Best paint for external ironwork

[Chris B]

I have some vintage external ironwork to paint. Its a series of substantial decorative iron posts, which have a rusty surface under the existing crumbling/flaking paint.

Having given them a very good rub down with the radio times (make that a wire brush in the end of a drill), instinct tells me to go out and buy some Hammerite.

However I have been doing a bit of web surface and tool station sell a "Flag Paints" brand.

Does anyone have any good/bad experience with the Flag brand or any other alternative suggestions

[Mark Allread]

That's what I recently used. Good finish to it.

No experience of that particular brand but the local wrought iron smiths around here have both suggested that Dulux do a good metal paint these days with a better range of colours than Hammerite.

I've not tried them so no idea what the costs are or how good they are - but they do come with recommendations from those who [should] know.

[Huge]

POR15.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I did half of my railings in Hammerite smooth, and half using Wicks oil based plain black. If there is a difference in how long they last, it's not obvious. Both have lost their gloss and are rusty in places - just about to be re-painted.

[alan_m]

$20rust$20uk.d-i-y/uk.d-i-y/puWfXpyANpY/Ld4D6Af3AAAJ

[Brian Gaff]

I got nearly 10 years out of Hammerite but it did need a good clean first I have to say, and some of that rust stopper stuff as well. Brian

[Chris B]

Thanks for all of the comments. POR15 looks a bit OTT for the job in hand. No clear winner for all of the others so it looks like I will be sticking with what I know, although it may be no better or worse than some of the others.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The other gotcha is products can change their formulation without you knowing. So one brand which was good some years ago may no longer be. Prime examples being Nitromors and Evostik.

[Chris Green]

In France there are several brands of 'nothing like Hammerite' paint which are specifically for painting 'directe sur rouille', that is 'direct onto rust'. I have been using the Bricomarché own-brand 'Nuance' version and so far I am impressed with the results. I use it on my steel canal boat. I clean off the loose rust and then paint direct onto the metal, usually two coats are sufficient even with lighter colours (the superstructure is 'blanc cassé' a pale cream).

It actually advises that a small amount of rust is necessary for the paint to 'take' well. For new metalwork they advise degreasing and then washing to produce a bit of rust.

I haven't seen any paint like this in the UK though. Maybe the non-hammered look Hammerite paints are the same/similar.

[Huge]

Sounds just like POR15. The "POR" stands for "Paint Over Rust". It's awesome stuff, although difficult to handle because it sticks to everything and is very hard (impossible) to remove from anywhere you get it accidentally.

[Chris Green]

I think it's somewhere between actually. It isn't like POR15 in that it doesn't require humidity to cure, it's much more like 'ordinary' paint on that front and it is thinned etc. with white spirit.

I *think* that maybe these 'direct sur rouille' paints are related to Owatrol and 'Vernis pour Rouille' both of which can be added to ordinary paints to improve the rust control.

One thing that gave me pause reading the POR15 information and reviews is that one of the steps of preparation puts some zinc onto the surface, is it just a well protected DIY galvanising?

[Huge]

Preparation? I wire brush off the loose bits and paint it on. Sorted.

[PeterC]

About 5 years ago I painted an anlge iron bench with DecoStyle from Aldi. The iron was rusty and I just removed all the loose stuff, gave it a bit of sanding and went over it with white spirit. There was still some rust on most of it. The paint claims to be OK on rust and is still intact. The only rust showing is where I've been working on the top and caught the side a bit when sawing. It's shiny-silvery, so no good for working on as it'sSW of the house and the reflection is overpowering for several hours a day, so I gave it a couple of coats of B&Q drab green fence and shed paint - that stuff's remarkably durable. I don't know if it's still available from Aldi, is still the same quality or is available in black, but it was cheap, does the job and lasts well. I'd guess that a workbench has a harder life than doeas a fence.