be expecting factory fresh results but something that's durable and looks better than the 20 year old paint on there now.

I try to get them as stripped as possible. I use an orbital sander for the large surface areas, an assortment of wires wheels to get almost all of the drawer insides and exterior and there's a chemical you can buy at Home Depot that gets the corners up for me. If I don't do a good job they will charge me to get the areas I miss.

Depending on the shop they want it very close to bare metal so there's no dispute on if it doesn't turn out well. Good luck.

 

[FJ 432]

I would definitely take them apart and remove all the hardware first but I'm not sure about stripping them. The place I go to blasts everything before they powder it regardless of how you bring it to them. I think it's a quality control measure to ensure a clean surface. I would call ahead and check first.

My shop does not do this but they do spray or use some sort of acid etch which they says makes the powder adhere better. I never saw this process being done.

 

[larryq]

I try to get them as stripped as possible. I use an orbital sander for the large surface areas, an assortment of wires wheels to get almost all of the drawer insides and exterior and there's a chemical you can buy at Home Depot that gets the corners up for me. If I don't do a good job they will charge me to get the areas I miss.

Depending on the shop they want it very close to bare metal so there's no dispute on if it doesn't turn out well. Good luck.

Thanks for the info. Do you recall the chemical you picked up at HD to strip the corners? I've used something called CitriStrip which is ok but if there's something better I'm all ears.

 

[GTO]

IIRC,powdercoating guys will not coat anything unless it has been 100% media stripped.
I think the cost for powdercoating will vary according to where you are located,and the amount of actual powdercoaters in your area.
Good Luck

 

[35mastr]

GTO Hit it on the nail. Personally I dont think anyone is going to do it for any of the prices quoted. Around here its a 100.00 for a 15" steel rim.

 

[FJ 432]

Thanks for the info. Do you recall the chemical you picked up at HD to strip the corners? I've used something called CitriStrip which is ok but if there's something better I'm all ears.

Can't remember. I will post the name tomorrow. Stay tuned to this bat channel. My powdercoater was the one who recommended it to me and it does a pretty good job.

 

[FJ 432]

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...-1&keyword=metal paint stripper&storeId=10051

Found it online. Works pretty good.

 

[PinkLinc]

GTO Hit it on the nail. Personally I dont think anyone is going to do it for any of the prices quoted. Around here its a 100.00 for a 15" steel rim.

WOW! The place I go to is only $35 which includes the blasting.

 

[larryq]

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...-1&keyword=metal paint stripper&storeId=10051

Found it online. Works pretty good.

Thanks FJ. Will hit HD tonight and pick some up.

As for costs, I think I need to ship my stuff to PinkLinc via Greyhound. You won't mind making a run to the local bus depot I assume? Meet some new people while you're there, good fun all around.

 

[Pro-Painter]

GTO Hit it on the nail. Personally I dont think anyone is going to do it for any of the prices quoted. Around here its a 100.00 for a 15" steel rim.

Same here. $400 for a set of wheels is a avg powder coating price. I once did a quote for a guy that wanted to compare the cost of 2k urethane paint to powder coat for his old, old 26" mac top cabinet and it was $400 for powder, and $170 for paint. Media blasting/prep was extra.

 

[Your Father]

WOW! The place I go to is only $35 which includes the blasting.

Same here. Includes blasting and choice of color. I work in a big industrial area in San Diego, and all places are around $30-$50 per 15" rim. Anything more than that, you're getting hosed.
I've had many things blasted and powdercoated from toolboxes to wheels to frames. The main area where cost will come into play is the time spent blasting, and I don't mean the standard blasting that ALL parts get before powdercoat (if your powdercoater will coat them without blasting, find a new powdercoater), I mean blasting the built up grime, bondo, tar, undercoating, etc. This stuff takes time to blast off, and powdercoater bill blasting time by the hour. I had a car body that had an extra $400 added to the cost because of all the bondo (it takes time to remove without warping sheetmetal).
I'd knock the big gunk off (if any), and swing by a couple of PC shops for an estimate - try the bigger shops, in my experience they're the more reasonably priced shops. I'd estimate the cost of powdercoating your box and drawers at around $300.

 

[buildmyown]

There really is no rule of thumb for pricing. Its whatever the area or market will bare.

