Before painting galvanized metal, such as drip strips around eaves or roof flashing, take the following steps so the paint will adhere properly and not peel:
- Go over the metal with a wire brush to remove any oxidation.
- Wipe the galvanized surface down with white vinegar. The vinegar is a mild acid which acts to etch the galvanized coating so the paint will stick.
- Prime the surface with a primer made for metal.
- Apply two topcoats of paint on top of the primer.
Watch the video above to find out more.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Jill Asks: We’re painting our house. Do we have to do anything special to paint the galvanized metal around the edge of the roof?
Danny Lipford: Almost every house has some type of galvanized metal. Now, it might be an eave strip running around the edge of your roof, or valley metal, or you may even have some galvanized metal sawhorses like I have here in the shop. After a while this stuff can start looking bad, and if you’re wanting to paint it, here’s what you need to do.
First, if it’s oxidized like this, use your wire brush just to knock a little bit of that oxidation off, and then wipe it down. And then this is the key thing, use white vinegar. Wipe it down very thoroughly with the white vinegar. It’s an acid, and it’ll etch it so the paint will stick.
You still want to prime it like you would any metal. After the primer is dried, then two coats of topcoat paint, and the galvanized metal around your place is going to look a lot better.
Further Information
- Can You Paint a Metal Roof? (article)
- How to Paint Galvanized Metal (article)
- How to Paint Anything Outside (article)
- How to Paint Aluminum Siding (article)
