Q&A for How to Paint Metal

Yes, metal mailboxes are a great item to paint! With our instructions, you'll be able to turn your mailbox into something that looks brand new.

Yes, a coat of a clear sealant will protect your painted metal signs. Opt for one with a gloss finish for a beautiful shine, or try one that's waterproof to keep rain from damaging their pictures.

Opt for an oil-based paint that's specifically made for metal, as this will adhere to the iron frame the best.

Yes, you can. Flat paint is often used by paint professionals as a primer when painting metal, because it mixes with other products, like rust preventative enamels and latex enamel, to create a very long-lasting finish. It can be used alone on metal and work fine, though.

Personally, I would recommend sanding beforehand due to the fact that the shine on the metal would not allow the paint to sit on the surface cleanly. If you want a more professional looking job, then you should definitely sand it down lightly and evenly. If your goal is to have a shiny finish then you can always apply a nice gloss. If you choose to spray paint I highly recommend Rustoleum.

Yes and no. More primer will give you a nicer surface to paint, but having too many layers of primer, paint and clear coat will make it soft.

Zinc coated metal is also known as galvanized metal. If you want to paint galvanized metal, you should first clean the surface of it with a simple detergent solution. Oils on the surface of galvanized metal, which may or may not be visible to the naked eye, can hinder your paint job if they aren’t removed.

Yes. Leaving the heat on can cause the fumes to become more potent or ignite. It may also interfere with the paint sticking to the metal. Turn the heat off first, and then wait for the metal to cool down before you paint it.

Yes, you can. However, after your sand but before you apply the paint, make sure you wash the surface of the metal with an all-purpose household cleaner to remove oily residues. Then apply 100 percent acrylic latex paint. No primer needed.

Unless you are planing on painting just the handle or using it for decoration, this is not recommended. Strainers go through a lot of use, and the paint will chip over time. This can contaminate your food. If you plan on painting the strainer and use it for decoration, you would treat it as any other metal.

100 percent acrylic latex paint is best for metal flooring.

Before painting a stove surface, you must clean it very well or the paint will not stick. Use clean, white rags to clean the surface, since colored rags will bleed dye onto the stove surface. There are metal cleaner products you can use to clean your stove. If you don't want to use a strong solvent like that, then use a good cleaner and water and clean the surface with a wire brush. Give it a good rinse after, and that will work. Windex is one cleaner that will work well for this. Be careful, because there are some cleaners, like “409”, that can leave an oily residue behind, and this will cause the paint not to stick to the surface. In extreme cases, you may have to sandblast or sand the old paint off your stove. What you need is an extremely clean surface if you want paint to stick to it.

You can paint titanium as long as you condition it with an acid-based primer first. The acid-based primer needs to have the ability to etch durable metal, so make sure you read the label before you purchase your acid-based primer to confirm that it has that quality.

Acrylic paint is latex paint (not oil based). It can be washed with just soap and water so the clean up is much easier than painting with oil.

Yes, you do need to do preparation first. You will need to sand, clean, prime with and oil based primer and then paint with acrylic paint. Seal with satin or gloss poly.

It's best to use an enamel paint, as it will be a tougher finish and should last longer.

Clean thoroughly with a mix of TSP and water. Then prime with a metal primer. Once dry, spraying the final coats is best.