Hi,
We have an old iron fence which I would like to paint. It is pretty rusty. What is the best way to do this?
I was thinking I would get a wire brush and brush the whole fence to strip away any loose rust etc. Then ideally I would spray the fence with a rust proof paint. Unfortuantely, the fence is in some tight places and I dont’ think I will be able to spray it. Would it still work if I used a brush to paint it? With the brush I think I’ll be able to reach more tight spots. I still might be able to spray but in areas the nozzle will have to be very close to the fence and I was thinking it would be a mess. Just curious what people think
Thanks
Replies
"What is the best way to do this?"
NIC,
Depends on what tools you have. IMO sandblast, zinc oxide primer, top coat.........not probably what you want to here.
So......the easy way. Use this stuff.
http://www.por15.com
A little on the pricey side, but real easy.
Jon
How much better is the Por15 than the good old standby Rustoleum that is in almost every hardware store?
"How much better is the Por15 than the good old standby Rustoleum that is in almost every hardware store? "
Supposably it contains chemicals that neutralize the rust. The company claims just paint over the rust, and so long as nothing is flaking, you're done. Never actually seen an independent test though.
It has been around for years. I've never read anything negative.
Jon
The company claims just paint over the rust, and so long as nothing is flaking, you're done
It depends upon how you "de-scale" any flaking rust. If there's any pitting, the metal will look more "flat" as the paint covers the pits. Not a kncok on the paint, just the way it is--you are seein a macro version of what makes paint flat or matte. Over some rust, you are sometimes better served to shoot gloss rustoleum as a primer, just so as to not have a "flat" bit.
They used to have a line of outdoor paint with flecks of red in it, that gave the appearance of a hint of rust, which was actually a pretty cool finish for outdoor metal (it just had to be very lightly done).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
With the brush I think I'll be able to reach more tight spots. I still might be able to spray but in areas the nozzle will have to be very close to the fence and I was thinking it would be a mess.
Ah, my favorite, iron fences. If the spacing is wide enough, you can hold a mask behind the pickets to catch the overspray. But, you will run into two headaches. First, you may wind up too close to the iron (not as bad with airless, but bad enough). Second, you mask determines how much you can paint--not reach, position, etc.
After wire brushing, you want to get a primer (and/or rust inhibitor) down on the bare metal as soon as you can.
Now, a way to get away fro mbrush "slowness" is to get a short roller with a high nap. The nap will help get the paint into the "nooks & crannies" while helping keep the paint only on the iron (you want to soak the roller, and then almost wring--roll-it dry in the roller pan).