Many of us have steel garages that are in wonderful condition structurally, but look like they are ready to be knocked down and hauled away due to a broken down paint job. The truth is, anyone can repaint their steel garage, but in order for your new paint job to be a success you have to follow some necessary precautions.
Clean it Up It’s imperative that your steel garage be completely clean before beginning your painting project. You can’t just buy some paint and throw it on without ensuring that there is a clean surface or the paint won’t adhere to the steel properly. The cleaning is a pretty simple procedure that can be done with a simple mixture of one cup of common household ammonia to around five gallons of tap water. The cleaning mixture can be applied with sponges, brushes or rags and then must be thoroughly rinsed away with clean water to ensure no residue remains once the cleaning is completed.
A way to make your steel garage cleaning much quicker and easier is to rent a light duty power washer and let the machine do all of the hard labor for you. You need to let your steel garage dry completely before going onto the next step.
Protect it From Rust Nothing will ruin the many hours of painting you did, and the newfound beauty of your steel garage faster than rust. If there are any dings or scratches on the surface of your steel garage, that means that your garage could be unprotected from the development of rust. You need to lightly sand the affected areas and apply a primer that is specifically designed to prevent the rusting and corrosion of steel and other metals before painting.
If your garage has already succumbed to or been infected by rust in one or several areas, you can treat the affected areas in a similar fashion to the areas with scratches – by sanding the area until the rust has been completely removed and then treating the area(s) with a primer designed to prevent rust. If there are several areas affected by rust and imperfections, it may be necessary to cover the entire structure with primer to ensure that you won’t run into any problems with rust in the future.
Once you’ve primed even a small area of your steel garage, it’s necessary to let the primer dry completely before applying the final paint. Depending on the weather conditions, the drying process may take longer than it alludes to on the packaging – in areas with high humidity it make take more than twenty four hours for the primer to completely dry.
The Painting Process You want a good quality latex paint that is specifically made for exterior use; failing to use a good quality exterior paint could result in a patchy looking paint job that doesn’t look good for very long. Make sure to follow the specific instructions for the particular paint you are using regarding the ideal temperature at which to apply and the suggested coat thickness for the best results. The paint can be applied in any fashion – though whether you choose a brash, a roller or a paint sprayer, make sure that you are applying the paint evenly to ensure that your garage will look its best once the paint is dry.
Painting a steel garage is really no more complex than any other painting project you may decide to undertake, with any painting you want to ensure that the surfaces are clean, protected and free of any imperfections before applying the final coat. The only difference is that the garage will be exposed to the elements, so a little extra care must be taken to prevent damage from those elements and better quality paint should be used to ensure the best finish.
