Painting A New Metal Shed
When painting a new, rust-free metal shed treat it just like any other painting job. First coat the entire outer service with a painting primer designed for metal. This will help protect the metal from the environment and prevent rusting. In addition, a coat of primer will make the main painting process go a lot smoother. For a primer I recommend Rust-Oleum (or comparable) for metal. It does the job well, and as the name implies, does a good job of protecting against rust.
Here’s an example from Amazon, but it would probably cheaper to just pick it up at your local hardware store.
Once you’ve got the primer coat applied, you can proceed with applying your choice of outdoor paint. It doesn’t really matter what you choose, just as long as it’s meant for outdoor environments.
How To Paint A Rusty Metal Shed
If you’ve got an older shed that’s started to rust, painting it will be a bit more difficult. First of all, you’ll need to remove the rust. This is best done using a combination of naval jelly (phosphoric acid product) and sanding. Caution: Naval jelly is an acid and will burn you! It will also kill any plants it comes in contact with. Also, never use naval jelly on aluminum, chrome, or concrete. Once you’ve removed the rust, use a metal primer such as Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal Primer. This will help protect against future rust and corrosion. From here on out, paint it like you would a normal metal shed.
Well that’s about all there is to painting metal sheds. If anyone is interested in how phosphoric acid removes rust here it is:
So basically the naval jelly consists of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) within a gel. The H3PO4 reacts with Fe2O3 (rust) to form FePO4 and water. You can just wipe this iron-phosphate byproduct off with a cloth and voilá, no more rust!
Here’s the complete formula for the phosphoric acid and rust reaction:
2H3PO4 + Fe2O3 –> 3H2O + 2FePO4
Maybe this’ll help some kid out with his high school chemistry homework.
Metal sheds, usually constructed of steel or aluminum, are popular for many reasons. First of all, these types of sheds are much cheaper than similarly sized wooden ones and they are not limited by the size of constraints of plastic. A fairly large steel shed kit can be purchased for around $500, whereas a wooden shed of comparable size would cost nearly twice as much.
Secondly, steel and aluminum sheds require less construction skill and tools to build. All holes are usually pre-drilled, and you’ll need no more than a screwdriver and maybe a wrench to construct them. You don’t even need to lay a foundation! Ease of construction goes hand in hand with ease of shipment as well. In addition, a metal shed requires less maintenance than wooden ones. You won’t have to worry about rot, mold, or mildew. Just keep the shed painted and it won’t rust or degrade for a long time.
You’ll find many styles and designs of metal sheds available. No longer are you limited to a simple rectangular structure with a triangular roof. Now manufacturers are selling sheds with more attractive “barn-style” roofs with trim which can be painted to match your house.
Just think of all the uses you’ll be able to find for a metal storage shed. Use it to store clutter from your house, as a garage for lawnmowers, all terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, and other small vehicles, or as a place to keep your lawn and garden supplies when your garage is full. There is no cheaper way to accomplish all of these tasks than with an aluminum or steel shed.
