DIY painting metal furniture

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1
Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone has experience with painting outdoor metal furniture. I have a small table and chairs that I would like to repaint. However, there are small holes done as a design and I would like to know if I should sand every single spot and remove the paint or just do a simple sanding. Also, would it be better to use a paint brush or the rollers and what kind of paint brand do you suggest I use.

If anyone can give me some tips would be grateful.

2
stiff wire brush, a good clean and a specific metal paint. Remember that gloss paints will show any small deformation in the original surface so a matt or satin paint finish is the way to go.

You can get paints that dont need a primer, some are "all in one" so just slap it on.

Depending on the paint type 2 or 3 thin coats are better than 1 thick coat.

I would use a brush.

3
Hi Rob,

Thank you so much for your tips. However, do you suggest I sand the all of the paint off from the chairs then I paint, or just do a simple sanding?

4
if you want a half decent finish then sand it all off, if its all metal then you can use paint remover to get the old paint off, its like jelly and just lifts the old paint right off, then a quick sand, undercoat (always undercoat, the all in one's are shit) let the undercoat dry and give it a rub down with really fine wet and dry paper (about 800+ grit) and plenty of water, let it dry and then paint the colour, let that dry and another quick rub down with wet and dry (an even finer grain this time) then the top coat.

lots of thin even coats rather then a full on blast right away, then it'll just run, Coop home and hobby do a fairly decent spray paint, just used it myself, it says 3 minutes between coats and it went on really nicely in the end.

if you paint it in 5 minutes then that's how long it'll last, and look, preparation is EVERYTHING

5
For a good finish, I like to use a propane torch. You can buy it in any DIY store.

Other than that, what Rob said.

6
What I found useful is using paint remover (letting it settle) and then washing/shooting it off with a high-pressure water cleaner (if you have one available, maybe a normal water hose will work too if you put some pressure on the tip). It's essentially like sandblasting off the paint, but with water.

You can get all the paint out of the little holes this way.

7

you have to be REALLY careful doing this!! paint remover isn't water soluble, so if it hits anything while your blasting it off (like your car) it'll take the paint off that too, or if you get it in your eye's etc - nasty

8
That is true. Forgot to mention that you don't want to be doing this in your garage/house or near your car/bike etc. Wear goggles too.