Powder coating finishes: textured, structured, vs. plain

A. Hi, Kannan.

Plain is self explanatory, and textured is pretty much so, probably anything along the lines from leather-like grain to wrinkled.

"Structured" seems to be a newer word in the powder coating lingo, used to describe coatings that are more of a "hammertone" look than textured. Of course, all such words are slang and tend to mean little out of context. I think you should look at paint chips which the supplier represents as "structured" so you have a have a clear mutual understanding.

As for advantages and disadvantages, I'm confident that it's 90% appearance. Good luck.

Regards,

A. The first thing to consider in choosing a PC finish is-- are my requirements decorative or functional. If functional then what is the purpose of the coating? I would choose epoxy based powder for chemical resistance or very low gloss finishes. For exterior weather resistance-- a polyester based powder would be my first choice or Acrylic if available. For internal decorative purposes, epoxy polyester powders will meet your requirements.
Having chosen the resin system to meet the demands of the surrounding environment the choice of aesthetic value to add to the visual experience can now be considered. I would suggest that your powder supplier can offer more special effects than the three you mention. Here is a list. Your supplier may have more or less special effects than those listed.
1)Plain
2)Hammer.
3)Texture, fine - heavy.
4)Metallic, must be over coated if destined for exterior destination or refurbishing of alloy wheels.
5)Candy.
6)Crackle
7)Wrinkle, fine coarse.
8)Wood Grain effect.
9)Marble effect.
10)Crocodile. I have not seen this around for many years. The effect was almost similar to a crackle finish but with raised geometrical square peaks with narrow troughs-- rightly named Crocodile finish.
If you are unfamiliar with any of the above-- I am sure Google will supply an answer.
Terry

A. Hi Soma. That was already answered, with the problem persisting that we can't put a fine point on slang or casually used terms :-)
You & I could get together and look at two finishes and call one "structured" and the other "textured", but in a world of 7-1/2 billion people no rule or law prevents two other people from getting together, looking at the same finishes, and assigning the opposite labels to them. Miscommunication is still among the biggest problems in business, so paint chips showing what you want and what you don't want are probably the best way to go.

Regards,