Comments on: Quick rusty door fix.

Question: Quick rusty door fix.

boby — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:21:30 -0800

My outside metal door is rusting. Is there a quick fix or do I need to sand, prime and repaint? The rust is more of a discoloration than deep rust.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:30:02 -0800

Rust-o-leum and other products are designed to "encase" the rust. If you're in a hurry you can just paint over. Alternatively you could use a product like naval jelly to help prepare the surface. It allegedly dissolves the rust, but also tends to encase heavy build-up, so the finish may suffer.

If it's your front door, you probably want it to look the best, but if it's a utility door or back door only used by family, you could probably get away with a quick-and-dirty job.

By: Ostara

Ostara — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:27:58 -0800

Dhartung is right - you can use steel wool or a wire brush to get any loose particles off, and then paint with Rustoleum. Take the door off and set it horizontally on two sawhorses to do this - otherwise you'll end up with visible drips and runs.

By: zinfandel

zinfandel — Sat, 16 May 2009 16:10:22 -0800

Rustoleum makes a primer for rusty metal. It's called, interestingly, Rusty Metal Primer. I painted the rusty parts of some wrought iron patio furniture with it, and then repainted with super-cheap spray paint, and it's looked good for over a decade.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:01:08 -0800

I've seen this black paint-like coating that is more viscuous than rustoleum at auto stores that might work.

By: zippy

zippy — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:14:20 -0800

There's a product for boats and cars called POR-15 (paint on rust) which I've heard works really well at neutralizing rust and covering it. Car guys I've talked to are happy with it.

By: boby

boby — Sun, 17 May 2009 07:10:33 -0800

The door is to my back porch. It's not visible to the public but I wanted to stop the rust before it got worse. Thanks for the advice.