How to Paint a Mural on Corrugated Iron
Are you about to start painting a mural on corrugated metal fence or shed?
I bet you’re pumped to be painting soon, but nervous about the texture? Well I’ve been there!
Here are my 5 tips to give you the techniques and confidence boost you need to get started.
#1 WALL PREPARATION
Corrugated sheds, fences and Colorbond surfaces can fade and looks so drab and sad. Adding a colourful mural can totally transform a space. If it’s an old surface I recommend starting by preparing with a high-pressure hose to remove all the dust and mud that gets caught in each groove.
Frome Street shed before Leah Grant painted a mural for Adelaide Fringe Street Art Explosion.
If there is dust sitting between the iron and the paint, the paint won’t adhere as well. So overtime with weather damage it’s going to bubble and crack. If you remove the muck and paint a good primer you’re mural is going to last so much longer!
Dulux have a primer called Precision Surface Preparation All Metal Primer that you can pick up at Bunnings. I used this on a pool fence mural and it was a fantastic base for the colours.
For the mural I did on Frome Street in Adelaide, I didn’t do much preparation. It was so large and old that it wasn’t worth the time to prepare the surface. Keep that in mind, if the mural is a temporary installation, it might not be worth the cost of time and materials.
Progress photo painting the Frome Street mural for Adelaide Fringe Street Art Explosion.
#2 MY FAVOURITE MATERIALS
If you are planning to use aerosol on your corrugated iron mural here’s a list of materials I recommend:
Mask – 3M Paint Project Reusable Respirator. Costs around $60 at Bunnings.
Gloves – Ansell Hyflex Gloves protect your hands and give you grip to hold on to the can. Cost around $7 from Coles.
Caps – My favourite nozzels at the moment are yellow Banana caps which are also called German Skinny cap, for smooth, sharp and thin lines. I love New York caps for dusting and shading and covering large areas. Lately I’ve been using Coversall Skinny Cap because you can cover a large area but also get a sharp line, it’s very versatile and doesn’t clog as fast.
Aerosol – Montana cans are fabulous. They have a great colour range and I quite like the pressure of the can. There is the Black range, which has a matte finish, and the White range has a gloss finish. I also love Molotow Beltons, I find their cans are a high pressure then the Montana’s which means you need to move your arm faster to get an even coverage and avoid drips.
Cardboard - Scrap pieces of cardboard work really well for holding agains the bumps to mask and stop over spray. I love this trick! Works so well and is way faster than masking the area off with tape. Sometimes I use both to protect a wall, window or section.
Tape – quality blue painters tape to help mask off edges. More about using tape in this blog here.
Drop sheets and a ladder might be needed.
Good podcasts and tunes to listen to while you paint is a must.
#3 AEROSOL PAINTING TECHNIQUE
It’s a tad scary if you’re used to working on a flat surface but you’ve got this! Once you get started you’ll zone out and start to forget it’s even corrugated. You might hit your hand a bit when trying to get in nice and close with the nozzle.
If you’re trying to create a sharp line, do the same as you would normally and angle your can. Also use a cutting back technique to cover over sections that have unwanted overspray.
Trust your rhythm and hold your can back a bit further if it’s just not working.
Step back and check your design before judging yourself too harshly when you’re standing close.
Leah Grant’s finished mural on Frome Street for Adelaide Fringe Street Art Explosion.
#4 DESIGN YOUR CONCEPT FOR THE SURFACE.
If this is your first mural on corrugated, be kind to yourself! Keep the design simple and don’t expect heaps of detail while you’re learning. You might like to stick with curved, organic lines and pattern. Be prepared to adapt your concept once you’ve started to get to know the surface more.
Go big!
Go bold!
It’ll look awesome.
#5 HAVE FUN!
Enjoy painting and don’t hate on the surface too much. You’ll learn heaps from this challenge and when you return to a smooth surface you’re technique will sky rocket.
If you have a questions or your own tip about painting on corrugated iron, I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below…
Leah Grant at her Frome Street mural.
