I came home with some Amerimax rain gutters from Home Depot yesterday, the ones that are pre-painted white. It’s an aluminum gutter with baked-on white paint. I needed to paint it a medium green. The first thing I did was wet a rag with mineral spirits and wipe off the gutter, then let the residue evaporate. Then, using a Behr exterior paint in semi-gloss, in my green color, I applied some paint with a new paintbrush. The paint sort of beaded up on the gutter. Not totally, but enough to make me wonder if perhaps I should use a primer. So I got my bucket of Kilz 2 primer, which the label says is good on metals, and painted some onto the gutter. But the same thing happened. It sort of beaded up like the Behr paint. What is going on?? I called Amerimax sales, and the guy said he had no idea what to tell me. That’s when I turned to Breaktime. Anyone have any ideas about this?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Apprenticeship programs can be a valuable tool for residential builders to recruit, train, and retain skilled employees, offering a structured pathway for career advancement and equity in the trades.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
Clean it with denatured alcohol and coat it with an oil-based primer.
I hate it too.
Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-- George Washington
How about scuffing it lightly with a fine scuffpad or sandpaper and then clean it with the denatured alcohol.
sounds like you still have mineral spirits on there...
If the alcohol doesn't work, I've used vinegar with steel wool, I've seen the paint crew use coffee-machine cleaner
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Many times, the equipment used to form metal leaves traces of silicone lube on the metal. When you try to paint it, "fish eye" style spots appear.
Owens-Corning makes a silicone remover. This spray, available from places that sell drive belts, gears, and the like, is a real miracle worker in these situations. Spray, wipe, ... and paint. It's that easy.
painting metal gutter with house paint. you cant do that. Use spray paint, enamal rattle can. like a kryon.
Wrong primer. Clean well and prime with flat enamel spray primer (preferably gray).
Good luck -
Jeff
So many great answers. I feel so lucky to be part of the FHB community. You guys are great !
clean with denatured alcohol..
scuff with a 3M sanding pad that looks like a green dish scubbie...
reclean...
prime with oil base primer like Rustoleum...
paint to finish as you'd like..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
That baked metal surface is too slik for paint to get aa grip and you shouold use a real metal primer - ithas more gription for that.
So scuff it with steel wool or sandpaper - very fine, and use spray cans of primer, then when it dries you can use your green brush
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I'd sand lightly, tack cloth, then use a "liquid sandpaper" prep. Mineral spirits will leave a residue that rejects latex/acrylic.