Stripping Paint from Metal

After being exposed to the elements for sometime, the paints your outdoor metal furniture start to flake and stripping paint becomes a necessity. To strip off the paint from your metal furniture, here is what you need to do.

Step 1 – Safety First  

It is very important that you wear safety glasses, face mask, and rubber gloves before you starting stripping paint off any surfaces especially when you are using chemical solutions. Most types of paint stripping solutions emit strong smell that can irritate your lungs. Also, most types of paint removers contain strong chemicals so you should avoid handling them with your bare hands. To avoid accidents, you need to maintain good ventilation in your working area.

Step 2 – Clean the Surface

Brush the whole surface with the wire brush to loosen particles and rust. Clean the surface thoroughly using multi-purpose cleaner to remove the rest of grease, dirt, and other contaminants. The stripping solution will partly lose its efficacy if the paint surface has these contaminants. Dry all surfaces using clean rags.

Step 3 – Apply the Paint Stripping Solution

Dry the working area and lay two levels of the old newspapers across the floor. This will later collect the stripped materials from the furniture. Carefully pour enough amount of paint stripping solution into the plastic bucket and paint the whole surface using paint brush. Let the solution adhere to the surface and wait until the paint loosens up and can easily be scraped and brushed. A good indicator that paint has loosened is when it starts to wrinkle.

Step 4 – Strip the Paint Off

Strip off the loosened paint using the putty knife and completely remove the paint from the metal surface using a wire brush. If there are portions of paint that still remain, apply paint stripper the second time and scrape off the remaining paint. To clean off the surface of the metal, use rags and mineral spirit to wipe the whole surface.

Step 5 – Apply Rust Converter, Primer & Fresh Paint

Inspect the metal parts of your furniture for any signs of wear and tear.  Sand off corroded areas thoroughly then apply rust converter. You may apply two coats of rust converter to prove a good foundation for your primer. Let the rust converter dry for at least four hours before you apply the primer.

To apply primer on your metal furniture, put some primer on a brush then brush the surface of the metal. Use smaller brush to apply primer on hard to reach areas. Let the primer dry overnight and apply fresh paint on your furniture thereafter. Apply at least three thin coats of paint on your furniture to achieve a fine finish. When applying paint, you need let each coat dry up before you apply another coat. You may apply primer sealant on top of each coat of paint to achieve better color uniformity.