Find the perfect paint for all your metal surfaces indoors and out.
Sand any bare wood to 120-grit and no finer. This will give the primer good “tooth” to. The Best Paint Brushes for a Smooth Finish After trying a lot of paintbrushes, I have found three paintbrushes that I truly love for getting a smooth finish. Purdy Nylox Brushes: This brush gives an amazing finish when working with water-based products like latex paint. The Purdy Cub Angle Brush XL is a high-quality brush that can help you paint with beautiful results. The brush is designed to work with all paints and stains, and the nylon-polyester bristles help ensure a smooth finish. The angle of the brush and shape of the handle makes it beneficial when painting the various smaller surfaces of cabinets.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Q: My metal patio chairs are starting to look a bit scuffed and rusty. Can I get good results painting them with some leftover exterior paint I have from a project? If not, what’s the best paint for metal?
A: Due to its slick, smooth surface, metal can be challenging to paint—and that can you’ve got sitting around in the garage probably won’t cut it. To prep metal for paint adhesion, you must first clean it with soap and water, remove light rust with a wire brush, sand it with fine-grain sandpaper, and then (in most cases) prime. Following these measures, you’ll only have success with dedicated metal paints or multi-surface paints labeled for use on metal. Complicating matters, metal-friendly paints are sold in different bases (oil and water), containers (regular and spray cans), and specialized formulas to fend off rust or handle extreme heat. So keep reading to identify the best paint for metal surfaces, and get great results on your next project.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Oil-based paints are the most durable.
Opt for oil-based paint if painting outdoor metal surfaces such as fences, patio furniture, or backyard grills, as well as heavily used indoor items like kitchen cabinets and window frames. Generally pricier than water-based paint ($20 to $50 per gallon), it’s formulated with pigments, alkyds (synthetic resins) or plant-based oil, and solvent (that emit smelly fumes during application) to cure to a rigid coat that repels water and stains and resists dents and scuffs. Oil paint is, however, vulnerable to cracking or chipping, and it also tends to fade over time, so consider a product with built-in fade protection, such as Rust-Oleum Hammered Metal Finish ($12.98 per quart on Amazon).
You’ll achieve a more uniform finish if you first apply an oil-based primer (e.g., Rust-Oleum Clean Metal Primer, $8.98 per quart on Amazon). However, you can apply oil paint directly to metal because it contains no water, and therefore there’s so no risk of rust. Skipping primer may save you time on the paint job, but you’ll still wait a bit longer for oil-based paint to dry to the touch (usually six to eight hours).
Water-based paints offer faster drying and fewer fumes.
If painting light to moderately used indoor metal surfaces—think wall sconces, bed frames, or guest room night tables—go with water-based acrylic paint, a cheaper ($15 to $40 per gallon), faster-drying option than oil paint. Acrylic paint, made of pigments, acrylic resins, and water, emits fewer fumes and dries to the touch in under an hour into a flexible coat resistant to cracking, chipping, and fading. However, it will be more vulnerable to dents, stains, and scuffs. A typical acrylic paint (BEHR PRO e600 Acrylic Paint, $23.98 per gallon at The Home Depot) also has less organic material than oil paint so it’s less likely to form mildew and mold, making it a better option for moisture-prone areas like kitchens and baths. Keep in mind that exposing water-based paint directly to metal can rust it, so apply an oil-based primer before application.
Spray paint cans offer more complete coverage of irregular surfaces.
Oil- and water-based metal paints come in large cans, for use with brushes or rollers, or aerosol cans, for spray application. Large cans may be the most cost-effective option when painting large, linear metal objects such as fences and backsplashes, but spray paints (e.g., Rust-oleum Hammered Metal Finish Spray, $8.74 for 12 oz. on Amazon) are more convenient when painting smaller surfaces with irregular contours, such as curved patio chair legs, light fixtures, or bed frame poles. Spray paint can cover these metal surfaces more smoothly and with fewer applications than a brush, and you’ll also avoid pesky brush marks.
RELATED: The Dos and Don’ts of Spray Painting
Photo: rustoleum.com
Choose rust-resistant paint on moisture-prone surfaces.
Rust can form on any metal made of iron or iron alloys such as steel with prolonged exposure to air and moisture. If you plan to paint metal outdoor furniture or décor, or interior features like backsplashes that regularly come into contact with water or humidity, look for paint designed to resist rust (e.g., Rust-oleum Stops Rust Spray Paint, $13.19 for 12 oz. on Amazon) to preserve the look and integrity of the metal.
Use high-heat paint on heat-generating surfaces.
