Bank Holiday DIY – Painting Railings (Learnings)

We all have a few jobs we wish to complete around the house. One such job for me was painting our metal railings. In the 17 years since moving into our house, this would be the third time that they needed painting. Roughly needing paint every 4 years. So this time the job was overdue.

Having the railings look smart again makes such a difference. They were faded, algae had grown on parts and the paint was almost streaky looking in parts after exposure to the weather.

Four rail sections covered about 7 metres length to be prepped. The preparation involved using a wire brush to prepare the rails. Originally I was just going to brush damaged areas with rust or flakey paint. However, I ended up doing the entire rails. They say preparation is key for a successful paint. For most of the railings, the wire brushing was just light to make the surface rough and paint ready. I then washed the railings down with soapy water. A couple of hours later, the railings were ready to start painting.

Once painting, I had to call off the job as not only was I getting tired, the great UK weather started to spit and a little wind picked up.

After completing the job the next day, I was pretty pleased with the result. Well worth the 6 or so hours it all took in total.

Paint wise I used Hammerite with a couple of small brushes. Supposedly this is the best paint to buy for railings. I used an old kitchen rubber glove when applying the paint. Pretty thick and I only needed to apply the one coat.

Overall, I am very happy with the job. A good shine to the paint which dried pretty quick. After painting, I then checked the rails for any missed bits or areas needing a further application.

The next job is to repaint a metal outside light. Hopefully I will get that done next week. Lots of paint left. Will need to mask the light, wire brush and paint. Should be a quick job.

In summary:

• Prepare railings by brushing with a wire brush
• Wash all railings with soapy water
• Prepare the area for painting using cloths or canvas/tarpaulin to protect ground surface
• Paint

Lastly, don’t forget your set paint signs. Obvious to do but you would be surprised even with signs and tarpaulin how close some will still get!