Handyman Guide > Painting Over Metal

Thin metal plates can be purchased at hardware and paint stores, and by holding these against the glass, you can do neat work. Tape can also be used to keep the glass free of paint.



Exterior woodwork close to, or in direct contact with, the ground should be given special consideration. Wash off all dirt before painting and be sure that all four sides are painted-not merely the side exposed.

Porches. Porch floors and steps should not be painted with the same type of paint used for other exterior work. If the floor and steps are protected from the weather by an enclosed porch, cover them with a good grade of floor paint. If the porch is open, use a paint made for exposed surfaces that both withstands weather and resists wear and tear by shoes.

METAL

Any metal exposed to the weather should be painted as often as is necessary to prevent it from rusting.

Remove the old paint and rust from the surface with steel wool and emery cloth. When the metal is clean, wipe it off with benzine to remove any grease that is present. If this is not done, the grease and oil will prevent the paint from sticking, and it will chip off easily and quickly once it is dry.

After the metal is clean, apply a coat of metal primer. Ordinary exterior paint is not suitable for priming. Red lead is one of the best metal primers, and the entire metal surface should be given a full coat of it. Do not use a good paintbrush for metal work, but have a special brush for this purpose alone. After the priming coat is dry, put on the finishing coat. This can he any good exterior paint.

Check painted metal work often, and when it begins to crack and chip off, scrape or sand and repaint.

Galvanized Iron. When a piece of metal is galvanized, it is given a thin coat of zinc to prevent the metal from rusting. As long as the zinc coating remains undamaged the metal will not rust, but the first scratch in the zinc surface will allow moisture to reach the metal. When galvanized iron is new, the zinc will prevent paint from adhering to it properly, but after the metal has been exposed to the weather for a few months, the zinc surface will be rough enough to receive paint successfully. The only preparation required is to remove any grease from the metal with benzine.

Before new galvanized iron can be painted, the surface must be chemically treated in order that the paint will hold. Do not use strong acid solution for this purpose, as it will completely remove the zinc coating. A solution that will roughen the zinc surface enough so that paint will adhere, without destroying the coating completely, can be made by mixing 2 oz. of copper chloride, 2 oz. of copper nitrate, 2 oz. sal ammoniac, 2 oz. of crude hydrochloric acid, and 1 gallon of soft water. Brush this solution on the metal surface and allow it to dry; then rinse with fresh water.


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