you can check with universities. I have heard that if you find the right people they might be able to help you out. Most of them have their own equipment to powder coat since they have so many items that use it and require recoating. I have not found the right person to talk to in 2 college towns i have lived in though, so i don't know how you would find them.

To get it done by Easter though, I don't really see happening. A week and 2 days is not a lot of time. If they don't have the color you want, they'll have to order it, more time. etc...

Check the Yellow Pages under "Powder Coating."
A powder-coating business is a lot more likely to want to do a small job than an auto body place (when I wanted to have my black metal TV console painted silver, the auto body places' managers spoke to me as if I was from Mars--they couldn't be bothered to "think" about what I wanted and the simplicity of the job.)
A powder-coating place in my area (D.C.) did the job for $100 bucks within about 2 weeks (so not on your timetable).
When you talk to the powder-coating places, you might have to convince them that you know it's probably not their standard job, but that you think it would be simple and fast, and you might even have to agree to take a chair to them to show them it before they take the job and tell you the price.

Since you need the chairs for Easter, my advice is to go to WalMart or Target and buy covers for them. Last time I checked, they were under $10 each, look decent and will get you through the day.
Powder coating, even if you find a place, isn't a quick process. I believe they have to strip the chairs first before they can recoat them, so with your timetable, it might not happen. However, we are in a recession, so business might be slow and maybe someone will be able to do it, but move fast!

Powder coating is definitely not a diy. The paint actually is dispensed as a powder with an electrostatic charge to adhere it to the object and then the coated object is heated to the point where the paint powder is melted and permanently bonds to the chair or what have you.

If you can't find a place that will do it in time you might to spray paint them and then have them powder coated at a later date. Spray paint will hold up long enough to last a weekend. A regular house painter with the right equipment would be able to spray them for you.

do they HAVE TO be powder coated? could you not use high-adhesion primer and then paint them with metal paint yourself?

because that's what i'd do!

1- What is the base material, thats the first thing you need to know when painting anything.
if its galvanized as I assume then it hard...to get anything stuck on it.
then talk to the people at powder coating, this is professional work, not your DIY krylon etc.

best luck.

i did a quick search in our area and found this place, so i am sure there are plenty.

http://finefinishshop.com/

good luck.

sorry i don't have ideas for how you might paint them but maybe for your Easter dinner party, you could lay a nice heavy white table cloth over your table and the contrast with the brown chairs will be lovely. chair covers would hide the lines that are the mark of the Marais chairs.

you don't want to rush a good paint job for your chairs.

Someone once told me they got metal furniture repainted at Maaco ... the car painting place. I don't think its powder coated, but car paint is pretty tough.

Too bad you're not in Ohio - my dad owns an autobody shop and would gladly paint them for you. Car paint is not the same as powder coating but it's tough as hell. I'd keep asking around at autobody shops.

the brown is beautiful, and fits the feel of the chair, and your space. maybe a temporary (slip cover, as mentioned above) solution for easter?

another quick comment - it looks like you have more than enough space, why don't you pull your dining table off the wall and create a real dining area with chairs on all 4 sides of the table?

If a business is giving you the runaround - there are plenty of other places around who will appreciate your business.

Only powdercoat them if the finish isn't original. Otherwise I agree with amt230. Pull your table out, replace the dining room rug with one that pulls the dining room and kitchen together -- the kitchen green is lovely, and so are the dining room curtains, and both go with the brown chairs. Then, for Easter, fill the room with some lovely flowers and invest in some nice table linens. All this will cost less than the cost, and trouble, of powdercoating your totally cool chairs.

And, if you're still intent on powdercoating, go with the phonebook under "powdercoating." I did that once when I wanted a metal chest painted, but opted out when I found out the cost. Thing is, for your chairs, it will be expensive, probably $100-200 per chair.

a great idea for finding powder coaters is to check with the local bicycle enthusiasts. they all know--because a lot of people get bikes powdercoated. i know DC has a very good bike nonprofit, call them and ask.

Normally I'd just go to town with a can of white appliance paint, but those are designer chairs - first one I see on google costs $250 each new. Probably best not to rush-job it and work around them for your easter decorating scheme.

Good luck! I don't have anything useful to offer, but I did want to comment that I have the same curtains. =D The chairs are fabulous!

