apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have the same question! Sarah Richardson is ALWAYS getting things spray painted and they look great. Only in Canada??

I've taken chairs to my local auto body shop. I scuff them first then bring them to my man Fritz.

I've used:

West Coast Powder Coating
165 Mitchell Ave
SOUTH San Francisco
(650) 871-0400

and also a place in Burlingame/San Mateo, on the borderline of both towns on Amphlett, that I cannot locate the name for. Both have done an excellent job (furniture, heating registers) but I'll probably keep going back to West Coast.

I would recommend asking a few furniture places or interior designers in your area who they use instead of trying to look a company up in the yellow pages or something. I only know of ones in LA :(

Interesting question. I don't know what color you want to paint that dresser but I think it looks amazing the way it is.

Any know of one in NYC, who would do Kitchen cabinets? I'd like a nice job and don't trust myself to do it.

anyone

can wood be powder coated? just curious?

I sometimes send things to an Auto Body Shop to be painted. Cost efficient and the paint goes on evenly.

-Karen
www.cheekyliving.com
http://blog.cheekyliving.com/

abddesign, would you give the names of the places in la? I have a tanker desk that I want to refinish but need more refrences than Rehab Vintage.

No, wood is not powder coated.

I second that request for LA paint resources, abdesign. I have some finish damaged side tables that I would love to get auto lacquered so they don't have to just sit in storage. Any recommendations for places that will do that sort of work in Los Angeles? And how much does that sort of work typically cost?

Powder coating is great for SOLIDLY built metal furniture. by solidly, I mean all parts are welded together well. I once had a great antique metal display cabinet and took it to be powdered coated and it fell apart in the ovens. The powder coaters were good and experienced with all sorts of metal furniture so they were upset that this happened.

True, wood isn't powder coated, I was paying attention to the question in the text rather than the imagery (since I wasn't sure that was the item in question). Powder coating is a specialty, for certain, but the powder coating company I used in Burlingame/San Mateo did regular spray painting - on all types of pieces. It's worth calling around and sending an email w/picture of the item - and dimensions - that you want them to estimate based on. As for finding someone a designer uses, I don't personally believe that's necessary, it's more about finding someone who understands proper PREP procedures for whatever piece you want painted/coated.

wood CAN be powdercoated, however it isn't done by traditional automotive powdercoaters. it's a different process as the a finisher has to adjust the process, taking into account the properties of the wood. it's a speciality industry-find someone that has done it before because you don't want someone experimenting with your piece! when done properly, it is a lot more durable than typical spray finishes. it's definitely not necessary for this project in my opinion; i'd consider it for commercial applications.

I think you could paint that yourself without too much stress, honestly. Take all the drawers out, lightly sand and wash with TSP substitute, tape off areas you don't want painted, prime, and spray paint. (You'd need a garage or similar space with good ventilation, or you could use non-spray paint, too.)

Seems like the money you'd spend having this painted would largely cover the "grunt work." I've painted lots of furniture, and as long as you prep well and take your time, there's no magic needed - just care.

edava72, I did a lot of research a couple of years ago when looking to have an old steel medical cabinet powder-coated. I remember one body shop telling me they'd stopped painting furniture, and I remember I eventually found a place outside the city that would pick up and deliver, but their quote was around $900, and as I was cold-calling I had no sense of the quality of their work. Maybe if you're familiar with Brooklyn or Queens you can have a look around for local body shops and walk in and ask.

Design Girl: wood cannot be powder coated. Powder coating by definition involves "powdering" an object and heat "curing" the object. Unless you're talking about something made out of MDF (I don't consider MDF wood) that you could care less about warping or ruining and you want to spend a ton of money, forget powder coating wood! See the Wiki definition of powder coating which explains the process...