Painting rusty fire escape
 

I need to paint the fire escape on a building I am rehabbing. It does have some rust and peeling paint. I want to do as little work as possible. I am looking for a product that all I have to do is wire brush the loose rust and paint off and the apply. I would prefer not to go back and add a top coat. Looking for a black color. It's not a high traffic area but needs to be durable and stand up to weather (rain, snow and sun).

There is por-15, Eastwood has a product, and there are a few more out there. What would be the best product for this application?

Rust-O-Leum 9800 Urethane Mastic

It is a 2-part direct to rust urethane mastic. Perfect for what you need.

Prepare like you mentioned, removal of loose paint and heavy rust.

Por-15

Maybe wear a mask when you wire brush, probably lead-based paint .

Mask, goggles and paper coveralls you can discard afterward.

I used a product called Zero Rust to paint a wrought iron fence at my home.

It is an encapsolator that will stop rust.

Air dry product, comes in several colors incl. black.

Made by Amteco.

Minimal prep required.

Brush able or can be reduced with aceton to spray.

Holding up well after 4 years.

Cooper

I love POR-15 for anything involving corroded metal. It's remarkable stuff.

The only concerns I'd have would be UV exposure (IIRC you need a top coat since the POR-15 product itself will degrade if exposed directly to UV) and traction (you don't want someone slipping and falling on the fire escape because it's slippery - kinda' defeats the purpose, again a good top coat with a textured surface would probably be okay).

POR-15 is good, but not perfect.
I spot-painted a section of frame as a test and it could be peeled off a few years later w/fresh rust underneath.
One batch arrived lumpy indicating it had been frozen.

Before any product, use a rust chemical.

Much good work is lost for the lack of a little more.
~Edward H. Harriman

thanks for all the replies. Good call on the protective gear. didn't think about it but it is probably lead based paint.

The Por-15 was the first thing I thought of but several steps involved and wasn't sure if it would stand up to the elements.

I read the product description of the rust-oleum 9800 stuff. I am not a big fan of rust-oleum products but that stuff sound like exactly what I need. Sounds like it would be really durable and easy to apply.

I will continue to look at the other products suggested and and see what looks to be the best.

Don't do any repairs/modifications to the fire escape, like welding to fix rusted areas. Its "fire/life safety". You'll be on the hook forever. Consider consulting with the City on permits. Lead based paint is a big deal and you don't want to ignore its legal ramifications. I know someone in Houston who had his house paint stripped, the neighbor's dog ate some chips and died. My friend spent big bucks to have a lead paint contractor come out and clean it up, including scrapping out several inches of soil.

Make sure you know the lead laws for your area, especially for a multi-family housing project like this.

In NJ, you would need to be certified, follow a very specific notification, removal, and clean up procedure. And the fines are crazy.

Only thing I can add is what a Navy Boatswain's mate told me years ago about painting:

One coat for dirt
Two coats for rust
Three coats for grease

Still makes me laugh to this day every time I pick up a paint brush.