Benimet Corp. of Maspeth, Queens has provided powder coating for metal since 2001. The shop sandblasts each piece, primes it with an 80% zinc primer and powder coats it in the color the customer chooses. It protects iron, aluminum and stainless steel fences, gates, railings and window guards.
A metal fence, gate or stair railing spends years in tough conditions. Rain, winter road salt on the sidewalks and strong summer sun make ordinary paint peel, and rust shows up underneath. Benimet Corp. of Maspeth, Queens has been protecting metal since 2001, and powder coating is one of the company’s four services, alongside galvanizing, sandblasting and metal restoration.
What Powder Coating Is
Powder coating does not use liquid paint applied with a brush. A dry powder is applied to the metal, and the piece then goes into an oven, where the coating melts and cures. The result is an even, dense layer that bonds well to the surface and resists weather, chemicals and abrasion. That is why the method works both for decorative pieces around a house and for metal that has to hold up in demanding commercial settings.
Preparation Decides How Long It Lasts
How long a coating lasts depends on what happens before the color goes on. At Benimet the process starts by stripping old paint and rust from the metal, which means sandblasting (more about that step in the article on sandblasting metal in Maspeth). The metal then receives a primer with 80 percent zinc content, which protects steel from corrosion from underneath. Only then is the color applied. According to the company, the whole process, from preparation to coating, is handled in house and controlled by its own team.
Colors, Textures and Specialty Coatings
The customer chooses the color. Benimet offers a large palette of colors and textures, from classic black that suits wrought iron fences to lighter shades matched to the facade of a home or a business. Specialty coatings are available as well, for example UV-resistant finishes that hold their color longer in full sun, and anti-graffiti coatings that are useful on fences and window guards facing the street.
Iron, Aluminum and Stainless Steel
Powder coating works on several metals: iron, aluminum and stainless steel. The pieces that most often come to the Maspeth shop are fences, gates, railings, window guards and other metal elements from homes and commercial buildings. The company accepts a single fence section as well as larger batches from contractors. As Benimet puts it, no project is too small or too complex.
How It Works in Practice
This is a shop service: the pieces are brought to Benimet in Maspeth. Homeowners usually come from Queens, Brooklyn, other parts of New York City and western Long Island. Contractors from New Jersey and Long Island bring whole batches of elements from their own clients. After looking at the metal, the company prepares a free estimate. When a piece is badly corroded, it may need repair before coating (more in the article on metal restoration in Queens).
When to Think About Powder Coating
The warning signs are peeling flakes of paint, reddish streaks on the wall below a railing, or rust at the joints. The sooner the metal reaches the shop, the less preparation it needs and the more of the original material can be kept. A good time is before winter, before salt and moisture start working on exposed spots, and early spring, before the season of outdoor projects around the house.
Contact
Free estimates: 917-790-3632.
Shop location in Maspeth and more information: Benimet Corp. on Polish Pages.
The scope and timing of the work are set after the pieces have been inspected.
