Bilco doors have a very high iron content and are prone to heavy corrosion quickly and frequently.
Best paint for metal bilco doors.
Should it be sanded entirely or stripped with a chemical paint stripper before repainting.
Simply knock off the loose rust and apply rust encap.
The paint does its best on interior doors.
Scrub the cellar door clean using mild detergent.
Have a steel bulkhead door that looks horrible because the paint always peels after painting.
My paint preference is for sherwin williams despite what consumer reports says is the best paint.
Painting metal bulkhead doors by joe keegan on june 8 2011 at 11 13 pm old houses often had a set of bulkhead also called bilco doors which provided a large open access to the basement.
Over time dings and damage to the basement doors can wear away the primer and allow rust to form on the surface of the door.
It came primed but peeled after it was painted.
Scraped away as much of the peeling paint i was able repainted and peeling again.
I like oil paint for metal but have concerns with an oil paint drying outside without getting dust on it.
Bottom line the pewter color is pretty durable than white or off white color.
Bilco was manufactured in west haven ct and the steel they used was low grade and the shop primer used for shipping purposes was very poor quality.
Many houses have a set of bilco doors that have been rusting away for years without any rust treatment.
If there is mildew or moss use a mixture of 1 cup of bleach to 3 cups of water or a commercial deck or siding cleaner containing mildewcide.
What paint should be used.
Other bilco door models such as the classic series ship with a baked on coating of primer to guard against rust.
A gallon of paint can cover a wooden or metal door without any hustle.
One work around is a chemical drying agent that speeds up the tack.
People who are confused about what color to paint bilco doors can use it.
If the doors are made from wood do this at least two sunny days before starting to paint to allow the wood to dry.
Rinse the doors well.