Painting exterior of a cast iron bath

[mothercourage]

Anyone done it? Googling brings up conflicting advice re. what kind of paint to use.

Emulsion or oil based? I'm erring on side of the latter but would like to hear from someone who's already done it if poss...

[ed_pete]

Oil based eggshell and it worked fine and lasted for years without a problem.

[mothercourage]

Thanks ed_pete. How did you get a good finish on it? I'm thinking lots of sandpapering and a foam roller.

[Huggers]

I used oil based with a brush in a duck egg blue and it looks lovely.

[ed_pete]

To be honest, ours was pretty rough to start with and we were happy with the slightly shabby appearance so I rubbed it down to get a stable surface then I think (must be 15 years ago) I used a roller.

[Annette Curtain]

Don't over sand else you'll get back to the metal = corrosion

If you have got this far (to the metal) then a metal primer first should suffice. You can go over the area in quick drying car spray primer, if you're in a hurry

Then oil eggshell roller it, but be careful you don't go to thick and end up with a pitted finish. Personally i'd thin the eggshell a little (white spirit) and brush it out with a synthetic fine filament brush. Don't be tempted to try one heavy coat. The new 2012 VOC compliant paints 'cure' rather than dry, so a thick coat will make the cure process take longer. It will say 18 hrs between coats, it's possible but an extra day is better to allow the coats to harden up. 180 grit flour paper 'de-nib' sanding between coats will help ease the second on greatly. Dust down as you go

Store your brush in water between the coats, not white spirit, as this is a solvent and not a brush cleaner. When you go to reuse the brush, dry it gently with a lint free cloth and ease it with a little paint on a spare bit of clean board or wood. When the whole task is complete, clean your brush in water soluble 'Brush Cleaner' rinse in COLD water and wash with fairy liquid, rinse again. Hot water stiffens a brush to death

Two coats should suffice, but buy some decent paint. Best eggshell on the market is Little Green Co. I use Whites of Brockley & speak to John , every where else is run by muppets

Hope this helps

http://www.whitestradepaints.co.uk/

[mothercourage]

That helps loads - thanks so much for taking the time to give such an informative reply. Am attempting it this weekend, fingers crossed.

[Joseph75]

I did this with ours a few years, just painted it with some pale blue emulsion we had left over and it looks great. A friend of mine used gloss but that didn't have a very nice finish.

Good luck!

[malumbu]

I sprayed with an enamel aerosol. perfectly fine. Plasticote is a common brand. You could also use hammerite smoothrite.