Cleaning and Painting Cast Iron Gate

Painting and decorating, plaster mouldings, Artexing questions

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redseat1
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Cleaning and Painting Cast Iron Gate

Post by redseat1 »

Got cast iron gates and gate posts a few months ago, they're now standing in their concrete bases. But the gates must be painted, still have the cast sand on parts.

Should I take a wire brush to them or is that a bit OTT?

Manafacturer suggested some good quality paint like Dulux and a product like Owatrol, which afaik treats rust. So bought Owatrol Oil. Do I just paint this on as it is, wait for it to dry and then use the Dulux? Or should I mix in some oil with paint and paint this on first?

Thanks!
dewaltdisney
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Cleaning and Painting Cast Iron Gate

Post by dewaltdisney »

I think Hammerite is best for gates.They do a direct to rust water based paint now but in the past I used the solvent paint on my gates that is still good 20 years on. Brush the sand down first.

DWD
tcm
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Cleaning and Painting Cast Iron Gate

Post by tcm »

Yes, do wire brush everything down first.

If you're feeling fussy then file and sand any irregularities or jagged edges that may have been left.

Rub everything down with white spirits or acetone using a clean cloth.

Personally I would do as DWD suggested and use the solvent based Hammerite.
I've always found that the water based metal paints don't tend to last as long however they do tend to dry quite fast and with no fumes they are nicer to use and better for the environment.

I don't have any experience of using Owatrol but do bear in mind that it is only for use in oil/solvent based paints not for use with any acrylic/water based paints. Other than that just follow the directions on the can or look at the website for more details on how much to mix with the paint you have.

If you are not sure if a paint is water or oil based then check the 'clean-up' instructions on the can. If it says to clean brushes with water then it's a water-based paint, if it says clean with something like white spirits or acetone then it is oil based.

Hope this helps, Tony
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arco_iris
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Cleaning and Painting Cast Iron Gate

Post by arco_iris »

Clean the sand off with a pressure washer. Somebody family/workmate/family will lend you one.
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aeromech3
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Cleaning and Painting Cast Iron Gate

Post by aeromech3 »

Owatrol have a variety of products, if you bought the 'OIL' then it can be used as a pre-painting treatment, but if your gate is new and not rusty then adding to an oil based paint or alkyd based will help spread paint into those nooks of scrolls work in a gate.
My iron gates were powder coated but after about 15 years started to show rust in the nooks; I used Hammerite on them to good effect, paint it becomes stiff quite quickly but still have blobs from brush application, brushes are good for not much else after.
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