Steel is a popular material in today’s lawn, garden and home décor and can be finished several different ways. Let’s look at the most popular finishes.

The look of raw steel. That polished, glossy, daring look of raw steel is currently popular in kitchen appliances. The steel is ground, sanded or polished until it shines and then coated with clear acrylic to protect it from rusting.

If you have a piece of polished steel that hasn’t been coated yet be careful: even a fingerprint left on its surface has the potential of turning to rust – even under the finishing coat!

Clear finish.  This is natural steel not polished but finished in a clear sealer. These finishes tend to be shiny, but you can get a matte finish with an acrylic polymer emulsion.

A very simple explanation of a polymer emulsion is that the paint molecules are suspended in the liquid base until it starts drying. As the liquid evaporates the molecules sort of melt together to form a film. This is actually the way all emulsion paints work.

Oiling. The fastest, most convenient way to finish raw steel is oiling. It’s just like oiling your furniture: rub a lightly oiled cloth on the surface, making sure it’s evenly and thoroughly coated. One downside to this finish is that the oil doesn’t soak in, so every time you touch the steel you’ll get oil on your hands. But it’s great for items like lawn ornaments that don’t get handled much.

Waxing. Some finishers prefer to complete a steel finish with a coat of wax. The wax is usually rubbed over a clear finish coat and polished. Pieces with lots of nooks and crannies will be difficult to wax but the finished look will worth the effort: smooth, satin, beautiful.

Gun Bluing. Yes, the same stuff used on gun barrels. Bluing is rubbed on the surface, polished with a fine grade steel wool and then wiped down with a lightly oiled rag. The polishing removes any residue and the oil adds a nice sheen and protection from rusting. And unlike its name, gun bluing gives steel a black finish.

Powder coating. This finish is hard, abrasion resistant and tough. It’s what’s on most manufactured pieces. Used first in 1967 in Australia, this coating technique is relatively new. The steel is coated in one of two ways: it can be lowered into a fluid base that may be electro statically charged, or electro statically charged powder paint is sprayed onto the part. The painted steel is cured in ovens to produce that hard, resistant and tough finish. You can find paint shops that powder coat steel for individual customers.

And some others . . . . There are some interesting combinations of waxes, oils and polymers that some steel finishers swear by. You can find these online if you dig deep, or just ask around at junk yards, auto refinishers or metal shops.

If you purchase a piece of steel that isn’t finished you can finish it yourself. As you may now know, the biggest challenge will be determining what type of finish you want. Whatever you choose, though, with its new rust-resistant finish you’ll be able to enjoy your piece for many, many years!