Spray Paint a Light Pole

Find out how to spray paint a metal light pole so it looks fresh and new, year after year, through the harshest climates.

Do you have metal decorative items that you excitedly bought and placed around your house, only to watch them eventually turn into an eyesore on your property?

If you have seen a picture of the front of our house, you might have noticed this light pole near the curb. In fact, I think most of my neighbors have!  

It used to look elegant and classy but now, all you see is the faded color and peeling paint.

Well, it’s about time that I finally update the light pole.

Because of all the chipped paint, I am going to show you how to remove the damaged areas and spray paint the light pole for a smooth, long-lasting finish. 

This technique would also work for a metal railing.

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BEFORE STARTING

I carefully removed the glass and old light bulb. And, of course, I had to do a little cleaning – there was an old, broken light bulb still in there.

REMOVE THE CHIPPING PAINT PIECES

The first step to giving this light pole a makeover was removing all the old paint that was chipping. This part takes a while but it will be worth it in the end. 

To get started, you will need a drill with a wire brush attachment. It looks like this:

The reason it took so long for me was because my batteries only lasted for about an hour before needing to be charged again.

While you’re using the drill brush, apply a little pressure to the damaged areas to remove the chipped paint. 

If you want to catch the debris, you can place an old sheet or boxes below the area or use a shop-vac while you’re working.

After removing all the old paint, I cleaned the pole with a soft cloth and prepped for paint.

APPLY SPRAY PAINT

Now, the light pole looked like this and I was all ready for the spray paint. 

I combined several boxes to form a barrier when painting the pole; this prevented the spray paint from splattering onto the rock wall and lawn.

Then, I used the primer and sprayed the light pole according to the instructions on the can.

I applied 2 coats of primer.

After the primer dried, I could then apply the paint. This time, I applied 3 coats of paint, in light coats, to give it a better finish. 

And here is my not-so-new light pole:

And the view of the house looks a little bit better too.

The cost of this project was minimal, the only materials needed were spray paint (1 primer & 2 paint cans) & the wire brush, which cost less than $24 in total.

It’s a lot cheaper than buying a new light pole and it will last through many more winters and hot summers.

What do you think of my little makeover? Anyone else thinking about updating a light pole or metal railing?