Quote Originally Posted by deermagnet View Post
It looks much better, but it still needs to be painted.

I cleaned mine up with those sanding sponges, wiped it down with alcohol, brushed on Rustoleum rusty metal primer, and the next day brushed on gloss black Rustoleum.

It really didn't take much time and effort and it looks fantastic with the gloss black.

Mark
I might do the paint thing some day, but for now it blends in great with the cladding (which was my primary goal) and once I take the time to finish the scrub job it should be uniformly smooth and dark with a light sheen, just like from the factory.