Aluminum Stand HELP!
 

I'm planning on doing a aluminum stand for my new build would i need to powder coat it to prevent it from corroding?

Anodizing would be better......but powder coating would be fine if done properly.

Anodizing is actually a form of corrosion that adds a hardness to the surface of most aluminum alloys, 6601 T6 being the alloy most familiar. A hard anodize finish is vastly superior to any powder coat (paint) for many reasons. It truly resists scratching, will never peel off, is color fast, and is very corrosion resistant. Note that there are soft anodize finishes (look kind of shiny, and shallow) that are crap, always ask for a hard anodized finish (duller and deeper color). Hard anodize is only available in deep silver and black or slightly bronze color. The dip in electrically charged sulfuric acid (must use titanum racks to caddy the aluminum in this acid) should be one hour long, and the finished product must be properly sealed afterwards by quenching (I'm not too sure about this process, but I do know that it is very important). In the marine industry, we swear by hard black anodize on all aluminum product. Powder coat is a distant second.
But for your choices for color powder coating is endless and if you anodize the workmanship must be top notch as you will see ever inperfection in the aluminum as it does not fill deep scraches In my opinion I would powder coat it as it leaves a nice finish and will be cheaper .I love the crinkle powder coat finish I attached some pictures so you can see the difference between a smooth powder coat finish or the crinkle
But to answer your question yes I would put a finish to prevent corrosion.But since this is a stand and not a part that will see abuse or harsh weather another option would be either just use a clear coat if your looking for the aluminum look or even better epoxy prime it and have it painted..

thanks for the great info ED

I worked for many years around anodized aluminum "tools" and powder coated surfaces in a marine environment. If you can afford anodizing, I would say go for it because of the great scratch resistance and easy cleaning. Powder coating will eventually fail and be difficult to repair in place. This site may have good info for you: http://www.finishing.com/Letters/#2a.