The better to paint metal gates: a brief overview of paints for metal
Choosing paint for metal products, many people are guided only by price and appearance, without wondering why there is such a variety of paints and varnishes on the shelves of construction stores. But all of them are fundamentally different from each other, and in order not to repaint the metal every year, you need to know the main selection criteria.
In this article we will tell you the better to paint metal gates, and conduct a small comparative review of various paints.
The content of the article
The main qualities of paint for metal
Regardless of the brand of the manufacturer, price or brand paints for metal, all of them must have a certain set of qualities. So what indicators do you need to pay attention to when choosing?
There are a lot of important parameters, if you do not have time or desire to delve into the issue, you can delegate the choice of paint and the painting itself to the master. He will select the necessary materials, taking into account all the features.
If you want to choose a job yourself - Let's figure it out:
- Adhesion with metal. Paints for different surfaces may not be suitable for other materials. Therefore, the inscription "paint for metal" must be present necessarily.
- UV Resistance. Since the topic of our article is the painting of iron gates, then resistance to sunlight should be the main criterion for selection.
- Wear resistance.
- Resistant to water. Modern paints perform not only a decorative function, but also a protective one.
- Durability.
- Easy to apply. Some types of paints can be applied only in special conditions and only with the help of sophisticated equipment. We will not describe such materials, but we must take into account that different paints are applied in different ways.
- Decorative component. If this criterion were not important, the question of how to paint the iron gate would not arise at all: we take gray soil and apply it. All.
Advice! Regardless of which paint you have chosen, it is advisable to paint the gates with your own hands in a lying position so that there are no leaks on the surface.
As a rule, all these data, as well as detailed instructions for applying, are indicated on the can with paint, but, unfortunately, this information is not always reliable. Some manufacturers intentionally write false data in order to sell their product more expensively.
Therefore, in this situation, it is better to give preference to the eminent brand. Such manufacturers value their reputation and will not publish false information. Of course, the price of such paint will be slightly higher, but then you get certain guarantees.
Oil based paints
Oil paints are once the most popular material, but the point here is not the quality of the coating, but the fact that 20-30 years ago there simply was no alternative to these paints. Today they are used much less frequently, although they have a number of advantages, one of which, of course, is the affordable price.
PF paint
One of the most common varieties of oil-based paints. It has excellent adhesion to metal, and it easily tolerates contact with water.
Despite this, the paint PF is far from ideal and here are just a few of its shortcomings:
- Long drying, which even in the summer can be calculated in several days.
- Mandatory presence of a preliminary coat of primer.
- Perhaps fading after 2-3 seasons.
- With poor cleaning of the painted surface, it may begin to peel off a few months after application.
This is not a complete list, but even enough to consider other options.
ML paint
A relatively new material based on drying oil. In fact, this is a modified and improved version of the PF, and as a result with higher quality characteristics:
- ML paint dries for a maximum of 24 hours at room temperature.
- It does not fade in the sun.
- Resistant to mechanical damage.
A significant drawback of this paint can be considered the need for applying the primer before painting, and this is an additional cost of both time and finance.
Advice! Today on the shelves you can find ML paint, which says “rust enamel”, but experience has shown that it is better to prime the surface, since the quality of the paint itself leaves much to be desired.
Special and nitro based paints
Nitro enamels are paints based on chemical solvents, so they have a sharp, unpleasant odor. The main difference between nitro paints and oil paints is the drying speed. Some enamels completely freeze in just a few minutes, others may take a maximum of an hour.
And before proceeding to the description of the types of nitro enamels, we note that painting the metal gates in closed and unventilated rooms is strictly prohibited. The chemical components in the composition can cause significant harm to health, so you need to work with them either on the street or in a room equipped with a powerful forced draft.
SC
The lowest-quality and short-lived paint from our entire review. We do not recommend working with her, but in fairness we could not help mentioning her.
As a rule, SC paint is used for temporary staining of any products, or unscrupulous manufacturers of metal structures. The coating will lose its appearance in a year, and after two years there will be no trace of it.
Hammer paint
Asking a question, metal gates than to paint, many give preference to this option. In fact, hammer enamel is an ideal balance of price and quality.
It is maximally resistant to any type of impact, and does not lose external data throughout the entire service life, and according to the manufacturers, it is at least 25 years old, but of course, subject to the rules for applying paint. Under the hammer enamel, a primer coating is not required. It independently dissolves rust and adheres firmly to the surface.
One cannot but mention decorative qualities. After application, this paint begins to spread over the surface and forms small potholes resembling traces of a blow with a blacksmith hammer, hence the name of this paint.
Some difficulty may arise when hammer paint, so before you get down to business, we recommend that you watch the video in this article, which will help to clearly understand all the subtleties of the process.
Blacksmith Paint WS-Plast
We intentionally left this paint for dessert, since it has no equal not only in our review, but also in the entire market of paints and varnishes. Needless to say, the price of this paint is very high, but in fact, it costs its money.
Such a coating is not afraid of any impact at all. Even a blow with a hammer on the surface will not leave a trace on it.
Important! Under blacksmith paint, it is necessary to cover with primer of the same brand. If soil from another manufacturer will be used, the quality of the coating is not guaranteed.
By consistency, this paint resembles liquid rubber and has a corresponding chemical smell. Drying time is a maximum of two hours, even under conditions of sub-zero ambient temperature.
The manufacturer guarantees high quality coating for at least 50 years, but since the appearance of this material, so much time has not passed, so no one knows the real life time.
And in conclusion
To summarize all of the above, we give a small comparative table that will help you make your choice.
Note that all the paints in the table are in descending order of their price, from the most expensive blacksmith enamel, to the cheapest paint NC:
| Specifications | Paint Stamps | ||||
| Blacksmith enamel | Hammer paint | ML | PF | SC | |
| Adhesion with metal | high | high | average | average | low |
| UV resistant | high | high | high | average | low |
| Resistance to mechanical damage | high | high | average | low | low |
| Durability | high | high | average | average | low |
| Water resistant | high | high | average | average | low |
| Ease of application | There are difficulties | There are difficulties | easy | easy | easy |
| Decorative qualities | high | high | high | high | low |
| Estimated Drying Time | No more than 2 hours | From an hour to three | Up to a day | From day to three | No more than an hour |
Often, when writing an article, it is difficult to give any advice or draw conclusions, but not in this case. In our review, there is an absolute leader - this is paint for metal gates WS-Plast. There is an outsider - NTs paint, but it is important to remember that the quality of the finished coating largely depends on the master. Even the highest quality paint can be applied so poorly that it will not last a year.
