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Old, Rusty outdoor blinds x3- really need some advice on;
- making them functional again? Currently rusted and unable to roll up
- how to clean and paint them properly? Process and what type of paint is needed
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @pogofo. It's incredible to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about restoring roller blinds.
The first task to achieve would be to determine if you can get the blinds to function again. I'd suggest getting some WD-40, and the can with the thin nozzle will be super helpful for getting the lubricant into the tight areas and roller mechanism. Spray all the moving parts down. You might need to remove the top shroud to access the internal mechanism. Let the lubricant sit for 20minutes before attempting to operate the blinds. They could take a bit of back and forth to unbind them. If you successfully get them to move, the next step would be to add some grease to the moving parts.
Once you've freed the mechanism, you can look at painting the blinds. I assume they are powder-coated steel. Can you please run your hand over the surface and tell me if any powdery paint residue is left on them? If so, you will need to scrub them down with Sugar Soap and a Scotch Brite scouring pad to remove the oxidised paint layer. Once this layer is removed and the blinds flushed with clean water and dried, you can apply a primer and then a topcoat in the colour of your choice.
Due to this being a moving mechanism and the fact that epoxy-enamel paint is not as durable as the original powder-coating, you could run into an issue where the new coating gets scraped off in places. If any internal contact points rub together, the paint will come away.
Please let me know if you run into an issue or have questions.
Mitchell