Painting a radiator, outdoor grill, fire pit surround, or other heat-generating appliance? Regular oil- or water-based paint can blister and peel when exposed to the high temperature generated by these appliances during operation. To preserve your paint job, choose a high-heat metal paint formulated with heat-resistant resins to withstand high temperatures, such as Rust-Oleum High Heat Spray Paint ($6.98 for 12 oz. on Amazon).
My friend John asked me to come over and help him with some crown molding he was getting ready to put up in his new family room. He had some beautiful poplar boards milled to match the trim in the rest of his house, and while I would have opted for a stain to highlight the wavy grain, John and Becky (mostly Becky) wanted it painted. “Happy wife, happy life.” So, paint it was.
When I arrived, John had the boards laid out on sawhorses in his garage, with newspapers spread out to protect the floor. But then he handed me a two-inch wide foam brush. “John,” I said, “Haven’t you heard? The better the brush, the better the finish.”
Which launched us into a discussion of how to choose the right brush for each project. Some of John and Becky’s trim was going to be stained and sealed with a clear finish, which gave me a chance (while we were working) to explain to John how to pick the best brush when you are staining and finishing. Take a look and see what John learned.
Why Does It Matter?
As I explained to John, a brush is a means of transporting a stain or finish from the can to the wood. When applying the stain, you can use either a rag or a brush. I prefer a brush, as it works better for getting stain into into corners and carvings, but you don’t have to use an expensive one or, for that matter, being excessively neat. That’s because your next step will be to wipe off any excess stain, so your rag will erase any brush marks, runs, drips or bristles left by your brush.
When laying down a smooth coat of clear finish, however, the brush will have a major impact on how it looks when it dries. That’s when picking the right brush really becomes important. And as I said to John, “You wouldn’t use a sledgehammer to drive in a finish nail, so why use a foam brush to try to lay down a smooth coat of finish?”
Foam Brushes.
I must admit, I do occasionally use foam brushes when staining a small project. Their greatest selling point is they are inexpensive.
But when it comes to applying a smooth coat of clear finish, such as polyurethane, a foam brush is not my first choice. Instead of bristles, it has a blade. The blunt sides leave two parallel ridges of finish, like a snowplow on the highway. Also, the foam head contains air, which can leave bubbles in your finish.
And if you use it for very long, the foam head begins to wear out and get floppy. It will even start to dissolve as you are brushing on stains and finishes containing mineral spirits or lacquer thinner.
Oil-Based Stains and Finishes.
Oil-based products contain mineral spirits, and for them I reach for a natural bristle brush.
For oil-based stains I use a Minwax® Wood Finish™ Stain Brush. These brushes are designed to carry a lot of stain from the can to your project, and hold up much better than foam brushes.
And unlike foam brushes, these natural bristles brushes can be cleaned with ordinary mineral spirits (paint thinner) and re-used indefinitely.
Much better than tossing dozens of foam brushes a year into the garbage can!
Water-Based Stains and Finishes.
Unlike mineral spirits, water causes natural bristles to swell. As they do, they loose their shape. Rather than use a natural bristle brush with water-based stains and clear finishes and watch it swell out of shape (top brush), I use a synthetic bristle brush, such as Minwax® Polycrylic® Brush (bottom brush). These bristles won’t absorb water and won’t lose their shape.
And clean-up is a breeze with soap and water.
Quick Tip: After cleaning, wrap the damp bristles in a paper towel, then secure with a rubber band. Once the bristles are dry, slip your brush back into its cardboard sleeve to maintain their shape.
Use the hole in the end of the handle to hang your brush to dry with the bristles pointing down, letting any remnants of stain or finish escape before hardening.
Good, Better, Best.
As I told John, not all brushes are created equal. They can range in price from less than a dollar to more than twenty dollars. You can spot the difference in three areas: the handle, the bristles, and the ferrel, which holds the bristles to the handle.
Handle – If you used a brush every day to make a living, you would want a contoured handle. Most of us are perfectly content with a standard handle that costs less to make.
Ferrel – Check the metal band holding the bristles to the handle to make sure it is secure. Tug gently on the bristles to see if the ferrel has a firm grasp on them.
Bristles – These should be soft and pliable.
In this photo, the foam brush at the top rates a “Good,” the bristle brush in the middle is a “Better,” and the professional brush at the bottom rates a “Best.”
Best Paint Brush For Smooth Finish On Metal
It Takes All Three.
Just as you have different sizes and types of screwdrivers in your workshop, odds are you will need all three types of brushes: foam, natural bristle, and synthetic bristle. You will also want to have them in different widths to fit the different size of cans of stains and clear finishes. The best time to buy them is before you need them, so pick out a selection of types and sizes, store them in a drawer to keep the dirt and dust off them, and clean them after each use. The reward for your efforts will be a stain and a finish that is as smooth as any professional could have achieved.
Good Luck!
Best Paint Brush For Smooth Finish
Bruce
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