How To Repaint A Rusty Metal Hand Rail

Practice Safety When Testing for Lead

Before you begin, test the railing paint for lead with a kit such as 3M LeadCheck, which is sold at paint stores and home centers. If you find a lead layer, don’t proceed until you’ve read the EPA’s online guide “Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair, and Painting” and have put into place the protections it stipulates for safeguarding yourself and your home.

Before You Get Started

If the railing is lead-free (like the one I’m working on above), spread drop cloths over the stairs and nearby areas to capture the paint chips. You don’t need power tools or chemicals to remove paint from metal. A paint scraper works just fine on the flat railing sections. On curved sections and areas a scraper can’t reach, a stiff-bristled wire brush will do the trick. When all the loose paint is off, go over the entire railing with 150-grit sandpaper. Wherever paint remains, sand its edges smooth with the bare metal. Then replace any badly rusted fasteners with ones made of stainless steel.

Steps for Repainting a Metal Hand Rail

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Mauro suggests that when disturbing any surface in a house, it’s important to test for lead. For this project, Mauro used Lead Check Instant Lead Test, which is manufactured by 3M.

The other materials Mauro used to prep the railing, including the scraper, wire brush, and sandpaper, can all be found at home centers. To prime the railing, Mauro used Rusty Metal Primer, which is manufactured by Rust-Oleum. The final two coats of paint were Corotech High Performance acrylic gloss DTM paint in Black V330-80, which is manufactured by Benjamin Moore. Expert assistance with this segment was provided by Mauro’s Painting.