4th April 2024
There is no better addition to a house in summer than a balcony. It’s why they’re so popular amongst customers. It’s the feeling of enjoying a cup of coffee and a book while the sun shines down. However, as much as we have some warm weather in the UK, we also get a lot of cold and rain. These conditions damage balconies and bare metal, causing them to rust.
If we don’t prevent rust with protective coatings, then this can paint a bad image of our business and lower the value of our products. If our clients buy a shiny black balcony, they don’t want it to turn orange in a couple of years!
This is our guide on looking good in front of your customers by protecting balconies, mild steel and ferrous metals from damage caused by the elements.
How to Prevent Your Balcony Rusting
There are many methods available for protecting a metal surface and improving corrosion resistance. However, the two most effective methods for corrosion resistance are hot dip galvanising and hot zinc spray.
Both methods involve giving a metal surface a zinc coating. This zinc coating protects the metal underneath. It acts as a barrier that keeps rain and moisture away from the metal, giving it corrosion resistance and increasing its lifespan.
Hot zinc spray involves spraying molten zinc onto ferrous metals, like mild steel. Hot dip galvanising involves dipping metal in molten zinc, creating galvanised metal. Although both options have their advantages, they both have the same outcome, steel that is protected by a zinc coating.
In addition to zinc coatings, there are also metal primers, like zinc phosphate primers. Zinc phosphate primer helps to prevent rust and increase corrosion resistance. However, metal primers, like zinc phosphate primer, are nowhere near as effective as zinc coatings and don’t offer the same protection as dipped galvanised metal. With zinc phosphate primer, you’re looking at 15 years of corrosion protection. With hot zinc spray and galvanising, you’re looking at decades.
What is The Best Way to Coat a Balcony to Stop it From Rusting?
It depends on how protected you want your balcony to be. If you want to add a simple layer of protection, then metal primers, like zinc phosphate primer, will help prevent rusted metal. However, primed metal does not last as long as galvanised metal does.
If you’re serious about the longevity of your balcony and you want to prevent rusted metal, then a protective coating is your best option, as this will protect your balcony for decades.
Dipped galvanised metal, created through hot dig galvanising, is one of the most effective ways of preventing rusted metal. However, galvanised steel is not the solution for all items. It can be hard to get a smooth finish without plenty of fettling and this can damage the protective coating.
Hot zinc spray is as effective at preventing rusted metal as hot dipping is, but it requires no fettling, so your top coat can appear smooth and the finish is far superior. It is also more appropriate for awkwardly shaped balconies that would be hard to fit in a galvanising tub or require a perfect finish.
For an extra layer of protection, you can powder coat your metals. It’s a straightforward process that helps your balconies to last a little bit longer and look much better.
What’s The Best Process to Get the Perfect Finish?
The best process to prevent rusted metal is to first shot blast the surface of your metal to an SA3 standard. Then, have your product hot zinc sprayed by an expert. It just needs to be wiped down and there will be no need for fettling. Then, for the best finish to prevent rusted metal, two coats of powder coating should be applied in any colour you like.
This is the process we follow, and it allows us to give our clients a 60-year guarantee against rusted metal.
Your One-Stop-Shop for Protecting Steel
From hot zinc spraying to powder coating, we offer everything you need to protect mild steel, iron, or any other type of metal you use to create balconies.
We follow a unique process for preventing rusted metal that allows us to give our clients a 60-year guarantee. That’s a 60-year guarantee that your balcony will not be affected by the elements if you apply our specific process.
Guarantee the longevity of your products against rusted metal today by booking a no-obligation quote with our team here.
