Anti-rust paint is ideal for painting metal objects. It allows you to give color and treat the surface in a single operation. Your cast iron garden furniture, your metal fences or even your garage door can be protected from any corrosion. But what exactly is anti-rust paint? How does she act? Is it effective over time? How to apply it? Here are some tips on the matter.
Where does rust come from?
Rust or corrosion is the chemical reaction undergone by metallic bodies exposed for a long time to contact with acids, salts, gases and other atmospheric agents. Although it is often thought that corrosion only occurs in coastal environments where the breeze and the wind carry salt particles from the sea, it should be mentioned that oxidation can appear wherever there is presence of drastic changes in temperature or high and constant humidity. This means that rust affects industrial machinery but can also damage your vehicle and even your home. Hence the interest of using an anti-rust paint.
What is anti-rust paint?
Metal is a material that is sensitive to both humidity and the passage of time. This means that rust can appear there. In this case, the anti-rust paint prevents its appearance. It acts as a protective layer. Effective in prevention, this paint can also treat the rust already present on the surface of your metal objects.
How does anti-rust paint work?
Anti-rust paint combines two substances: the paint and the anti-rust agent. The combination of the two active components means that there is no need for pre-treatment. This saves you a lot of time and unnecessary work.
How long does anti-rust paint work?
The effect of anti-rust paint is long-lasting in the event that the object is only partially and slightly affected by rust. In case of widespread and intensive rust attack, you should consider brushing and pre-treatment. The earlier the anti-rust paint is applied, the longer it acts over time. The less corrosion damage, the better the effect. Anti-rust paint is therefore ideal for the very early restoration of metal objects.
What anti-rust paint to use?
The main criterion for choosing an anti-rust paint is generally the colour. The colors also vary from one manufacturer to another. Always be sure to follow the instructions issued by this same manufacturer: because all paints have their particularity. You should also know that there are different anti-rust paints according to criteria such as:
- The look you want to give: this can be a lacquered, satin or matt look.
- The color you would like to obtain: white, black or colored.
- The metal you are painting: iron, steel or any other type of metal.
Rust Paint Application Tips
Anti-rust paint is not just a protection against obvious aesthetic deterioration. It also avoids certain functional damage because a corroded structure loses its resistance, being more likely to collapse and cause serious consequences. It is therefore preferable to treat your metal objects. And of course to know the advice for using anti-rust paint before applying it. There are two possibilities:
- preventive rust paint
- The curative anti-rust paint.
They are two distinct types of paints. The first applies to new objects or furniture. Or as a second coat on an everyday object that could rust. The second is a paint that aims to treat the rust already present. If you treat your object, you must start by removing the rust with a brush or with any other device such as grinding or sanding. In short, clean, sand, remove all grease and dirt from the surface of your metal, which facilitates the absorption of the anti-rust paint. You may need a first coat of primer before painting your rust paint. Then you apply the anti-rust paint. You can do this with a roller, a brush or with a sprayer.
What are the advantages of anti-rust paint?
- Anti-rust paint can have a cosmetic use. Either as a single use or as a primer. It is a resistant paint that adheres easily to different surfaces (copper, bronze, aluminum, steel, etc.), and generally gives finishes in matt tones.
- Anti-rust paint has an economic advantage because it increases the service life of objects coated with it. Since these metallic materials are most of the time exposed to aggressive environments, their lifespan increases: they become more resistant, which no longer requires them to be replaced too often. Their maintenance is improved. No need to acquire new items instead!
- The advantage is also ecological because the composition of the current anti-rust paint is very different from those initially proposed. In its early days, anti-rust paint consisted of chrome, lead, zinc. But thanks to technological and technical progress, anti-rust paint is now made of more environmentally friendly components that comply with legal regulations.
- So if you are looking for a paint capable of covering and waterproofing metal surfaces, capable of offering excellent adhesion and quick drying, resistance to exposure to atmospheric agents, ultraviolet rays, shocks and abrasion, as well as a practical alternative to create bases that promote a better finish, and all this while guaranteeing a process that generates a low environmental impact, anti-rust paint is your best option.