Paint Purgatory!

I am almost done painting my metal stair railing! I have avoided this task for three whole years! The problem was I wanted a one-step process. What was I trying to do? It was a high-gloss black, and of course, I wanted a flat black. To top it off, it had been abused by construction workers that left hard-as-a-rock wall texture on it and slid drywall between the rails, regular kid wear and tear, as well as, a new addition that was gray.

Trial 1: Quite some time ago, I tried spray painting it with outdoor grill paint. I used a large piece of cardboard and held it behind the rails while I sprayed away. The grill paint had particles in it that flew everywhere, plus I inhaled a lot of them. Not good.

My choices to do the job right: Prime it with a bonding primer (which usually takes two coats), then paint it with regular latex flat paint; or sand it, then paint it. I usually avoid sanding like the plague, but figured that would be faster than priming.

What I did: First I used 250 grit sandpaper and sanded the sheen off. I used a tack cloth the wipe up the dust. Next came getting dried plaster off. That required a wet cloth. The spots had to be soaked and rubbed off. On the worst ones I used a putty knife and a wire brush. Finally, I was able to paint. I used an oil-based paint and cheap chip paint brushes. If you do this job yourself, you will need lots of newspaper and drop cloth coverage, the paint is very watery and seems to get everywhere! I did not use gloves, but I would recommend latex ones since you have to get the paint off your skin with turpentine. It will take overnight to dry enough to put a second coat on--there was no rushing this! The paint stays tacky until it dries. I will have spent four days on this project. I am happy with the results!