Painting railings, gates and fences

A garden railing, a wrought-iron or steel gate, a balcony balustrade, a timber fence: these are the lines that frame the house, and metal outdoors does not forgive neglect. On metal and wood alike we recommend all four of our Multi-Surface paints, Dead Matt (5%), Eggshell (15%), Satin (40%) and Gloss (85%), always over our Multi-Surface Primer; the smoother Satin and Gloss hold less dust on a railing.

Black is not the only answer: Blackout and Downing Street, yes, but also the softer Iron Grey, Bond Street or Blueprint, almost black under a grey sky and blue in the sun, or a deep green, Pleasure Gardens Green, that melts into a hedge. Match the railings to the façade's ironwork, and save colour for a timber gate.

Recommended finishes

Railings, gates & fences

Multi-Surface Dead Matt Multi-Surface Eggshell Multi-Surface Satin Multi-Surface Gloss

Primer

Multi-Surface Primer

Our advice

Railings and gates, done well

Rust brushed back to sound metal, primed the same day, and paint applied in dry weather: iron is protected in that order.

Brushed in the morning, primed in the afternoon: the iron has no time to rust.

Prepare

Brush off the rust, prime the same day

Wire-brush off all the rust, or use a rotary brush on a drill for a gate, back to grey, sound metal; sand the old paint with 120 grit and dust off. Wash with degreaser, rinse, and let it dry completely, in the grooves too. On a timber gate, sand with 120 then 180 and treat the end grain.

Bare iron rusts within hours in damp air: apply our Multi-Surface Primer to the exposed metal the same day you brush it, in the tint matched to the colour, dark grey under Blackout or Downing Street. On sound old paint, undercoat only the brushed patches.

Downing Street in Multi-Surface Satin on the railings, Alderman on the wall.

Paint

A round brush and dry weather

A dry day with no evening dew, between 10 and 25 °C. A round brush or a narrow flat brush hugs bars and scrolls far better than a roller; paint the bars along their length, then the rails, keeping a rag for runs. Two thin coats of Multi-Surface Satin or Gloss, 3–4 hours apart.

On a gate, remove or mask the lock, and leave it open for 24 hours. Recoat every five years, before rust ever shows, and you will never wire-brush again. Downing Street in Satin on the railings and gate, in the same tone as the balcony ironwork: the house looks drawn in a single line.