For flat panels like a box would be I charge $8-$12 per sq. ft. remember to fiqure for the inside as well and the drawers as well. It doesnt matter if you bring them to me in bare metal or not everything gets the same amount of prep work thats how I can stand behind my work.

Doing some real quick math just for the boxes dont shoot me if i messed something up. You have roughly 130sq.ft. just for the boxes this is for every surface inside and out top and bottom. So 130sq.ft. X $8per.sq.ft. is roughly $1000 just to do the boxes so somewhere around $1500 for everything give or take.

 

[buildmyown]

WOW! The place I go to is only $35 which includes the blasting.

I start at $75 per wheel for 15-17 inch wheels steel or alloy 18-22 inch $125 per wheel 22 inch and up is $150 per wheel. Those prices include all prep and choice of a single stage in stock color. If its a special order color add about $50 to the total if the color needs a clear coat add 50% to the bill.

Same here. Includes blasting and choice of color. I work in a big industrial area in San Diego, and all places are around $30-$50 per 15" rim. Anything more than that, you're getting hosed.
I've had many things blasted and powdercoated from toolboxes to wheels to frames. The main area where cost will come into play is the time spent blasting, and I don't mean the standard blasting that ALL parts get before powdercoat (if your powdercoater will coat them without blasting, find a new powdercoater), I mean blasting the built up grime, bondo, tar, undercoating, etc. This stuff takes time to blast off, and powdercoater bill blasting time by the hour. I had a car body that had an extra $400 added to the cost because of all the bondo (it takes time to remove without warping sheetmetal).
I'd knock the big gunk off (if any), and swing by a couple of PC shops for an estimate - try the bigger shops, in my experience they're the more reasonably priced shops. I'd estimate the cost of powdercoating your box and drawers at around $300.

Your talking about large industrial shops or hang and bang shops.

 

[Your Father]

I start at $75 per wheel for 15-17 inch wheels steel or alloy 18-22 inch $125 per wheel 22 inch and up is $150 per wheel. Those prices include all prep and choice of a single stage in stock color. If its a special order color add about $50 to the total if the color needs a clear coat add 50% to the bill.




Your talking about large industrial shops or hang and bang shops.

How do you know what I'm talking about?

I build custom cars for a living, and have been through many vendors, several of which are powdercoaters. $1500 to powdercoat a small toolbox? LOL! Note to self - do not start a business in MA.

All of my powdercoat venders blast before powdercoating. None of them are huge industrial shops. In my experience, the very small shops are the most expensive (like yours?) - they are paying off machinery, still getting used to the billing and operating procedures?

Price is pretty simple. You take labor time, and add materials. Labor to blast and powdercoat a 15" rim... 20 mins @ $75/hr is $25 plus materials. To charge $100 a rim means you either don't know what you're doing, or ripping off the customer, or your shop rate is $400 an hour, or the shop could be one of those "see the expensive [insert brand name] part? Let's triple the price... he can afford it". I've dealt with those shops, too.

Again, this is just based on my experience over the last 10 years having parts powdercoated weekly. Dirty parts, clean parts, custom parts, custom colors, clears, pearls.

 

[Boiler]

I it my roof rack (approx eight 48" tubes + foot brackets and light tabs) for $25. Got an off road bumper and swing arm for 40.

 

[buildmyown]

How do you know what I'm talking about?

I build custom cars for a living, and have been through many vendors, several of which are powdercoaters. $1500 to powdercoat a small toolbox? LOL! Note to self - do not start a business in MA.

All of my powdercoat venders blast before powdercoating. None of them are huge industrial shops. In my experience, the very small shops are the most expensive (like yours?) - they are paying off machinery, still getting used to the billing and operating procedures?

Price is pretty simple. You take labor time, and add materials. Labor to blast and powdercoat a 15" rim... 20 mins @ $75/hr is $25 plus materials. To charge $100 a rim means you either don't know what you're doing, or ripping off the customer, or your shop rate is $400 an hour, or the shop could be one of those "see the expensive [insert brand name] part? Let's triple the price... he can afford it". I've dealt with those shops, too.
Again, this is just based on my experience over the last 10 years having parts powdercoated weekly. Dirty parts, clean parts, custom parts, custom colors, clears, pearls.

You know what im just going to bow out now. Dont want to ruin to OPs thread I gave my input from my experience. Just remember you get what you pay for.

