When I read a statement like paint 'em (the wheels) and leave the powdercoating to patio furnature, --again, ...I can't help but chuckle. Chances are that if I or many others here were to spray coat wheels with a paint, it would likely be PPG's Concept paint. Basically this urethane paint when catalyzed with a chemical to cure the paint would be a thin layer of plastic paint possibly with a primer (i.e. Epoxy) underneath. If I were to powdercoat those same wheels, I typically use a very finely milled polyester powder that when heated to cure it, it becomes a plastic paint. Therefore, there really is no difference except the powder paint process is a little more enviro friendly because the lack of airborne solvents and its effects on the person applying it.
Now another misconception with powdercoating is the quality of the materials used. Let me put it this way, if I were looking for a quality paint job that will last a long time (good shell for chip resistance, good UV holdout, pigment purity, etc.) I would use a good quality paint such as PPG's Concept, DuPonts Chroma series, etc. What I would not do is go down to Tractor Supply and buy a gallon of their signature-series Implement Black paint for use when I wanted the characteristics of lasting a long time. Now surely you know there is a huge price difference between the $49 and the $280 dollar paint, and the same applies between the quality of powder paints out there. Common sense should prevail that we cannot paint a wheel for $25 each if we are going to use the $280 a gallon paint! That same mindset applies to shops that offer bargain pricing on powder painting wheels. You get what you pay for and if the bargain pricing is a value to you, then that is OK but please don't complain about flow-out and durability of powdercoating.
