Painting a chain link fence

[Big Al]

Have an old chain link fence that's starting to rust. I want to paint it black. What is the best way? One of my concerns is not painting my neighbor's house:) Recommendations on paint?

Al

[Mark and Gloria Hagwood]

Locate a large piece of cardboard, such as a refrigerator carton. Use that on the opposite side of the fence as a shield. I'd spray with an airless gun, but guess that rolling with a 1" pile roller might work also. When finished, go and to the other side.

Mark

[hallerb]

sadly it will never look right, at all parts that touch rust will continue since things touch and move. been there done that..

better to replace mesh and be done with it.

[Puddin' Man]

1.) If you're going to do anything with it, do it soon. The rust is truly your mortal enemy. 2.) If you just paint it black, the rust will bleed back thru muy pronto. 2.) Surface prep to treat rust can be a severe PITA. But it's unavoidable.

Back in '97, I treated material rust on my CL fence with a Rustoleum product, then applied aluminum paint with a thick nap roller (very messy). The finish is still good, no rust bleed-thru. Onliest thing I can recommend (and it doesn't come in black).

Good Luck, Puddin'

[Phisherman]

Remove the rust using a wire brush. Prime with rusty metal Rustoleum primer. Paint with Rustoleum (black) paint. Normally, chain link fences are painted silver. I recommend using a roller and moving the roller lengthwise diagonally in the groove of the chain link fence. The process goes much smoother/faster having someone paint on the opposite side. Wear old clothes.

[scott21230]

Replace the mesh with vinyl coated mesh the coror that you want. Green and black are readily available. When I had my custom gate made, it was no extra to get it too.

[hallerb]

yeah the trouble is you cant paint the wire mesh where it touches and besides these wires move so paint doesnt stay intact.

painting is a temporary fix at best, and will require frequent repainting.

black may make the rusty more noticeable//

[Jay]

Al:

Be sure to check with your local building permits office.

Where I am 6 feet or under doesn't require a permit (permit is waived) but over 6 feet does and it's a fairly hefty price, IMHO, for something as simple as a fence.

Jay

[George E. Cawthon]

One can't possibly need a permit to paint an existing fence, so what are you talking about?

[jimmiedee]

A roller works as good as anything I have tried.

[Big Al]

This fence is on top of a short block wall and the fence is rusting. The wall has rust stains on it. That is one reason I want to paint it, to stop the rust. The other reason is it's in the path of my view. Being galvanized, it is not as transparent as a brown or black fence would be.

Al

[Bob M.]

Use a paint sprayer. Should you want to paint the wall, sprayers are about the best way to paint concrete and cinder block too.

[David]

replying to Jay, David wrote: I'm 6'9". Do I need a permit to paint my fence? How much of a "hefty price" do I need to pay because of my height. I already have to pay (physically and emotionally) when I fly and buy clothes...now I have pay extra to paint my fence because of my height?

[Roy]

Why in gawd's name would anyone paint a chain-link fence? =====

[DerbyDad03]

10 year old thread, but I'll play along.

If I'm looking to buy (or sell) a house, which of these has more curb appeal?

Before:

After:

[Dawnababes]

replying to DerbyDad03, Dawnababes wrote: We?re in the process of buying a house with a chain link fence and I?m wanting to paint it black when we get in there and then use a different gate. Definitely the black fence has more curb appeal.

[proudhomeowner]

Dawnababes, any luck on the fence? I recently started researching painting my chain-link fence black and no one talks about it being galvanized... that's a different story all-together. I planned on rolling the paint on the fence and found out oil-based paints will have a reaction to the zinc plated or galvanized surfaces so you'll need to prime the whole thing first. Double-duty!! Rustoleum makes a chain-link fence paint, but it's not tintable and is silver... I don't want that either. was wondering if you found anything that works? Thanks

[Tekkie®]

proudhomeowner posted for all of us...

Get some Rust-Oleum International Orange or White. That's what they paint communication towers with.

[marc rammelaere]

replying to scott21230, marc rammelaere wrote: don't use the vinyl coated mesh. They look good until they rot and break. The metal is rusting in the plastic coating quite fast especially in hot tropical environments. The galvanized fabric last forever if you paint it every ten year with aluminium silver paint. The rusty section you can treat first with phosphoric acid.