Scrape off peeling paint and powdery flaking rust until the surface is mostly smooth.
Preparing bare sheet metal for paint.
However badly rusted metal areas need more prep work and possibly a special primer.
For large flat surfaces use a sanding block to get even pressure.
With the rust removed sand the entire surface to smooth out uneven areas and dull the surface so the primer and paint can adhere.
The first step is to clean off loose rust and flaking paint and then apply a rust inhibitive primer.
If the old paint is in poor condition you can remove it by hand wire brushing sanding.
Remove loose and peeling paint.
Scrape off light loose rust with a wire brush.
To properly prepare new metal surfaces use mineral spirits to remove grease and apply a.
5 important steps preparing metal for paint clean the surface.
You don t need to get down to bare shiny metal just clean off the flakes and powdery surface rust that prevent paint from adhering.
Sanding and applying primer.
If you re dealing with a lightly rusted surface you may just need to give it a quick scrub with a brush.