RoadGuy

I don't find powdercoat limiting at all myself.

There are an unlimited number of colors, and you can actually mix custom colors if you want. You need to vist several shops and find one that stocks an assortment of colors, or is willing to sepecial order a color for you or mix it. When I have something powdercoated, the shop I use has catalogs of colors from different manufacturers, as well as sample of colors that are in stock.

The thickness of the coating can vary just like paint. The person applying it controls how thick it is. Details are not necessarily lost due to the thickness of the coat, but the surface is normally prepared by blasting and some detail can be lost depending on what the blasting media is, and how much air pressure is used.

To me, the only limiting factors when considering powdercoating is the maximum temperature that the base material/s can stand, and the value of the item/s in when compared to the cost of the process and ultimate value.

I have a couple of paint sprayers and a healthy size compressor, but the cost of powdercoating is still competitive/lower because the cost of paint keeps going up along with the materials necessary to prep, spray, and clean up, when done has push the cost of paint up over the cost of sending/taking items over to the powdercoater (two blocks away from my house).

You can also powdercoat items yourself at home (powdercoating tool setups can be had for less than $150). The limitation is the size of the oven that you have access to for baking the coating. I don't think it would be a great idea to cure powdercoated objects in your home oven. You could get an oven for free out of Craigslist for exclusive use in the garage, but you would still be limited to whatever fits.