I recommend Competitive Edge Coatings in Hartford CT. They definitely do furniture items, they have a quick turnaround time, and they're very reasonably priced. You can get there in about 90 minutes from your location--they are right off route 91 at the Brainard exit iin Hartford. They did a bunch of radiators for me and I was hugely satisfied.

i don't know much about powdercoating... but i agree in this recession you are bound to find a place that will do it for you if one place isn't willing.

i agree with other posters though that if its not a job that can be done in time by professionals don't do it yourself. those chairs are beautiful as is. although i do love the white too. a white or cream table cloth would lighten things up, and provide contrast you are looking for.

good luck!

Powder coating typically cost around $3 a foot (that's what we pay). It would look much better and it would last a hell of a lot longer - especially in a high traffic area like a kitchen.

Don't know anything about powder coating, but... Hai thar, little kitty cat!

Being a Furniture Designer/MAKER- and
having just been QUITE pleased with 2 Lamp Bases I got back from a "new" (to me) PowderCoater in the Chicago suburbs- I can offer this advice.
PowderCoaters often run many stock colors-such as white,
black etc,
The idea is to be "happy' with a color that they run as part of their normal production.
having to re-load,clean up, etc- just for one "special powder" (and if you google Tiger-Drylacs pigment charts you'll be like a kid in a candy shop)...
That said-
when shopping for a PowderCoated-
use these keywords-
"one-seys & two-seys"-
as in....."Hi there -
I have a question, pause- Do you do one-seys and twoseys?"
Many PowderCoaters won't be bothered.
In this rough spot of an economy- many shops are real slow -
and will Powder Coat yer Momma, if ya want em to.

Also - the parts need to be clean- meaning stripped/sandblasted of all prior paint/powdercoating.
OH
- and finally-
Automotive Finishes aint got nuttin on PowerCoating!
I often have wondered why the Big 3 don't PowderCoat their products- They'd last 100 times longer-
and not fade in UV light if the right Powders are used....
and I'm sure the answer is cost to "touch-it-up" is prohibitive.

what a sweet cat!

(sorry, don't know anything about powder-coating.)

Take them to any custom motorcycle shop and they should be able to do it for you.

I know this is a very old question, but I'll add my two cents since someone else may happen upon this post, just as I did. Yes, you can paint over a powder coat finish, in many cases. I have done it several times, with excellent results. I've spray painted metal patio furniture as well as several exterior light fixtures and gotten results indistinguishable from professional results. The determining factor seems to be whether the existing powder coat is in good condition or not. If so, select the color spray paint you want (I like to use good old Rustoleum for metal) in the finish you want. Everything I have painted has been done using a satin finish, which seems to best mimic the sheen of the powder coat. Use your judgment. Then, just make sure the surface is clean and free of dust and grease, and start painting with light, short passes of the can. The texture of the existing powder coat will show through (and surprisingly, the texture will be maintained - it isn't "dulled" in any way by the paint as long as you use light coats.)

If the existing powder coat is in terrible shape, with lots of chips, you might want to consider professional sandblasting and a new powder coat. But, powder coat finish spray paint is now available. I have not tried it, but you might want to test an inconspicuous area of your chairs, or another piece of metal, to see what the results are like. You might be able to use steel wool to remove any lose paint and then paint with the powder coat paint. I want to stress, though, that if the underlying coat is in good shape, and you're just looking to change the color, just use regular spray paint (and satin is probably your best choice unless you have a very flat finish item.) You want the finish to be as thin as possible, so if you can avoid painting a powder coat on top of a powder coat (as would be the case when using powder coat spray paint) you should do so.

As for the space issue - I have spray painted inside my own apartment by placing drop cloths all over the place, and opening my windows. It worked fine... I was just very careful.

Lizee, thanks! I did happen upon this question hoping to find something easy and affordable. I am wanting to repaint a bunk bed that's all primary colors! We need something more purple and pink instead of red and blue :). I will try to do this myself in my apartment.

I forgot to mention the issue of primer! I just once again spray painted a metal light fixture - this time an interior (vanity) light fixture. It had a rather matte finish, so I didn't prime it ahead of time. I didn't prime the other items I mentioned in my earlier post, either, and got great adhesion and coverage. But, if you're trying to paint something with a glossy finish, or you're just not sure, you should probably prime first with a spray primer. Of course, just as with paint, use light short strokes to avoid dripping or heavy build-up.