What is a Gutter?
There are generally two types of gutters.
- Rain gutter
- Street gutter
I am going to talk about rain gutter, it is narrow duct which collects the falling water, melted ice or the rainwater from our home roofs and diverts it away via drainpipe, typically into the drain. It is the narrow channel, it forms the element of a roof system and it protects collection of water on our roof. In Canada it is known as an eavestrough, and in some places it is termed as simply as a gutter or eaves channel guttering. There are different types of metal gutters available on the market which is used by home owners such as copper, aluminum, stainless steel and galvanized steel. Universally used most common type of metal gutters is copper and aluminum. There are gutters which are of different colors matching your exterior of the house. Each kind of gutter has its own advantages.
Let's talk about copper gutters. Generally copper gutters, and different other metal gutters, create problems while putting paint on them. The paint starts to peel when paint is applied directly to the copper gutters, because copper is normally installed and can stay unpainted. I was having problems painting my newly installed copper gutters, so then I list down the solutions to those problems for you in 6 easy steps:
Step 1
Install new gutter if necessary Always install your gutter from experts and do not waste time in searching here and there if you get the gutter matching your house exterior then it is the best part, you don't need to install gutter with the different color and paint it as per your need. Gutters are fair enough for a good deal, they include different color gutters too. You can find reliable gutter replacement companies online too. Rest it's up to you.
Step 2
Clean Gutters When you finish installing your gutter or to paint your pre-installed gutter always make sure that they are clean and free of debris like twigs, leaves and animal waste. And if they are new gutters then just run a stream of water to make it go clean from dust.
Step 3
Repair If your gutter is installed from a long time and needs repairs then make it your first priority, before the priming and tarnishing all the repair work must be finished. If they look fine, just inspect them and look for any improvements which are needed to be done, do it as soon as possible before starting. Seal all unnecessary holes and screw tight the joints holding your gutter.
Step 4
Time for Tarnish After getting your entire repair and improvement work and the cleaning part you need to do is tarnishing. If they are already tarnished, then consider doing a metal polish on them, nevertheless if they are relentlessly tarnished then use acid etch to get rid of the problem. Remember to apply acid etch or metal polish evenly on your gutter's surfaces.
Step 5
Use Metal Paint If you are painting your copper gutters you want them to remain there and stick like for a good period of time, so for that use a two part metal primer.
- 1st part is to be applied so it will make connection on your copper gutters.
- 2nd part is to be applied to bind to the primer.
Ensure that the primer which you are using is appropriate or not for the outdoor use. If you use a primer well-matched with your copper gutter, it would be much better.
Step 6
Finally painting Indeed this is the final step in which all the work needed to be done is painting. But before that, be sure that the paint you choose is suitable for metals or superior so far, especially for copper. Don't use paints made from basic home remedies just to save few bucks, this will only peel off in no time and you need to do it again then. Don't buy paint used for wall surfaces or woods. Put your money in good place, buying paint made only for copper or metals. Do an undercoat and then start to color over that coat, it will give a nice finish. If you apply waterproof coat after painting then it will make the paint last for a better period of time on your gutters.
Hope these tips are useful enough to make you paint your copper gutter yourself.
