How to Repaint Steel Outdoor Furniture

Preparation for Paint

• 1

  Wire brush the entire surface of steel outdoor furniture, including painted and rusted spots. Wire brushing the already painted furniture helps roughen the painted surface so that the new coat of paint better adheres once applied. Remove as much rust as possible with a wire brush on the steel outdoor furniture.

• 2

  Use a power sanding device to feather-edge where painted surfaces meet bare metal surfaces that no longer have paint on them. "Feather-edging" is the process of sanding painted surfaces so that there is no longer a sharp difference between a still-painted surface and surface that no longer has paint on it.

• 3

  Pressure wash steel outdoor furniture with a high pressure rotary nozzle, removing extraneous debris. Further roughen an already painted surface with the high pressure rotary nozzle.

• 4

  Remove loose paint leftover from wire brushing with a pressure washer. Wash off rust residue leftover from the wire brush with a pressure washer. Let steel outdoor furniture completely dry.

Apply Paint

• 5

  Place metal outdoor furniture on a paint drop cloth and within an area that will help keep it protected from anything blowing onto the freshly painted surface, such as dirt. Wet and use only the first one-third of a black China bristle paint brush to repaint outdoor metal furniture. This is to avoid a messy paint brush and thus a messy application. Apply the first coat of combination primer and topcoat outdoor enamel metal paint to the steel outdoor furniture.

• 6

  Let the first coat of paint completely dry according to the manufacturer's specifications. Do not attempt to repaint the metal furniture with a second coat before it completely dries as this will detract from the look of the paint finish. Clean the paint brush according to the manufacturer's specifications while waiting for the first coat of paint to dry.

• 7

  Repaint the steel outdoor furniture with a second coat of combination primer and topcoat outdoor enamel metal paint. Let the second coat of metal enamel paint completely dry before moving furniture off the paint drop cloth. Clean the paint brush.