DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Painting Metal Stair Railings

19K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  DanielleEglsNst 
#1 · (Edited)
I have moved into my mother's house which was built in 79 and it has metal stair railings leading up to the second floor. My mother (god rest her soul), in her infinite wisdom, painted the railings with what looks to be a latex pinkish-orange color and it is god-awful. My husband is insistant on repainting the railings which I have no problem with....my question is - what is the proper way to do it? Do we just repaint them, and if so do you primer them first, or do we need to strip the paint off, and then use a spray paint made specifically for metal? I don't want to paint over the paint on them if the new paint is just going to get ruined. HELP!
COME ON PEOPLE, GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK!
 
#2 ·
If they were painted with latex paint then you can just paint right over it with latex paint. Latex paint will stick to latex paint all day long. If it is really glossy then maybe you can scuff it up with some sandpaper if you are worried, but you should be just fine with paint on paint.
 
#8 ·
Your sheen will most likely be limited by the product you choose
Flat is a poor choice for a railing that gets handled (fingerprints)
Satin or semi-gloss would be common, depending
High gloss may be available in the product you choose
Anything other than flat is OK
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top