Hi all, have some galvanised steel railings which were badly painted a few years ago (e.g. looks like they weren't primed and the gloss paint is now flaking off)
What's the best way to re-paint them. Should I just go over them with a sander and put Hammerite on them? Do you need to be careful how 'deep' the sanding is to protect the surface layer?
TIA PJ
Strip with nitromors back to original plating. Use correct primer designed for galvanising. Topcoat in recommended paint from primer manufacturer
In message , snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk writes
I had some galvanised garage doors that had just been glossed and were peeling badly, from memory I just scraped the loose paint off with a standard scraper, I think it pretty much all came away easily, any bits that were still adhering I'd have left, painted the bare metal with a coat of appropriate primer, and eight years later not a sign of flaking.
Nitromors
A "paint stripper" wheel on an angle grinder. These look like plastic pan scourers, cost about 7 quid (Toolstation: Aldi's are crap and Screwfix haven't had stock in 6 months) Be careful with it though, as they shred very quickly if you catch them on a steel edge.
Then a wire cup brush (twisted wires, good quality, facemask and apron rather than goggles) on any bits that are really rusty, such that the galvanising is compromised. You can go other the galvanising too, so long as you keep a light touch.
Repeat as necessary.
Then apply primer. As you're already galvanised, then I'd use a zinc- rich primer (expensive but the best) like Davids 182 (car paint place). This only needs to go over bare steel and where the galvanising is pockmarked, you don't need to repaint the whole area if the galvanising is good.
Then repaint. You can go direct to gloss, as weathered zinc is an excellent base for paint and doesn't need further priming. You might use an undercoat first if the surface is physically rough and you want a top-end job.
If you're painting them black and they don't need to be knock- resistant, then I'd use a bitumen-based paint. Great for gardens and wall-toppers, but it's soft against wear and doesn't like being overpainted.
There's a new estate round here with galvanised railings. Which despite regular painting always soon look tatty. My bog standard iron ones keep the paint for much longer. Of course the galvanizing shows through black more than rust. ;-)
On Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:12:28 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)" had this to say:
New galvanising should be left to weather for at least six months (preferably a year) before being painted, otherwise the paint will flake or not stick properly.
And even then it's best to use a proper 'etch' primer.
or use a mordant solution on fresh galv. to speed things up...like an etch primer in effect.
JimK
Yes - bet they don't leave galvanized car bodies six months to weather before painting.
galvanised car bodies?? whose??
JimK
A great many of them these days.
As they're done by spraying or electro-zinc rather than hot-dip, there's no need to leave them 6 months.
Forgot to say thanks for the suggestions offered.
So - Thank you all for your help.
Cheers PJ
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