You should be proud of your patio pieces, both in how they look and how sustainable they are. This doesn’t just mean that your outdoor furniture lasts a long time, but that it is also eco-friendly. One threat to the environment is paint which is used heavily in creating and restoring furniture. From how it’s made to how it’s used and discarded, paint for metal outdoor furniture is not as environmentally friendly or durable as other finish options. Continue reading and learn how liquid paint is more dangerous than it seems and how powder coating is the future of restoring your metal furniture.
Chemicals Harm Everything
Liquid paint comes in two forms: solvent-based and water-based. Solvent-based paint contains harmful oils and chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Even though water-based paint contains less of these substances it can still be incredibly dangerous. When using this paint for metal outdoor furniture, these VOCs are released into the air. Once the product is cured the chemicals are trapped and won’t escape anymore, but this doesn’t stop emissions from occurring during production and application.
VOCs are known to harm not just the environment, but people as well. The chemicals naturally pollute the air, but if they are spilled or disposed of incorrectly, they can also infect our soil and water. VOCs cause headaches as well as ear, nose, and eyes infections. As with all pollution, these effects are not just instantaneous but can lead to more serious health issues if you’re exposed to it on a regular basis.
Short Lifespan Causes More Pollution
Choosing liquid paint for metal outdoor furniture all but guarantees that you will have to repaint in the near future. At most, a protective finish will make your traditional paint last between five and ten years. It’s likely the paint will chip or peel before that time due to weather conditions and regular use, but not so severely that most people would consider restoring it.
However, repainting your metal furniture impacts the environment more and more every time you do it. Sometimes you can just repaint a small area of a piece, but oftentimes you must start almost from scratch if you want an even coat. To achieve a smooth finish people will enjoy, you must first remove large parts of the worn-out paint and apply a completely new layer. This releases even more VOCs into the air and when you do this for multiple pieces of furniture over multiple years, the pollution quickly adds up.
Traditional Paint Creates Excessive Waste
Using paint for metal outdoor furniture creates a great deal of waste. The empty paint cans, used brushes, rollers, and other painting equipment can’t be easily recycled. They have to be disposed of carefully to avoid further environmental contamination. This is because they have come in contact with harmful chemicals that are impossible to recycle.
Powder Coating is an Eco-Friendly Alternative
There are plenty of risks that come with using traditional liquid paint to refresh your patio furniture and very little payoff. Luckily, this is not the only method available. Powder coating is a much more sustainable option than paint for metal outdoor furniture. For every con liquid paint has, powder coating presents a positive alternative:
No Harmful Chemicals
Unlike paint, dry powder used to coat metal outdoor furniture only contains minute amounts of harmful chemicals. The powder is mostly made of polymer resin systems combined with pigments, flow modifiers, and leveling agents. As a result, barely any pollutants are expelled during production or application.
Lasts Longer
While traditional paint for metal outdoor furniture only lasts ten years at most, powder coating can create a finish that lasts up to 20 years. Powder coating is much more durable than liquid paint, so it also requires less regular maintenance or touch-ups. But if your powder coated product is chipped or peeling, you can easily fix the damage using the same spray. No further damage from stripping the paint is required to create an even finish.
Recyclable
Powder coating produces far less waste than liquid paint. The equipment uses an electrostatic charge while spraying so that even powder not sprayed perfectly on the furniture will stick to the metal. If there is overspray, the dry powder can easily be collected and even used again later. It can also be recycled if you don’t need it anymore as long as the powder isn’t a mixture of different colors.
Upgrade the Look of Your Patio Furniture with New Again
Not only is using paint for metal outdoor furniture a slow process, it also hurts the environment in various ways. Its pollutants, short lifespan, and unrecyclable waste all outweigh any possible benefits this process may have. There is a convenient and eco-friendly alternative though: powder coating. This is just one of the processes New Again specializes in that refreshes the look of your furniture in a sustainable way. Contact us to learn more about our powder coating process and how it can benefit your outdoor metal furniture.