From roof to gate, to even your stairs and balcony, you can find metal materials in your home. For these, you have options for paints that give a colorful and durable coating—Boysen Quick Drying Enamel, Acqua Epoxy, and Epoxy Enamel. Then, you can choose between Boysen Roofgard or Cool Shades for your roofs. How well you applied the paint, or whether you need to repaint parts of your home depends on the appearance of common painting problems on metal surfaces.
Rusting
Rusting or corrosion is the head of all painting problems on metal surfaces. It’s what causes the other paint problems we’ll talk about below, and if not addressed, will get even worse.
Metal corrosion is a natural chemical reaction for furnishings made of iron or most iron-based alloys. It’s triggered by exposure to air and water. This is where paint comes in to give metal surfaces protection from the elements.
You want to avoid rusting for metal surfaces the most. Corrosion leads to holes forming on metal sheets, and gate hinges not working properly. Unchecked corrosion will deform the metal furnishing eventually.
Flash Rusting
You should also know about flash rusting. After using a rust remover like Boysen Metal Etching Solution, rust can suddenly appear on the metal surface after being exposed to air. They look like splash or spray marks. To avoid this, immediately put your respective metal primer after treating the metal surface with rust remover.
Peeling
This painting problem occurs when the paint film is being stripped away, as it loses adherence to the surface. Peeling happens when the paint film delaminates. It mostly happens due to improper surface preparation.
Mainly, if you have not treated and removed the rust from the metal surface, the applied coating can easily peel when dried. Not applying the proper primer will also affect paint adherence. Especially when exposed to the elements, your paint can be susceptible to peeling.
Flaking
Similar to peeling, flaking appears as the paint film cracks and chips away from the surface. Unlike peeling, flaking occurs when hardened paint film starts to feel brittle.
This paint problem is also known as alligatoring because of the scale-like texture that forms. Solvent-based paints like Acqua Epoxy, when applied over water-based paints, affect adherence. This causes the hardened paint to tear away from the surface easily. It is also caused when paint intended for interior use only is used in exteriors. Epoxy Enamel, in particular, is used in interiors.
Fixing These Painting Problems
It’s always worth emphasizing to get those problems addressed before they get worse. Lucky for you, we have a video guide series for repainting metal surfaces. Check out the corresponding links for repainting a gate, roof, and stairs.
For gate
For roof
For stairs
Final Thoughts on Common Paint Problems on Metals
A paint does its job if it’s adhering to and coating the surface properly. It makes your metal furnishings last for a long time, as well as give a home its needed beauty. Keep an eye for when these common paint problems on metal surfaces arise.
For more tips on paint problems, subscribe to the blog. If you have questions or clarifications, send us an email at ask@myboysen.com and our technical team will be happy to help.
