How To Paint Metal
When people refer to painting metal, they normally mean steel or other ferrous metals. Metals that contain a high percentage of iron will eventually rust. Painting the metal it metal with a protective coating which stops air and water from attacking the metal.
When a ferrous metal is exposed to air and water for a short period of time it is attacked and rust is soon formed. Rust can seriously damage the appearance of metal and if not treated early enough it can even lead to failure of the product.
There are several well known brands of paint that are specifically made for painting metal-
-
Hammerite Smooth finish metal paint
-
Hammerite Hammered finish Metal paint
-
Rustoleum 769. Metal Primer
-
Plasti-kote Metal Protekt
A lesser well known product is Owatrol Oil which is a fantastic product for preparing bare metal before painting.
Before painting any bare metal it is essential that it is cleaned before painting. You can often clean the metal with a clean rag and some of the thinners which is recommended for the paint that you are using.
If you are using traditional gloss on the metal then you can apply a coat or two of undercoat and then apply gloss paint, once the undercoat has dried sufficiently!
For specialist metal paints you should follow the manufacturers instructions.
