# Looking for tips regarding painting metal playground equipment



## ChrisS

Hey all, 
I'm new to the forum and figured if i were going to get good advice anywhere, it would likely be here.

Last year I painted some commercial metal playground equipment, which admittedly i don't have a whole lot of experience with. i took the old paint and rust off using an angle grinder wire brush attachment, used an etch primer, and sprayed on an outdoor semi gloss metal paint using a gravity fed paint sprayer. The issue I'm having is that the paint is flaking off (Primer is fine though, not flaking or chipping at all.) I know because the equipment is used frequently, crawled and ran on by young children that the equipment will likely take a bit of a beating anyway.

Basically I'm just looking for tips on making the equipment more chip resistant (using different paint, clear coating, anything that you think would help) without getting into powder coating.

Thanks for looking, any tips would be greatly appreciated, all the best

Also keeping the children off the equipment is unlikely as kids tend to ignore things like barriers, so something that would cure quick is preferable


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## mustangmike3789

I see that you used an etch primer. Was the metal galvanized? 
What primer and top coat did you use?


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## journeymanPainter

ChrisS said:


> Hey all,
> I'm new to the forum and figured if i were going to get good advice anywhere, it would likely be here.
> 
> Last year I painted some commercial metal playground equipment, which admittedly i don't have a whole lot of experience with. i took the old paint and rust off using an angle grinder wire brush attachment, used an etch primer, and sprayed on an outdoor semi gloss metal paint using a gravity fed paint sprayer. The issue I'm having is that the paint is flaking off (Primer is fine though, not flaking or chipping at all.) I know because the equipment is used frequently, crawled and ran on by young children that the equipment will likely take a bit of a beating anyway.
> 
> Basically I'm just looking for tips on making the equipment more chip resistant (using different paint, clear coating, anything that you think would help) without getting into powder coating.
> 
> Thanks for looking, any tips would be greatly appreciated, all the best
> 
> Also keeping the children off the equipment is unlikely as kids tend to ignore things like barriers, so something that would cure quick is preferable


Epoxy? Something that'll kick really quickly

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## Damon T

I know it can't solve all the worlds problems, but what about Ppg breakthrough. Designed to drive a fork lift over the next day. Sticks to almost anything. Interior / exterior. Dries fast. Can be clear coated with breakthrough clear. 
It's probably not what they normally finish this stuff with. I would try to find out what is typical. Maybe a pre-cat epoxy or something. 


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## IPCSpecialists

You say you used "an outdoor semi gloss metal paint"... What kind of paint?


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## ChrisS

IPCSpecialists said:


> You say you used "an outdoor semi gloss metal paint"... What kind of paint?


apologies for not giving all required info. the paint i used was benjamin moore, super spec semi gloss dtm acrylic. some of what i painted was galvinized steel, although not everything was. i realize im likely making some amatuer mistakes. ill post more info on the primer later(i forget off the top of my head.) thanks again!


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## Slopmeyer

You probably should have called your rep at Benny or SW before doing anything. Rhoda makes a heat resistant paint that would keep the tots from burning there hands on hot metal. There is a giraffe at our local park painted with something that never gets hot to touch. i would suspect it was Rhoda paints.


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## CApainter

Chriss,

A conversion coating, like a polyurethane or polysiloxane, would have given you the best chip and UV resistance while retaining the maximum gloss, rather then an epoxy that will have a tendency to fade. But, these products are industrial grade that require mixing two components together, and proper PPE while applying. They're also not so cheap.

With the above said, I have used a single component BM alkyd Urethane that might provide better chip resistance then WB acrylic.


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## MaizeandBluePainter

I've used DTM acrylic, and it held up. But the job might call for more than that. 

If you switch to a two-part coating, you may need to remove every bit of that acrylic before you apply it, because it won't be compatible with catalyzed paint. Have a talk with your paint rep.

Besides using a more durable product, I would also consider whether the surface has enough profile on it. A wire wheel will frequently burnish the surface rather than produce profile, so you might want to try a sanding disk for projects like this in the future. Galvanizing on playground equipment is likely to be thick enough that you can scuff it with a grinder before overcoating with epoxy. We regularly do a sweep blast on galvanized pipe before coating it. 

If the paint is just flaking off, figure out why there's no adhesion. The most likely answers are lack of profile or that the surface wasn't clean after the prep work.


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## dylanhky

Try a polyurethane two pack finish , its elasticity will withstand the constant expansion and contraction of the metal due to heat, but it must also have anti UV properties for color retention. Avoid epoxy based finishes as they are rigid and tend to crack .

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## TJ Paint

PPG PITTHANE Urethane enamel.

Stop messing around.


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## APE Painting Inc

I second the polyurethane enamel!


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## mr4pt

One of my customers painted some playground equipment last summer. He wanted a single component, water-based product (it was a favor for his church). We used Breakthrough. Looks fantastic, it's only been 5 months tho, will report back after next summer.


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