Stripping and Repainting Metal railings

kmmr

Hi,

I have some nice decorative railings at the entrance to my flat, but they are peeling a bit and need to be repainted.

Where the paint has peeled, there is some rust, so I am keen to get them repainted. But, they do seem a little delicate, so I want to do it right.

Here is a picture.

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Can someone give me a dummies guide as to how to go about this! I have no DIY skills to speak of, or tools. So assume I am starting from zero! Nothing is too basic to explain to me like a child!

Thanks,

KMMR

kmmr

The rest is actually being replaced. The white wall has been removed already, and there is a new balustrade going in, which is why I want to do this bit as well.

Is there no toxic chemical I can use to get the paint off? Or could I use a sandpaper type head on a drill?

kmmr

Cool - thanks Andrew for the advice. I will get a wire brush and see how achievable this is. I'd quite like to give it a go, and have done it myself.

I did consider replacing the railings as the tops appear to all have been nicked/removed in the ancient past, but that is really just wasting money.

I shall let you know how (or if) I go!

Ebe_Scrooge

Nitromors is pretty good stuff at stripping paint - available at at any hardware shop. Check that it's OK for use on metal, though. If you do use it, be very careful - it's good at what it does, but will give you some nasty burns if you get it on your skin.

Re-painting - I agree with previous posts, Hammerite is your best bet. Not the cheapest of paints but it's good stuff. And again, agreeing with a previous poster, don't waste money on the expensive Hammerite brush cleaners, just buy a few cheap brushes from the Pound Shop and chuck them afterwards.

The stripping will be quite fiddly. One thing you could consider is looking in Yellow Pages to see if anyone can shot-blast them for you. Not strictly money-saving, but you should end up with a nice clean set of railings to work on. No idea what this would cost, but it can't hurt to make a phone call.

WestonDave

The other option is to hire a needle gun ( you can get electric ones which don't need an air compressor) from one of the hire places. That'll have the paint off for you, but it may be hard work given the small size of the railings compared to the gun head.

ormus

a wire brush, sandpaper, and black hammerite paint is all you need.
spray paint is much quicker to use, but expensive. compared to normal liquid paint.

ormus

ps
ive done my black railings twice in the last 12 yrs. its probably due again soon.

kmmr

So - a long time down the track I actually started this on the weekend. I had my sandpaper, wire brush, metal paint primer and hammerite.

30 minutes later, with sore arms and a small section completed, I am now going to try the Nitromors option! Any additional advice on how to approach this? I will go and check out what homebase have to offer.

My arms still hurt...

kmmr

andrew-b wrote: »

I think the wire wool and/or wire brush will be your best bet (wear gloves!). .

And there is a little tip that i missed! Black stuff all over my hands and me!

SailorSam

I'd go for the wire brush option to remove the rust.
An alternative to spaying or painting is to wear an old cotton glove, dip your hand in the paint then just rub the railings. With a brush it's more difficult to make sure you don't miss bits, but a glove goes over the rail all around.

Perhaps wear a rubber glove underneath to keep your hand clean.