
Painting bilco doors. Any recommendations on process and products that will be relatively low maintenance long term. Other bilco door models such as the classic series ship with a baked on coating of primer to guard against rust. Removing rust from a bilco basement door can be done in an afternoon. It was primed by the manufacturer bilco and the instructions state i need to paint it.
How to remove rust from bilco doors for your basement. Doors supplied with a primer finish must be painted within forty five 45 days of installation. In your experience what is the best paint for a bilco door. Just got a new bilco door.
Bilco is the original name in basement doors and after 90 years the product is still unmatched in design and quality. Products are available for both flat and sloped basement areaways and are offered in several material and finish options to compliment any home. Many houses have a set of bilco doors that have been rusting away for years without any rust treatment. Our house has a set and i believe the doors are original to the house.
Bilco classic series basement door bilco basement doors are supplied in either a red oxide primer or powder coat paint finish. Bilco doors have a very high iron content and are prone to heavy corrosion quickly and frequently. 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. 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.
Old houses often had a set of bulkhead also called bilco doors which provided a large open access to the basement. I use to call on them before they moved to ohio. Since horizontal surfaces are especially vulnerable to full sun and sometimes standing water or snow a paint suitable for other horizontal surfaces such as decks will hold up better. Bilco requires the use an exterior alkyd base enamel.
Ive read numerous reviews on various appropriate paints but theres no consensus on the best paint. Our bilco door outside basement entrance door is in need of paint. I pressure washed it about 16 shades lighter but there are numerous scratches and dings that have started to rust so i need to cleanstabilizewhatever those and repaint.