Choosing a color for your custom medical cart may not be an exceedingly difficult issue. Many customers already have a custom color scheme that reflects their brand. However, the extensive options for powder coat finishing may throw you through a loop. No worries! Here’s a basic guide on glosses and textures, thanks to our consultant Dan Wolf from Akzo Nobel Powder Paint.
Gloss
Glossy finishes—like a smooth poly-TGIC—are compatible with any chemistry or material. There are four levels of gloss.
Gloss Levels
1. Matte
- Levels 0-10
- A matte gloss, also known as “flat,” gloss has almost no shine to it.
2. Satin
- Levels 20-40
- A satin gloss is less two-dimensional than the matte gloss but doesn’t have a clear reflective.
3. Medium Gloss
- Levels 40-60
- A medium gloss is a little more reflective.
4. Full Gloss
- Levels 80 or higher
- A full gloss is very shiny and reflective.
You can really tell the differences in gloss finishes in each of these photos from the crispness of the reflections.
Textures
Textures offer a little more visual depth and tangibility to product surfaces. An innumerable amount of textures exists, which are also compatible with any color.
Here’s a few more common textures:
Sand Texture
A sand texture looks similar to sandpaper but cannot be paired with anything above a 20 on the gloss scale.
Hammer Texture
A hammer texture looks similar to a golf ball, or an orange rind, and is more likely to be paired with a higher gloss. Keep in mind that the hammer texture will detract from its reflective clarity.
Wrinkle
A wrinkle texture looks similar to the sand texture, except it’s “tighter” and feels rougher. Wrinkle textures are not compatible with glosses.
Below you can see a better visual representation of the difference between a wrinkle and sand texture.
Which option is best for your custom medical cart?
More people are leaning away from high glosses in favor of textures because the latter doesn’t show as much wear and tear. In the medical field, carts will more than likely collect scuffs, scratches and dents from everyday use. In addition to showing exterior damage, gloss finishes also require higher finishing requirements from a manufacturing standpoint. Gloss finishes will show grind marks and scratches made to the surface throughout fabrication. This means that you will inevitably have to invest in a higher finishing standard. Textures will cover this without the higher finishing standard, so it’s more cost effective in the long run.
Both texture and gloss finishes have similar ease of cleanability and are compatible with an anti-microbial additive that helps to fight against disease and infection.
Do you have a custom medical cart project or powder coating need? HUI has many developed colors in both texture and gloss to choose from for your project, so contact us today. We’re happy to help!
