Painting iron railing..

[Grendel]

gonna paint my front railing that's rusty in areas. Here's my plan

1. Cover area with dropcloths

2.. Remove loose paint and loose rust with wire brush Leave light surface rust as is.

1. Lightly sand whole railing for better paint adhesion
2. Wash railing and let it dry
3. Use rust inhibitor and/or Rustoleom primer to prevent rust from coming back and to stop stop surface rust
4. Paint with brush using Rustoleom glossy. I think glossy would look neat.

Step 6 is what I have a question about. Do I need to use the rust inhibitor separate stuff as well as priming? Or does the combination of the Rustoleum primer and paint do the same thing and therefore that's enough?

[Norminn]

My experience trying to remove rust hasn't worked very well. I would not do the wash/dry step. Once clean metal is exposed, it should be protected right away. We have used Rustoleum primer/paint and the stuff that "converts" rust, which I think is junk.

I have read about small blaster thingys for "sand blasting", but I'm not a tool junkie and don't know how well they might do. I would, for sure, grind out heavy rust. Vacuum to remove dust and wipe with denatured to remove grease. Put on new coating right away, before new rust begins to form.

[David Martel]

Grendel,

I've always used a separate rust converter. I "wire wheel" the whole thing, wipe down, rust convert, wipe down, prime and paint. I use a glossy paint. It seems to last 7-10 yrs/

Dave M.

[SteveB]

Sounds like a good plan. The combo paint will work just fine, but I find a small roller MUCH easier to use, better coverage, faster coverage.

STeve

[Bob G.]

===================== If it is Iron it will rust....

But I sand blasted my railings (just much easier then wire brushing the surface rust off... then I sprayed the railings with Por 15 .... followed a few days later with regular black exterior oil based paint...

This was about 4 to 5 years ago and to be honest they still look good... I'm happy...

Bolb G.

[steveki]

If you really want it to last. Clean the metal of all rust, wire brush, sand, etc. Spray an automotive etching primer or epoxy primer and apply automotive paint. Talk to your local auto paint supply house for primer and paint. My opinion - PPG makes some of the best automotive primers and finishes.

good luck

[SteveB]

Expensive overkill. Clean, and roller with Rustoleum.

STeve

[Art]

If this is cheap hollow wrought iron railing with spot welds rusting from the inside because water can get in thru gaps in the welds, you may be wasting your time.

[Charles Bishop]

Also check out the current issue of _This Old House_ it has an article on painting iron railings, etc. that shows a technique.