How To Paint Anodized Aluminum (Quickly & Easily!)

Anodized aluminum is highly common in today’s world, but what happens if you want to switch up the look a little bit? If you don’t want to restore your anodized aluminum again, you can always paint it. But how exactly do you paint it?

To paint your anodized aluminum, you first need to clean the surface. Next, sand the metal surface until it’s smooth. After you sand, apply the self-etching primer and then sand until it is smooth again. Then you apply the paint and apply the sealer.

Painting regular aluminum versus painting anodized aluminum are two entirely different processes. This guide has all the information you need, including step by step instructions for you to follow to paint over the anodized aluminum.

The process of anodizing includes an electrochemical process that was developed over 100 years ago. This helps to form a protective coating on any aluminum surface. The protective coating is made of aluminum oxide.

Aluminum oxide is a weather-resistant, durable substance that helps to protect any base metal that it’s applied to. You can color the coating by dying it or pull out some bronze tones through the diffraction phenomena.

The coating is created from the base metal that it’s applied to through an electrochemical process, and it cannot flake or peel off. There is a multitude of hexagonal pores that, when filled with a seal, it hydrolyzes the pores and fills them with something called inert aluminum oxide.

First, you need to find a work area that has a significant amount of ventilation and lay out the drop cloths to protect the surface you will be working on. Then, take the time to clean the surface of your aluminum thoroughly.

To clean your aluminum, you can use a bucket and fill it up with some warm water. Then, add in a few squirts of the degreasing detergent or whatever other product that you choose. Dawn dish soap also works great for cleaning aluminum.

After you’ve created your solution, you can dip an old rag into it and start wiping away the dirt from the aluminum. However, if there is a layer of rust or peeling paint, then you will need to remove this by using a wire brush. If you don’t, then it may keep your paint from sticking to the surface. Let the aluminum dry before moving on.

These will help you protect yourself from exposure to metal dust particles. If you don’t protect yourself, then this can cause severe lung and eye damage.

Use either a sanding block or sandpaper to sand every corner and crevice of the object. If you’re sanding something more extensive like a metal table, you can do this with a power sander to make the process go faster.

However, you will need a coarse type of sandpaper that’s 80 to 100 grit, whatever tool you use. When you sand a second time, you will need a finer grit that’s either 400 or higher. After standing, wash the aluminum with warm water, and a degreasing agent to remove the dust and fully dry the surface.

One critical step of this process is using a self-etching primer. It’s a special type of agent that’s formulated to micro-etch the aluminum so that it bonds as best as possible. The plus side is that it’s extremely easy to use.

Make sure you get the self-etching primer in spray paint form. You can get this from places like Lowes or Home Depot, and even an auto specialty store. Follow the instructions on the can to apply the primer in thin layers on the metal surface.

Let the primer dry according to the instructions, and then sand the aluminum again with 400 grit sandpaper. Then you can wipe away the dust that is left by using a microfiber rag.

For a metal surface, you want either latex or acrylic paint. If you are painting an outside object, you will want to make sure that you get exterior grade paint. Don’t use high gloss paint since these aren’t good for painting aluminum. They will only highlight any scratches or dents that are common in lightweight metals. Get a paint with a satin or matte finish.

You will then need to choose how you are going to apply the paint. You can either brush it on or spray it on. The method you choose will highly depend on the size of the job that you have. Follow the instructions that came with the paint for how many coats you are to use. You may need to sand in between the coats.

Over time, the anodized area will eventually oxidize and fade, making it unappealing. If you don’t want to paint the aluminum, you can always restore it by using Everbrite™. The Everbrite is a protective coating that has no color. It will help to luster up dull aluminum and brighten the color. It will also help any aluminum that is stained and also protect it from corrosion, oxidation, and any other types of damaging elements.

You can also use this process to refurbish oxidized or faded aluminum objects such as: