My kitchen door is old and needs painting. Before I paint it, I need to know what it is made of. I thought it was aluminium, but Yahoo answers community have suggested it may be steel or galvanised steel. How can I tell the difference?
2007-03-31 11:38:19 · 11 answers · asked by Coco 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Its probably steel. Gally has a kind of hammerite type appearance. Look at theback of your washing machine, Thats gally. Steel smells funny like old ladies on the bus when you lightly rub it with a scourer. Ally is a different colour, different finish, kind of lighter. Weighs less too. Ally round the home is usually in cast items.
2007-03-31 11:46:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Aluminium is light and oxidises white. Steel is heavy and rusts, galvanised steel is crystaline in appearance and the galvanisation tends to peel at the edges.
2007-03-31 18:51:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aluminum is non ferrous so a magnet will not stick to it, and it is softer than steel. After you have determined that, if it has old paint on it, you might want to use a primer that corresponds to the paint you will be using either vinyl or oil based, then paint. It is probably not Galvanized, but if it is, the unpainted surface with have a two color metal Spackle look.
2007-03-31 18:53:02 · answer #3 · answered by George R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Galvanising is a zinc coating with a big crystal structure.
It looks sort of cyrstally and snowfalaky with patches the size of fingernail.
Aluminium is gnerally pale and not magentic...
Steel is magnetic galvanised or not
Also lighter then steel.
Not sure how else you tell
2007-03-31 18:47:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Melas is right, a magnet will tell you if it is steel.
If so, galvanised steel needs a special primer as does aluminium.
2007-03-31 18:45:07 · answer #5 · answered by hans t 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To answer your question without all the details, is a magnet will stick to steel, and very, very slightly to stainless steel so slightly that you can barely notice it, aluminum will not attract a magnet.
2007-03-31 21:11:18 · answer #6 · answered by John L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If a magnet will stick to the door it is steel, if it is painted then it is doubtful it is galvanized.
2007-03-31 18:45:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't see what difference it makes. If it is already painted, just lightly sand and prime and then paint it. Unless you are going to sand it all the way down to bare metal.
2007-03-31 18:52:27 · answer #8 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Use a magnet will not pick up aluminium
2007-03-31 18:49:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it wont be ally it would more than likely to be steel is it the frame or door..doors are not normally metal
2007-03-31 18:44:10 · answer #10 · answered by Andy K 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