It is possible to use a powder coating that looks like chrome after it has been applied. For instance many parts that are nickel plated have a microdiscontinuous or microcracked chromium coating over them.
Disadvantages And Benefits Of Powder Coating
Can chrome be powder coated over. The chrome needs to be of good quality and not peeling. Chrome is too smooth and slippery. Powder coatings have been applied successfully over chrome plating for many years. So the first step in powder coating chrome is to strip the chrome surface. Chrome looks great but not after it has been scratched up or exposed to the elements and gotten rusty. Yes you can powder coat chrome parts but there are some exceptions.
However there are some variables that could play into whether you should coat over it or not. I dont want that to happen to mine of course. I recommend that you first neutralize the surface and remove any salts from the plating system by first rinsing the parts in virgin di water. There are quite a few reputable shops in my area that do powder coating so i have options for where to take my parts. In order to do the job properly you must strip the chrome surface off of the parts and then apply the powder coating. First and foremost its important to realize that you cant powder coat over chrome.
Powder coating needs to be applied to a surface that it can grip. Other materials that cant be powder coated include rubber plastic wood and anything else that melts at high temperatures. Of course dont forget to dry the parts before powder coating. But the bright shiny part that most people call chrome is the nickel underneath. Here are the top four things to consider when powder coating over powder coat. A straight chromium plating is generally duller and is used for abrasion resistance sometimes with tooling.
Powder coating wont slip. Typically if the coating is newer and recently powder coated. You also have to accept that their will be less adhesion with powder coated chrome vs. In order to qualify for powder coating the metal or material youre working with doesnt have to be new or in perfect condition but it will need to be prepped. I know it can be done i just want to make sure it will be done right. Here are some things to keep in mind if you are considering having a powder coat put on chrome parts.
A sandblasted part as the chrome is very smooth so there is not much for the powder to grip on to. Ive seen tons of powder coated chrome parts where the powder coat flacked bubbled or pealed off in spots. This is how to powder coat chrome. The powder coating wont stick to the chrome. The condition of the metal.