Nothing freshens up the exterior of your humble abode as a squeaky clean, freshly painted metal gate. Proper maintenance can be very tedious when metal gates are in question. When the paint starts peeling, and rust starts appearing, where will you be? Cleaning takes a while and adding a new paint coating even more, but with these handy tips, your gates will look fantastic in no time.

Mind The Weather

First things first. Nobody wants a flash rain when they finally consider cleaning and repainting their gate. Always remember - rain is bad for your gate even two-three days after you finish painting it. Choose a day when there are no rain forecasts up to four days to ruin your hard work. Rain damages the paint and new finish, and also, you might want to choose a day when it's not windy. Wind just helps in caking even more dirt and debris to your fresh paint, so be careful.

Cleaning And Scrubbing

After you properly disassemble and lay down the gates, scrub the dirt and rust with a wire brush. By cleaning and scrubbing the surface of the metal gate, you find out which spots are rusted and damaged. It's very important to thoroughly clean the surface and to try to smoothen out the bumps a little. Dry out the gates after the procedure. Go as long as it takes, but remember to cover all of the areas and surfaces of the gate.

Don't Let Paint Drip Anywhere

Always prepare the area of your lawn or driveway. Place an old cloth big enough beneath the gates. You don't want paint dripping on your exterior.

Rust And Old Paint Removal

As the saying goes - "Safety first!" If you don't have a protective face mask and eyewear, buy one ASAP. Nobody deserves dust or pain in their eyes. Or noxious fumes in their lungs. Once you don your protective gear, start scrubbing the rust and paint off the gates with a wire brush. Don't try to smoothen out every inch of the gate, it's alright if there are a few uneven spots here and there.

Put on your gloves and then try to degrease the gates with degreaser liquids and wait for it to dry out. Again, scrape off the loose rust with the wire brush and by using a mild dish soap cleanser or a rust neutralizer, if the rust is being stubborn. After the procedure, dry out the gates.

Rust Prevention

After the gates are dry, use a dry and rugged cloth to remove dust or debris. Once that is done, smoothen out the surface again, and then apply some rust neutralizer to prevent those pesky rust patches. With a wire brush, try to scrape off additional rust and old paint, and with a sandpaper, smooth out the rough spots, in that order. Wipe the gate down.

Priming the Gates

Before you start going all Bob Ross on the gates, lay down a dust sheet around and beneath the gate. Now, there are a lot of varieties of paint like Triflow that don't need a primer or undercoat for basis and can be painted over the rust. But we will be "going commando", or old-school, if you will.

It's a good idea to apply primer to your gates because there are some metals like galvanized metal or zinc that have special properties and require priming, so always consult your business where you got your gates from. Remember to apply primer with a spray gun or a paintbrush thoroughly about 2 or three times. Only then you can be sure you coated it perfectly, and you can apply some to the rusted areas also, ensuring to fill out the gaps and extra rust not to let any excess corrosion run rampant.

Once you finish spraying or painting the first coating, allow it to dry out before applying the second, and the third for last. You can always feel free to brush, roll, or spray with what you have in hand. Use combinations, it doesn't matter. All the better if you know which crevice to fill and which surface to cover. Go nuts.

Start Painting!

Allow the three coatings to dry (if you thoroughly read the manufacturer's guidelines of course!) and then start painting. Simply start by painting the outer edges first, then the decorative ornaments over it, and then to the backside of the gate. Always remember to have a cloth below the gate not to get paint over your pavement.

If you are wondering which is the best paint product that will soothe the surface of your gate, worry not. It's usually a high gloss alkyd paint, for the extra shine you require. It's less waste when you are spray painting the gates and a roller is fine too! Be sure to cover any crevice, surface, or hard to reach places, and use whatever works for you, as long as the paint is perfectly laid on the surface.

Waiting Period

It usually takes 2-3 days for the paint to fully "heal". Wait for it to dry out and try to lightly brush off excess dirt once every 6 hours if you really want that nice sheen and shine. After 3 days, your gates should look better than the first day you installed them.