 

[BTG]

Our coating shop always blasts every part before coating. I will say we've done a few tool boxes and the stripping is much more time consuming and is a larger percentage of the cost than the actual coating and material. If you brought the box in already stripped, the price would be less as we'd just lightly blast it before coating.

As for pricing, when we give a quote, it does not change. So if it takes us more time to strip the part, or the metal is **** and outgasses requiring us to strip and re-coat, we don't charge any more. We don't have a minimum set up or charge, but we definitely don't coat 15" wheels for $30 unless they are off a go-cart. We figure around $55-60 for a 15" wheel and about $10 more for each inch in size larger. Every piece we see is different so we just have to quote from experience. The material is pretty cheap, its that labor (time) that will get you.

In your case, if you cleaned the parts prior, we'd do it in a single stage for about $125 each, if they came in un-blasted, figure $150 or so each. Keep in mind this is a from a shop that has more than one legal full-time employee, pays rent, utilities, and taxes. A one-man shop that is doing this on the side in his garage can probably quote you something cheaper as he's only paying himself. Cheaper isn't always better IMHO

 

[buildmyown]

Sorry everyone my math was way off earlier I was in a rush. The sq.ft should have 90 Sq.ft for just the boxes inside and out top and bottom every surface. So for just the 2 boxes that would be 90sq.ft. X $8/sq.ft. is $720 or $360 per box a little close to what some others said. Plus the drawers which would add about another $200 or so without doing the math so about $900-$1000 on the high end for both boxes all the drawers and every surface.

So yeah im still on the higher end but i am a one man shop that does more custom or one off stuff then production stuff. Maybe i can justify it a little large items like that i have to send out for blasting the only commercial blaster in the area that i trust gets $95 an hr. Im visualizing about 2-3 hrs for blasting then id have to do 4 maybe 5 cure cycles my oven is only 4X4X6 foot.

 

[larryq]

Thanks everyone for the input and discussion. I'll call shops in the area and see what they're quoting. Sounds like price may vary quite a bit based on shop and prep work involved. I completely understand about shops doing their own prep even if the boxes are brought in stripped, no one wants to do a job twice.

 

[Pro-Painter]

Thanks everyone for the input and discussion. I'll call shops in the area and see what they're quoting. Sounds like price may vary quite a bit based on shop and prep work involved. I completely understand about shops doing their own prep even if the boxes are brought in stripped, no one wants to do a job twice.

If it turns out being too much for you, you may want to look into going with wet coatings. A single stage 2k urethane is the next best thing to powder coat, and is the strongest, most durable single stage wet spray I know of. It is chemical and UV resistant, and affordable. A quart kit of any color under the rainbow including metallics and pearls will run you around $70. And will last and wear like powder coat on a tool box. Ive sprayed a few boxes (garage and truck) and the owners where all very happy.

 

[larryq]

If it turns out being too much for you, you may want to look into going with wet coatings. A single stage 2k urethane is the next best thing to powder coat, and is the strongest, most durable single stage wet spray I know of. It is chemical and UV resistant, and affordable. A quart kit of any color under the rainbow including metallics and pearls will run you around $70. And will last and wear like powder coat on a tool box. Ive sprayed a few boxes (garage and truck) and the owners where all very happy.

Thanks Pro-Painter. I have a small HVLP setup, would a detail gun with an 0.8mm tip spray the single stage paint ok? I've only really used it with some oil based stuff, Rustoleum and such.

 

[dodge610]

I charge 60.00 to 65.00 per rim no matter the size. Yes the box and drawers would have to be media blasted. Do not know where you are at if the box is taken apart and hardware removed I can usually beat the competitors price. But would have to see boxes first. Dont know where your at but I am in North Canton Ohio.

 

[larryq]

I charge 60.00 to 65.00 per rim no matter the size. Yes the box and drawers would have to be media blasted. Do not know where you are at if the box is taken apart and hardware removed I can usually beat the competitors price. But would have to see boxes first. Dont know where your at but I am in North Canton Ohio.

Unfortunately I'm in California. Thanks for the offer though.

 

[gasjockey]

a friend of mine got his bmx bike frame powder coated for $50 if tha helps

 

[hdpusher]

I do powder coating and Id have to say BTG hit the nail on the head. I reblast everything that come in my shop. I would not want to stip them with a wire wheel and a scrapper thats a lot of work and it would not get the results needed for a quality job.