In the years before stainless I found that the widest range of finishes could be put onto shot blasted and hot metal zinc sprayed surfaces ...the zinc does not have to be treated with a mordant as it would with galvanized and the shot profile allows paints and dies to be applied reliably ....I tended to use dies ( wood stains) and gold and bronze dust ....then finished with satin yacht varnish.
You are correct in thinking that more expensive metals often work out cheaper in the long run ...especially for large installations where paint can get damaged during lifting.
Pepsi
hot metal zinc spray
In the years before stainless I found that the widest range of finishes could be put onto shot blasted and hot metal zinc sprayed surfaces ...the zinc does not have to be treated with a mordant as it would with galvanized and the shot profile allows paints and dies to be applied reliably ....I tended to use dies ( wood stains) and gold and bronze dust ....then finished with satin yacht varnish.
You are correct in thinking that more expensive metals often work out cheaper in the long run ...especially for large installations where paint can get damaged during lifting.
Pepsi