Please advise a non-artisan (clueless about crafting) how to paint a
10-gallon milk/cream can.

It's currently rusty around the bottom rim with a rust streak or two
blemishing the current (flaking) paint job.

I want to paint it red with Sherwin Williams exterior Ladybug red paint to
match my doors and a few other pieces of wooden furniture. (The house has
a Scandinavian tone... light woods with lots of red highlights). It will
then sit on an oak hardwood floor and hold cat-tails.

My plan is, wash the can with dish soap and water inside and out, dry it,
scrape at the rust around the bottom with a wire brush and maybe sand
paper, prime the whole thing somehow, and paint it.

My questions/concerns:

Do I need to put something on the bottom or maybe even around the bottom
edge to protect the floor (from paint rub-off or rust leakage or
whatever)?

What do I use to prime the can so it will hold exterior housepaint?

Other concerns I'm overlooking?

Thanks if you can help.

RW

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"I trust, Miss Bulstrode, I can rely on your discretion."
"I wasn't sorted yesterday, sir."
http://cda.mrs.umn.edu/~webbrl/AnObedientHouse/