Exterior painting- Rust remediation

at | Category: Exterior Painting

When you live in or near coastal communities’ exterior rust can be a big issue. Nail and screw heads, steel brick lintels, wrought iron, and any other metals that are susceptible to oxidation will quickly become a problem. Rust not only looks bad, but it can cause damage beyond repair if not remedied quickly.

Last year I found a product called Rust Destroyer that out performs anything I have previously used. Rust Destroyer, can be applied directly to rust just like ospho. There is a chemical reaction that happens, again just like with ospho. However there is no chalking or other residuals you have to worry about. Also unlike ospho you don’t have to prime prior to applying paint, and once dry will accept top coats of acrylic latex, or oil based paint.

I found that only a few paint stores stock this primer, and are those on the beaches surrounding Wilmington NC. It also only comes in red, which is a drawback in most cases except when working with deep bases. I would much rather use white being that is a primary color. I first used this on a home directly on the intercostal waterway last summer on some standard rust areas I see on beach homes. Galvanized bolts, and nail heads that were exposed when cut off, or hand driven knocking off the galvanized coating are the usual areas. This was something until now that would require setting the nail heads below the substrate, and filling with some sort of putty to remedy. The exposed bolts would require almost yearly maintenance to prevent damage and unsightly rust showing through.

I visited this home last week to do an inspection, and schedule the yearly exterior cleaning. Iwas happy to see no rust at all showing though the paint from last year. Still white and bright, and after a washing to remove mildew, and salty grime it will look freshly painted.

The exterior of the brick home below is inland, however these brick lintels were pitted and rusting. I see this a lot, mostly because the previous painting contractor didn’t bother to use a metal primer, and paint. Instead they simply used the same exterior latex they used for trim painting the home. Acrylic latex will actually feed rust, and make it worse. We mechanically removed the bulk of the rust, and applied Rust Destroyer from a spray can. Two top coats of lifetime exterior paint will be applied guaranteeing years of protection and beauty.

If you are looking for Wilmington NC’s best exterior painter for your next project, contact JHC today and fill out this simple form.