How Schools can Save Money with Powder Coating Services
Running a school is no easy task. Administrators in charge of public schools are constantly challenged to do more with less. You can have amazing facilities and curriculums on a budget, but it takes careful strategy. One of the biggest challenges is keeping your grounds and supplies up-to-date. Furniture, equipment, and facilities age over time and need to be refurbished or replaced, but your annual budget likely doesn’t include a new playground or two-hundred new student desks when the paint starts to chip.
Fortunately, there are other handy ways to keep your school in great condition without over-spending. Powder coating, for example, is a great method for any school to stay pristine on a budget. With powder coating, you can refinish and restore almost any metal asset, making it ready for reuse in like-new condition. For this reason, powder coating is an excellent way to save money for your school while simultaneously updating your grounds and equipment.
Restore and Remodel
There are two ways that schools can put powder coating to the best possible use. The first is to restore metal assets to like-new quality, making them ready for reliable reuse. The second is to remodel, using powder coating’s unique color palette and durability to visually reinvent your school without going over-budget with new assets.
Schools Can Restore and Reuse
The ability for a school to restore old assets and make use of second-hand assets is vital. Used equipment costs less, especially if the outer finish or paint has begun to wear off. But powder coating changes that. Powder coating is a complete new finish that sandblasts away all the old finish or rust on any metal object. The new finish is solid, stronger, more flexible, and more durable than paint so your restored assets can be kept in-use for years without worrying about chipping paint or rust.
You can restore the school’s older assets that might otherwise be slated for discard. You can also pick up additional equipment for a steal if you’re willing to take on refinishing
Remodel with Powder Coating
Your other option is to remodel and recolor your entire school with the help of powder coating. Whether you are refinishing old assets or buying new-used assets, powder coating gives you the freedom to fully customize the color of an extremely durable finish. When your school powder-coats, you have the choice of any color palette imaginable. You can finish all metal objects in school colors, a rainbow, or color-coded by grade level. Take control of your school’s decor and reinforce the finish on metal assets at the same time.
The two methods are not mutually exclusive. You can and should get creative with the colors you choose when powder-coating any assets for the school, new or old.
Restore Playground Equipment
One of the fantastic things that powder coating can do for schools is to restore playground equipment. Playground equipment is among the most expensive single investment any school will make, and it must be updated or refinished from time to time. The paint on metal poles tends to chip away over the years, and chipping paint is not safe for children. Younger children might eat chipping paint while any child might injure their hands on the jagged edge left by the paint or the rust that forms underneath. And we all know the folly of repainting over a layer of chipped paint.
With powder coating, you don’t have to repaint a shoddy finish or splurge for new playground equipment. Powder-coat the metal assets of your playground. This is your chance to reinvent the color-scheme and invest in the future. Powder-coating does not chip and it will stay intact for many years of play.
Refinish Second-Hand Toys
Elementary schools are secret depositories of second-hand toys. Teachers tend to stock their own classrooms with toys over the years and gym instructors collect equipment that can be used for play and sport. However, there’s often not much of a school budget for buying new toys that children can play with. Second-hand toys are often the best investment, but they’re not always beautiful on the way in.
Powder coating is useful for more than just stationary fixtures like playgrounds. It’s also perfect for metal toys and equipment like tricycles, wagons, scooters, bicycles, and puzzle toys. Anything metal can be coated and cured so that it has a perfect new finish in any brilliant color looks best with your school. Powder-coating second-hand toys is a wonderful way to give your students like-new toys without breaking your budget.
Keep Desks in Rotation
Desk supply is a serious consideration for any school. There is a constant demand for new or working desks as your current supply ages. Occasionally, a desk breaks or becomes too rickety to place a student in, which can mean a desk shortage. You may have a few dozen back-up desks in storage but keeping desks in rotation becomes a hobby for teachers and school administrators.
One of the things that can take a desk out of rotation is a flaking finish. Paint or clearcoat that is flaking off can become a hazard to the children, and sometimes a distraction. If you need to restore or even rebuild a few desks to keep your school’s desk supply above the line, powder coating can help. Rather than repainting a flaking old desk, take your desks in to be sand-blasted and beautifully refinished in your choice of colors. These desks will be ready to reassemble, even better than they were new.
Redesign the Cafeteria
Another great way to put powder coating to work for your school is in the cafeteria. The lunchroom is one of the most important rooms in the entire school. It’s look and feel will determine the atmosphere for every child during lunch. A festive and/or color-coded lunchroom can have a positive impact on mood and behavior.
If your lunch-room tables are getting shabby, refinish them with powder coating. In fact, if your lunch trays are metal you can refinish them in delightful colors as well. Powder coating is a great way to redecorate because it is non-toxic and it lasts for years without damage. No matter how many thousands of little feet kick the tables, powder coating won’t scratch or scuff.
Upgrade and Restore Lab Equipment
For middle-schools and above, one constant equipment concern is lab supplies. Science equipment is a vital part of any rounded curriculum and students must have a chance to work hands-on with the science concepts they are covering. Powder-coating is fantastic for lab gear and science equipment In fact, many don’t know this but powder coating can also be used on glass.
Whether you are buying new or used lab equipment, powder coating allows you to refinish every metal item and color-code them by lab and set. Consider how much easier it will be to keep track of science kits that are color-coded to match in each classroom. You can restore older lab equipment to like-new quality and you can bring a little extra color to the school lab to both enhance learning and improve organization.
Expand the Sports Equipment Collection
Sports equipment can also benefit from powder-coating. Especially equipment that needs to be installed. Permanent emplacements like football goals, tennis net posts, fences, and soccer goals can all be improved with powder coating. You can buy used bleachers and refinish them for more seating during your students’ various sporting events. You can refinish old bats and rackets by blasting away the rust and old finish first, then powder-coating.
Your school might be able to return a stack of sports equipment to use one it’s refinished, and purchase a stack more second-hand at a budget if you’re ready to refinish. With powder-coating, your sports programs can benefit significantly while staying under-budget for new equipment.
Reinforce the Fences
We’ve talked about how powder coating can be used for fences before, but this is particularly important in the context of a school. The fences surrounding and framing school grounds are interacted with constantly. Children often like to hang out by the fences, try to climb the fences, and touch the fences as they walk to and from school. Your school fences also need to be in top condition for keeping out strangers.
This means your fences need to be in top condition. Powder-coating can help you do that without replacing your fences every 5-10 years. Powder coating can make your school fences rust-proof and decorative at the same time. Blast away rust and old paint so the fences are safe to touch. Then add cured powder coating to make your fences impervious to scratches or poor weather. This way, you can maintain the security and appearance of your school grounds without having to invest in new fencing.
Improve Your School and Save with Powder Coating
Whether you run an elementary school, middle school, or high school, staying under-budget is a constant challenge. With powder-coating, you can restore the school’s old metal assets and invest in second-hand assets. All while making your school look more beautiful than ever before. Powder coating allows you to choose any color and finish while making all coated items weather-proof, scuff-proof, and scratch-resistant.
Considering refinishing your school with powder coating? Contact us today!
