Do you have exterior metal railings, fencing, or light poles that need painting? Have you been thinking about painting them yourself to save some money? While it might be tempting, there are some good reasons to call a pro.
Painting Supplies
Primer and paint are just part of the job. At the minimum, you’ll also need sandpaper, a wire brush, a variety of paintbrushes, a drop cloth, and painter’s masking tape to protect the surrounding surfaces from paint drips, not to mention extra tall ladders or maybe even a lift. So unless painting a metal exterior surface is something you do regularly, the investment could be more significant than you initially anticipated, cutting into the amount of money you plan to save by making this a DIY project.
Time is Money
How much is your time worth? A good paint job will require a lot of your time if you want to do the job right. It starts with preparation.
- Use painter’s tape and drop cloths to protect nearby shrubbery, plants, or other items.
- Then you will need to spend time scraping off any loose, flaked, and chipped paint.
- Remove rust from the surface with a wire brush.
- Sand all the surfaces smooth and apply a rust-inhibiting primer.
- Follow up by painting with a top coat of protective enamel designed for metal.
- Clean Up
You Will Expend a Lot of Effort
The pros can only make painting exterior metal look easy because they have extensive experience. They have the proper knowledge and tools to make your project look professional. If you don’t paint exterior metal structures regularly, you will likely make mistakes. Fixing mistakes and redoing work multiple times will take effort.
You will also spend time and money buying or renting tools that you may not have on hand, and this also takes time to source and make sure it is cleaned, etc., before returning. Some equipment also may require insurance.
Don’t Compromise Quality.
It is better to pay a professional to do in a fraction of the time what it would take you to do at a fraction of the quality.
We meticulously collect and recycle paint chips, dust, and debris during surface preparation so that harmful substances don’t end up in the soil, sewers, rivers, lakes, or groundwater.
After finishing a job, we carefully clean the site, ensuring no materials, debris, or hazardous waste are left behind. Then, we properly dispose of all unused paint and solvents. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available from Cobalt Coatings.
We take pride in our work, and our process sets us apart. So call Us First–For Coatings that Last!
