Advice for Painting Tin Barn

[GarageDan]

Hi y'all. I've got a couple of old barns from the 1950s on the property and they're in need of some TLC. They've been pretty much neglected for the last 10-15 years. I've got to do some repairs, but then I also need to paint them. The barn still have a little The barns have the old time tin roof and sides. They're a little rusty, but still pretty secure.





I need to paint them and I'm looking for a little advice.

I have this Graco airless sprayer: Graco Magnum Sprayer

I also have a small air compressor: Kobalt Air Compressor

I also have a pressure washer: Simpson Pressure Washer I'll need quite the water hose to get to the barn though!

Always looking for an excuse for a new tool though......

I've painted interior rooms with the sprayer and I'm pretty good with it, but it seems to really spray the paint quick and I'm afraid it would go through a lot of paint. I actually painted one of the barns when I was a teenager, but used a simple ladder, 6" brush, and a bucket of paint. I'm hoping to do something a little more efficient this time with some of the more modern tools available today.

My first thought is to hit them with the pressure washer and then use the airless sprayer. I probably need to apply some primer, but what kind? Then an acrylic basic paint I assume - any advice on the kind? While I like traditional red for a barn, I wonder if another color would look better...

Thanks for your advice. I'm just trying to take care of the old home place.

 

[ZRX61]

Step one is get the weeds & dirt away from the bottom of the buildings. I'd stick with red on the red barn as changing the color will likely involve using more paint...
Pressure washer might work with one of those 275gal plastic totes full of water, assuming you have a way to get it to the barn, but they do fit in the back of regular pick ups.

 

[jack stand]

For the roof, I've had good results with the silver, fibered trailer paint. (that might be a slang definition)
A good farm/tractor store always had it in 5 gallon cans.
Very minimal prep and it was brushed on with a foundation taring type of brush.

 

[manwithtools]

For the roof, I've had good results with the silver, fibered trailer paint.

Yep, something like this: Fibered Aluminum Reflective Roof Coating

Basically you just mop it on the roof with a brush, super easy and it lasts a long time. I'd be tempted to paint all the roofs with this style paint and then paint all the walls red so the buildings match.

 

[GarageDan]

Thanks y'all! Love this advice. I didn't know anything about Fibered Aluminum Reflective Roof Coating, but that sounds perfect. I like the idea of the silver roof and red sides.

 

[jack stand]

...like a brand new galvanized roof
Iirc the prep was a little wire brushing @ any loose rust. Never seen "loose rust" on metal that thin.

 

[dodgeramsst2003]

I just finished painting my 35 ish year old pole barn. The roof was sealed with Silver seal a few years ago, so I only had to do the walls and trim. I bought Benjamin Moore DTM acrylic paint and sprayed it.

Prep is the key. My process is below.

1. Pressure washed to get all the big dirt off
2. washed with TSP and a brush.
2a. washed again with TSP and a brush
3. Washed with Gutter Butter and a brush
4. wire brush any rust and primed all the rust spots and nail/screw heads
5. Sprayed top coat.

I changed colors from red to a dark gray. We will see how it holds up, but the adhesion seems very good. The reason I washed so many times is because I still felt that there was some oxidation on the walls, and was worried about the paint sticking long term.

 

[GarageDan]

I just finished painting my 35 ish year old pole barn. The roof was sealed with Silver seal a few years ago, so I only had to do the walls and trim. I bought Benjamin Moore DTM acrylic paint and sprayed it.

Prep is the key. My process is below.

1. Pressure washed to get all the big dirt off
2. washed with TSP and a brush.
2a. washed again with TSP and a brush
3. Washed with Gutter Butter and a brush
4. wire brush any rust and primed all the rust spots and nail/screw heads
5. Sprayed top coat.

I changed colors from red to a dark gray. We will see how it holds up, but the adhesion seems very good. The reason I washed so many times is because I still felt that there was some oxidation on the walls, and was worried about the paint sticking long term.

TSP?

 

[GarageDan]

I just finished painting my 35 ish year old pole barn. The roof was sealed with Silver seal a few years ago, so I only had to do the walls and trim. I bought Benjamin Moore DTM acrylic paint and sprayed it.

Prep is the key. My process is below.

1. Pressure washed to get all the big dirt off
2. washed with TSP and a brush.
2a. washed again with TSP and a brush
3. Washed with Gutter Butter and a brush
4. wire brush any rust and primed all the rust spots and nail/screw heads
5. Sprayed top coat.

I changed colors from red to a dark gray. We will see how it holds up, but the adhesion seems very good. The reason I washed so many times is because I still felt that there was some oxidation on the walls, and was worried about the paint sticking long term.

THAT LOOKS FANTASTIC BTW!!!! LOVE IT.

 

[manwithtools]

TSP?

Trisodium Phosphate - used widely as a strong cleaning agent

TSP - Amazon

 

[nadogail]

I buy read Tri Sodium Phosphate from a paint distributor; the stuff sold as TSP at a big box home improvement store is often TSP in name only. I have read on some packages that it was Phosphate Free, because of environmental concerns.

 

[GarageDan]

I'm getting closer to working on this project. I got the grass and weeds cut down and cleaned out the junk. Got to make some repairs and then I can start. Quick question, anyone ever paint the inside of the barn?