Fabrication · 5 min read · 2026-10-08
Essential, Select or Modern: choosing a coating for steel gates in Kenya
How primer, paint and galvanising compare, and which coating to choose for inland and coastal sites.
A steel gate is only as good as its coating. Rust starts at welds, edges and anywhere water sits, and once it spreads under the paint the gate needs stripping and repainting. The choice of coating system decides how long that takes.
Essential: primer and enamel
The surface is wire-brushed or ground, then given a red-oxide primer and two coats of alkyd gloss enamel, about 100 µm in total. It is the most affordable option and suits interior work, sheltered sites and staff quarters, with repainting every few years.
Select: blast-cleaned epoxy system
Steel is grit-blasted to Sa 2½ to remove mill scale, then coated with a zinc-rich epoxy primer, an epoxy intermediate coat and a polyurethane top coat, about 200 µm in total. This is our standard recommendation for homes, estates and commercial sites inland.
Modern: galvanised plus powder coat
The fabricated gate is hot-dip galvanised to ISO 1461, then sweep-blasted and powder coated. The zinc protects the steel even where the paint is scratched. Choose it for Mombasa and other coastal sites, and wherever you want the longest life.
Our advice
- Inland homes and estates: Select.
- Coastal or industrial atmospheres: Modern.
- Budget interior work: Essential.
- Whatever the tier, ask for the coating thickness reading at handover.