Paints to Use on Metals

Painting is a good way to improve the appearance of furniture or metal objects. You can paint a metal object after cleaning it thoroughly. In most cases, sealing the first metal is a good idea. In some cases, you might want to have a cabinet or piece of metal powder coated for durability.

Sealant

While not always necessary, use an oxide retardant sealer is a good way to create a good base for painting. Metallic paints seal better with a series of thin sprayed layers. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next. Any degree of corrosion resistant primer or sealer will work well. Once the metal has been sealed, you can apply the paint and ensure that the surface can be painted well.

Paintings

Rustoleum or Krylon are two common brands used for painting metals. If you prefer, you can use an enamel paint on an oxide retardant primer. Although metal oxide retardant paints come in many colors, enamel paints can be mixed to match a custom color to better suit your color scheme.

Powder coating

The powder coating involves placing a powder coating material on the prepared metal. It is a new method that can only be performed by a specialist heating the metal to make the painting is based on it. The powder coated surfaces are very resistant and have a much longer duration than painted surfaces. However, powder coating is more expensive than painting.

Problems with other paintings

Paints that are not designed for metal may have some inherent problems. Soft paints can be scratched easily allowing water to reach the metal and possibly cause rust.  Once you begin to form oxide under the paint, in most cases the metal will have to be unmounted, sanded and treated with a corrosion retarder.