Eastern Auto Paints Melbourne
PPG Hammertone Mixed Colours
PPG Hammertone Mixed Colours
What is a hammertone coating?
Hammertone coating is a specialist coating application that, when dried, looks like hammered metal. Consequently, it is also known as hammer paint or hammered finish paint. It is a popular application to coat metal applications and equipment such as trailers, tools, railings and pumps, just to name a few. As well as providing a decorative, aesthetically pleasing and corrosion resistant coating for metal, hammertone coating can also be applied to certain plastics and woods when applied over a suitable bonding primer.
What is the best way to apply a hammertone coating?
Most variants of hammered finish paint – such as 311 HAMMERTONE – can be applied to applications by spray and small areas could be coated by brush or roller. The coating is extremely versatile and will provide a fast drying, durable surface. Hammer finish paint can also be directly applied to steel, however, for a better and longer lasting coat it is recommended to apply an anti-corrosive primer unless a direct to metal (DTM) type hammertone is selected.
How is hammer paint created?
The unique coating system is made using a special lacquer that has minerals suspended into the mixture to give it an iridescent look – the most common mineral used for this purpose is mica. Mica is a resilient, insulating and lightweight mineral that provides a reflective aesthetic as well as making it hard and scratch-resistant. Alternatively, aluminium or bronze powder may be used. In order to make the ‘hammered’ effect more pronounced a small amount of silicone oil would then be added to the coating.
What are the advantages of using hammertone coating?
The visual advantage of applying a hammer finish paint is that surfaces have an attractive finish even if the underlying surface is not flat and smooth. For regular paint to look smooth, the surface would have to be prepared properly first – by sanding or grinding. Hammer paint means that this step can be omitted and offers great hiding power of surface imperfections such as welding seams etc.
Consequently, hammertone coatings are usually used as a decorative application in addition to acting as a protective coating. Certain hammer finish paint made using superior resin systems offers improved exterior durability and UV protection.