Painting wrought iron/ornamental steel

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and I joined to see if anyone had a suggestion or idea to paint the ornamental steel/wrought iron in my staircase. The house is in the end stages of a remodeling. I am trying to paint over the previous paint with a new, fresh coat of white. I am using interior base. Basically white over white. I am using a brush but am having a problem with over run as well as it not sticking/coating all that well. It has taken 2 coats so far but I have areas that the paint is hanging on (dripping looking) and also cracking in the deep corners.
Are there any thoughts on how to make this smoother or easier for me to finish up? The steel was wiped down before I painted over it.
Thanks again.
Kevin

 

Welcome to the forums Kevin!

What type of paint are you using?

Wrought iron is rarely fun to paint. Unless spraying, it isn't uncommon to need more than one coat. A quality brush always applies paint better than a cheap brush.

 

Thnak you for the welcome Mark.

The type of paint I am using is MAB seashore base/pastel. It is white and the one they use to mix and make custom colors. I believe it to be an interior coverall but not a kilz.
I am happy to hear that it may take a couple of tries because I thought I was doing something incorrect.
I was using an edging brush. It is not a fresh one so could that be the problem. It is a middle of the road priced brush.

I was trying to apply it thickly thus wy the cracking and dripping have occurred?
Thanks again
Kevin

 

Is this paint water based or oil based redds34? Something is not right here. MAB paint is not what I would recommend. I encountered them in a big new condo job and my opinion of there coatings are not good at all. I complained big time at the builder on the paint they used. I think this is part of the problem.

 

I believe it is water based because it is fairly easy to clean up. I can understand your dislike for the MAB products. It is just a base paint. Base pastel I believe. UNfortunately I do not have the can in front of me to give you more info. Sorry.
Kevin

 

If you were able to clean up with water, this is not good. Wrought iron is one of the only surfaces I recommend that should be oil based only! If water based....now you are in a pickle. You have to strip this all off at least on the hand rail. Then apply two coats of Industrial Enamel Sherwin Williams paint (my opinion on this brand, its all I would use). Water based paints NEVER work on any hand rail.

Please ask any more questions to get you through this.

 

Oh this is just ornamental steel/iron. The handrail is wood and I am not painting that because it is stained wood. Would you still suggest this same process? I understand why the oil paint would be better for something that will be touched all the time but this is strickly for visual purposes only.

 

If not handled... you are ok. I assumed it was a high traffic area. Maybe just re-coat with a Sherwin Williams waterborne paint like Pro-classic or Superpaint. The guys at SW paints will help you from 9 to 5 mon through friday. You should be ok in this situation you are in. I believe you need to cover up this MAB paint!!

 

The problem with using latex paint on wrought iron is latex has no real rust holding/stopping properties although if there are no scratches or rust in the prior paint, you might be ok.... but oil base is still better for painting iron. It also allows you to use a better brush - natural bristle brushes leave less brush marks. There is always a danger when applying latex over oil that the latex won't bond well to the oil enamel. I'd recomend sanding off what you can and recoating with an oil base enamel.

Like nagra, my only experience with MAB is their botton line coatings Since MAB is the oldest paint company in the USA, I assume they also have some good paint. As with any paint manufacture, it is best to use their top of the line coatings.

 

Hey thanks for all the help guys. I did the project and it came out with a newer unused brush much nicer.

I do have another project with wrought iron but this time it is outside. It is on a balcony with a diamond plate base. The dimensions are 12 ft x 4 ft (approximately) for the base. And the railing goes around the perimeter.
Both areas have rust in them and it was suggested I auger the areas of rust which would be the majority of the balcony. I am going to use spray primer from Rustoleum after I am done.
My question is basically what would be a quicker way to do this than auger this entire thing with a metal cone brush? I was considered strippers from 3M and wonder how effective it will be and whether it will cause rust like it says on the bottle. Of course that is if you leave it on too long. And it seems that there are at least 2 coats of paint on there currently.
Thanks again for the help.
Kevin

 

I usually just scrape what can be scraped off and sand where there's rust or otherwise needs sanding but a wire wheel work good also. I wouldn't even consider using a paint stripper unless there when multiple coats of gobbed on paint and even then I'd think it thru first

I'd reconsider using a spray can. The material in the spray can is drastically reduced and it is hard to build up a good protective film. Generally the heavier the coating is applied - the better and longer it will protect.

 

Mark,
Thanks for the response. And yea I was going to go out today and scrap what I could off.
Mostly what I wanted to use the stripper on was the railing and twisted support wrought iron/ornamental steel. Would you still advise the same concerning not using the stripper?
Thanks again
Kevin

 

LIttle update...
I went out with a scraper and a wire brush and most of it is taking off the bulk stuff leaving behind just the rusty areas.
That seems to be working fine and I will go back and auger those areas to remove the rust. It is very time consuming isn't it?
Does this sound like a feasible progression?
Thanks again.
Kevin

 

Ya, that's about it - wrought iron is never "fun" to paint.......... or fast

 

Mark thanks again for the response. A few of follow up questions concerning the diamond plate. I am using a braided wheel brush and I wonder if it is too hard for the work and not able to get into the diamond plate as easy as a softer version of the auger wheel? And how do I get into the area outside the railing as it is not approachable without a significant ladder? THe final question is do you have any suggestions for the area below the designed ornamental steel as far as access goes with something to get the rust off? I was thinking of just a basic file as the easiest solution. And do I need to get all the rust off before I put down the rustoleum primer paint? And the paiting of the railing and the posts(?), would that be easier with a spray or what type of brush do you suggest?
Thanks again for the help
Kevin
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It really depends on how much time you have or want to spend on it. Basically if you get the worst of the rust and use a good primer it will be ok. Getting all the rust back to shiny steel is better but may not be worth the extra effort.

As far as getting to the hard to reach areas without using a ladder - just do the best you can A wire brush may not work as well as a wire wheel but if it fits between the balusters............ and remember the $s you are saving by diy...... and a paid contractor may or may not do any better.

 

Well that is true about the time. I made some progress yesterday with those tools. I used the wire brush and it moved large chunks. The wire wheel I am using is the knotted wire and it is going down slowly. I thought the more basic version , not as hard, may work better for those hard to reach spots but I guess I will need to evaluate the time factor concerning how I want to take care of the rust.
Well would you suggest a paint on rust primer or spray for the diamond plate? I was going to spray the wrought and was thinking of just painting the base with a primer rust inhibitor.
Yea I was thinking that I am saving a lot of money and learning a lot in the process. And thanks for the answers/suggestions and encouragement.

Kevin

 

The problem with spray cans is the material is drastically thinned [so it will spray] and you wind up not applying enough material to properly coat the substrate. Generally the thicker the coating, the longer it will wear and the better it will protect.

I'd paint it all with a brush, a small roller would also be a good option.