Fast facts about painting rusted surfaces

Question: Can I paint over rust to get rid of it?

Answer: No. Painting over rust will not cause rust deterioration to stop underneath the paint. If you don’t remove as much of the rust as you can, the metal underneath the paint will continue to weaken.

Question: How can I remove rust on a metal bulkhead door before I paint it?

Answer: To remove as much rust as possible, here are some steps you should follow:

1. Clean the metal surface with soap and water to get rid of dirt.
2. Brush away the rust with a wire brush and apply WD-40’s Rust Remover Soak to eliminate corrosion. Remove as much rust as possible, otherwise, the rust could cause the final coat of paint to peel or blister.
3. To fill in any holes that have rusted through, you might fill them using an autobody filler like Bondo and a putty knife. Once dry, sand the newly filled spots to a smooth surface.
4. Important: Since paint doesn’t stick well to rusted surfaces, you must prime the surface using a rust-inhibiting primer like Gempler’s brand. Wait until the primer completely dries before proceeding to step 5.
5. Paint the surface using Sherwin Williams’ DTM (Direct To Metal) paint.

Question: The nail heads on my home’s exterior have rusted, and the rust from the nail heads are discoloring the wood clapboards of my house – how can I fix this?

Answer: This is a common problem when stainless steel nails are not used to nail the clapboards or trim.

1. If you never want the “rust drips” to return, you need to have a carpenter replace the current nails with stainless steel ones.
2. If you are not replacing the nails, you can take the following steps to help tone down the rust drips, understanding that the rust is likely to return.
   • Clean and sand the nail heads and the surrounding area with detergent.
   • Caulk the nail heads with acrylic caulk.
   • Apply a stain-blocking prime coat to the nail heads and surrounding surfaces.
3. Repaint the whole side of the home. If you don’t repaint the entire side of the house, the spots of new paint may clash with the old paint color making your home look “spotty.”

You may also like:

Carpentry services to replace rusted nails with stainless ones.

Clues you need to paint your home’s exterior.

Painting your exterior steel bulkhead doors.