Gates and Railings help

[side-show-bob]

Hi

I have been asked to quote my first job and would like sonme advice on painting the finished items.

I have been asked to make 4 gates and 2 small railings for the local school, the school wants to supply the top coat paint (rustolum combi colour) i was wondering if this will be strong enough on the gates and if so what primer to use first. I will be brushing all the coats.

Thanks

Rob

 

[cumbriasteve]

It seems a strange request by the school, you would think they would want them galvanised, are you certain they don't think this comes as standard?

Other than that, I would ask them to specify exactly what primer/undercoat they want, that way you are doing what they want and hopefully avoid any comeback when the little darlings run their pushbikes along them.

I am also going to sound negative here but mean it with the best intention..have you got liabilty insurance? if there are any gates and railings that will suffer abuse, it will be those, if anything like the grandaughters school they will be climbed and swung on daily

 

[Welderpaul]

Deffo galvanised. Its worth the extra cost and means that the paint is only decorative, not providing corrosion protection. Covers you too.

 

[side-show-bob]

Sorry I should have explained the gates are going around a double decker bus which the school have converted into a libary. They have painted the bus in red rustolum and have lots left that's why they made the request.

I could get them galvanised and then do the top coat in the red.

The school is a small village school (not to say they won't get abused) but the wooden gates that I am replacing have been there a number of years without damage.

I have both public and product liability insurance that was the first thing I got, especially in todays " no win no fee" culture.

The gates are in an area where th children would be accompanied by staff, but I have thought the gates are going to be heavy so I wouldnt want one swinging shut on a poor small one so I will put latches on then so they can be held open.

Rob

 

[cumbriasteve]

Sounds like you have it well covered then, much better than my naive and stupid entry into gate making over 30 years ago...after making gates for neighbours etc, I was asked to make 2 heavy arched gates for the local new build crematorium..they turned out great and all was good until the builders asked for build certification and liabilty documentation etc for closure of the contract prior to payment.. managed to sort it then the tax man got me...all self inflicted and the worse thing was I found out later I had undercharged what they expected to pay by about 200%... they had been laughing their heads off that they had found an idiot.....the joys of youth!

 

[side-show-bob]

Ok my turn to be ask another question what's a build certificate? How do you do one? I have the insurance but I have never herd of a build certificate....

 

[cumbriasteve]

Ok my turn to be ask another question what's a build certificate? How do you do one? I have the insurance but I have never herd of a build certificate....

In all honesty I never really found out, I supplied a letter confirming the steel was to British Standard, the rods used were 1234AB or whatever and I had certification of arc welding skills...was fairly amatuer but they accepted it.

Technically I was sub contracting to the main contractor so I guess they were covering their own backs.

 

[GrahamGKD]

......what primer to use first.

Rustoleum do a primer called 'Combi-Primer' - I think they may also a special metals primer so if you did get the gates galvanized the alternative primer might be the correct one?

Edit: Just had a quick look - they do an 'adhesion' primer for use on galv.

Best of Luck with your first job.