Painting Your Lock Box - Powder Coating and Scuffing

All of the lock boxes sold through our company are given a primer powder coating to make sure they'll last as long as your storage container does. Three common questions that we get is, "What's powder coating?", "Why is it better than a standard primer paint?" and "How the heck do I paint over it?"

According to Wikipedia:

Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin". The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as household appliances, aluminium extrusions, and automobile and bicycle parts. Newer technologies allow other materials, such as MDF (medium-density fibreboard), to be powder coated using different methods.

According to our painter:

Basically, powder coating provides a strong paint that is baked on and will withstand high temperatures, wind, rain, snow, nearly any chemical solvent, and once it's scuffed up it will take a finish coat of paint really nicely.  You don't have to worry about it peeling off or flaking because it's bonded with the metal.

Giving your Lock Box a Finish Coat of Paint

Before you apply any paint to your lock box you'll want to scuff it lightly with a fine grit sand paper.  Scuffing allows the finish paint to better bond with the powder coating, and it will come out looking great.  We recommend using standard spray paint out of a rattle can.  It will give a smooth even coat and look as good as if a professional did it!