Prep Galvanized Shed For Paint

[pony]

The Question:
How to I clean, strip, wash, etch and paint this shed properly. I do not wish to paint this shed again and I need to get that galvanizing off the panels. I’d rather error on the side of to harsh a product to ensure it done than a friendlier one.

The Story:
I picked up this shed from my father’s before he sells his house. My Grandfather used to make these shed and sell them 30 years ago. Galvanized sheet metal and sturdy, I wasn’t about to let it go with the house.

I stood for 10 years unpainted, then as a young lad I was told to scrub it with vinegar and paint it with Marine enamel. Well the result was it peeling in many areas.

My Intentions:
The shed is now disassembled into panels I can lay on the driveway, grass or lean against the fence. I wish to use paint stripper on the paint, pressure wash with a 3500psi machine I intend to rent anyways, etch the panels properly this time, TSP to clean it and HVLP spray it with Tremclad, our version of Rustoleum in Canada.

The Shed
As it stood for 30 years
How it peeled within 2 years of paint

 

[astroracer]

Cleaning is the key. You kinda have that covered with the TSP bath but you can go a few steps better. Pick up some Dupont Metal-Etch at your local automotive supply shop. This stuff will clean the metal and strip off surface rust. Scrub the panels with a coarse scotch-brite pad to give the paint some tooth to grab onto. These pads are available on Roloc discs to make things a little quicker. Once you have that done clean the surface right before paint with a good wax and grease remover like PrepSol or Pre-Kleano.
I would recommend a good epoxy primer before paint. Even a self etching primer would give you a good, tuff base for top coat. The epoxy will let you spray just about anything over it as a top coat so your Tremclad should be fine.
Of course you will be finishing this off with a nice set of flames sweeping down the sides right?
Mark

 

[pony]

Thank You

That's the kind of info I need. I haven't chosen a color yet, don't want white as it'll be like a white elephant in the corner of my yard, and dark colors fade but for flames I was thinking of this or perhaps hire someone who can do a little better

Can I scrub the panels with a tools and course 3M pad? Doing it all by hand would be a ton of work and I like my Air Tools I know not to "Polish" the metal but would coarse sand paper do the trick too?

So what would be a good epoxy primer you'd recommend? Can I spray that too? Thoughts on how much and with what to dilute it with? I dilute tremclad 15% with Mineral Spirits. I could roll this stuff on as the panels can lay flat before assembly but spraying is more fun.

Nice thing about this shed is that it's thick sheet metal, not like those residential ones you buy. This way I can lock up my tools and go away without having to worry about someone swiping my toys. Going to weld some bars in the door window and put on a good lock and....

 

[astroracer]

A 3M soft pad on a D/A would be perfect. Use a 150 or 180 grit and then bury it in epoxy.
I like the 1st set of flames. Very Kool.
Get the primer when you pick up the Metal-Etch. Talk to the paint store dude, he can probably recommend a good product to do the job. I use mostly Dupont stuff but a cheaper brand will probably work fine for your application.
Good luck and lets see some photo's...
Mark

 

[CraigFL]

Whenever I painted any galvanized surface, I always used a primer called Galvi-Grip. It was supposed to bond the paint better to the galv surface.

 

[pony]

Cool

Here the first pic still in the trailer

 

[pony]

Update

Well been prepping the shed for paint, I couldn't strip the paint as 2 gallons of paint stripper wasn't lifting it properly, so I went for my grinder and many sanding disks of 25 to 50 coarse
I wonder if I still need to "Etch" the galvanizing if I've gone over the sheet metal with my sanding wheel?
I also noted that although the paint stripper would strip the marine enamel, it wouldn't strip the primer coat. I wonder why? Since the roof was painted with the primer coat only, and was covered by plywood and shingles 2" above for air ventilation. I'm not going to grind them down but leave it be. Those specks in the photo are chunks of paint blasted from the other panels.

More Questions:
So I'll clean well with TSP then,
Do I still need to etch it?
Do I need to primer it, or can I just spray my Tremclad?
Once painted, how much "Flex" can this paint handle as I reassemble the shed? Those panels bend a fair bit when assembling them.

 

[wilbilt]

Whenever I painted any galvanized surface, I always used a primer called Galvi-Grip. It was supposed to bond the paint better to the galv surface.

Ditto that. I don't remember what it's called here, "Galva-Something", but it definitely promotes paint adhesion. I had a teardrop trailer that was built in 1948, all galvanized. I primed it with the special primer and the paint held perfectly.

I would not remove the galvanizing. That is what has kept that shed standing for all those years.

Will

 

[Shiny]

Bitchin info guys.
I'm gonna paint my hot rod shop logo on the roof of my 30x60 shop.
Will look kinda kewl from up on the hill by the house!.....Shiny