How to Paint Steel Siding

The best way to improve the exterior of your house is to paint the steel siding. Steel sidings are used not only in homes but in offices, shops, and various other buildings and often need updates. They can help give your home, office, or shop a beautiful look and yet, if not painted properly, can give a very bad look. There are many ways in which you can paint the steel sliding but the best and the most inexpensive way is to do it yourself. The house exterior can look beautiful just by putting in extra effort. You can save money that would otherwise go to the laborer. Each step below explains how you can paint the steel siding and give your home, office, or shop a new look.

Step 1 - Clean the Steel Siding

The first step includes cleaning. Wash the steel siding with trisodium phosphate (TSP) and use a pressure washer to rinse thoroughly. This will help clean away all the dirt that accumulates on the steel siding. It also helps to peel away the previous paint on the steel siding, leaving it neat and clean. This, in turn, will help you to paint it easily.

Step 2 - Tackle Rust

Steel rusts very quickly and this is the one common disadvantage of having steel siding. Inspect every crevice of the siding for the rust. Spray rust converter on each section you find. The rust converter will transform the rust into a black substance that can easily be covered by the paint. Leave the siding for a while after you spray the rust converter and let it dry.

Step 3 - Paint

You will need a thin layer of primer before applying the actual paint on the steel siding. This will provide you with an additional layer before the layers of paint are applied. Wait until the primer is dried. Then put the paint of your desired color in the rolling pan and cover your paint roller with the paint. Use the ladder for painting the steel siding on the top, and using the roller paint in a horizontal direction. Repeat the procedure until you cover all the steel siding.

Step 4 - Retouch

After the first coat of the paint dries, start off with the second coat. Give special attention to the parts where the primer layer still shows its color. The second layer should not be as thick as the first one because it is only needed to retouch the parts left by the first coating of the paint. Only apply the second layer to the places that visually need to be retouched.