Meet the Makers: High Performance Primer and Finish Coat
We’ve poured 30 years of research into our architectural-grade Primer and Finish Coatings. Offered in 25 nature-inspired colors, our coatings are environmentally friendly and formulated to deliver a performance finish that outlasts all others.
Our powder coating is applied by hand—after our protective EC2 titanium coating is flash-fused to our solid aluminum furniture. To ensure a flawless finish, we conduct multiple inspections between each top coat.
Like a plein air painter’s palette, our finishes are inspired by the landscape. This color sensibility is informed by the work of artist Anne Adams Robertson, the acclaimed watercolorist and mother of our co-founders.
We also develop custom finish colors for our clients. Whether it’s a paint chip, fabric sample, or a bloom from your garden, we can formulate the perfect match.
Get To Know Joe
Joe has been on the McKinnon and Harris team for eight years. Formerly our Coating Supervisor, he is now our Continuous Improvement Coordinator and helps us develop new powder coating initiatives.
What did you do before working with McKinnon and Harris?
I went to VCU Arts School, with a focus on illustration. From there I ran a 100 year old letterpress for Worth Higgins, a local printing company.
What’s your favorite McKinnon and Harris finish color?
What do you like to do outside of work?
I enjoy woodworking, going to concerts, and searching for vinyl on the weekends.
Are there any makers or artists you admire?
There is an illustrator who goes by Boneface. He does album work for some of the bands I like. And I admire the work of Hiroshi, a woodworker out of Japan.
What's your favorite book?
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick takes a futuristic view of a post-apocalyptic world. It’s a science fiction classic, published in 1968.
GET TO KNOW BOWSER
Bowser was referred to McKinnon and Harris through a friend and has been with the team for over two years. He worked in our sandblasting booth and is now a workshop supervisor.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to explore art—most weekends you can find me at the VMFA (the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond). I also style photoshoots and produce music. Another McKinnon and Harris team member, Akeem, writes music and I help produce it.
What’s your favorite piece of furniture?
Are there any makers or artists you admire?
Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat arrived on New York’s downtown art scene in the early 1980s. He was just 27 when he died in ‘88, but his work lives on.
What's your favorite thing about living in Richmond?
It’s close to everything. As a college town, Richmond has provided the opportunity to meet people from so many backgrounds; people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.
What's your favorite book?
"Mort" by Terry Pratchett and "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse.
If you could participate in any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Do they have Olympic sleeping? I’d do that. Just give me a sleep mask and sound machine with wave noises!
