Hi l have some minor surface rust on the steel l-beams under my house . THe beams are not galvanized. l plan to first sand off as much of the rust as l can and then paint them with either cold galvanized paint or rust guard primer, l am not sure which of those is better to use and l am not sure if l should first use some sort of rust converter or even treat them with fish oil. Anyone have any ideas of the best way to treat the steel beams after l sand them,
Best Way to Remove Surface Rust from House I-Beams
Jackdawson79 on 01/05/2024 - 14:49
Comments
Don’t bother with any of that prep & scraping nonsense, just get a few tins of hammerite & paint straight over the rust.
No matter what you do, it'll last for 1-2 years and then you'll be back at square 1.
You should see how I receive beams from the mill. A little surface rust would be nice! I would leave it, not really worth your time or money.
You could knock off the surface rust with a wire brush then treat with Ranex Rust Converter or similar then I might spray with Cold Galv Spray . But as other have said those beams are unlikely to rust through in 100 years. I'm only doing mine as I have to repair my garage ceiling and they glued the plasterboard straight on.
Compressor + media blasting kit?
The only solution is to replace them with stainless steel beams. Anything else is just a waste of time.
that would be too expensive, they are only 12 years old and its just surface rust,
Then just use the left over paint from your roof screws.
Use the rest on the undercarriage of your Camry to make it last longer.
The house and the beams are 12 years old , they were not galvanized, are house beams suposed to be galvnaized, l had a friend whose a builder look at it, he said its just surface rust and would take many years to become a serious problem because the beams are thick, but l thought it would only cost a couple hundred dollars in paint and sandpaper so l could do something soon to be safe
I beams are not required to be galvanized.
Rust is protective. It isn't like cancer and it doesn't spread unless it's holding water. If you're worried, just make sure that the area is well ventilated.
You're not being 'safe' by getting stuck into the beam, you're reducing the steel's thickness by sanding the rust back, and ultimately accelerating the problem by exposing fresh steel, which can then rust all over again.
I beams don't fail. The rest of your house will be long gone and the I beams will still be standing there.
Think all of those disused railway line rails which are still sitting out there in the weather, fully exposed a century after the railway line they were associated with was decommissioned. They were never galvanized either.
If the I beams did fail, however, it will be the bolts holding the I beams together that go well before the beams.
Trust your friend's builder and stay away.
yes l think thats the best advice, l will leave it alone , its dry under the house and they cannot get wet from rain , so they should be OK
Have you seen the Sydney Harbour Bridge lately? She'll be right.
Embrace the rust, it gives the beams character! Some architects specify coreten finishes to instantly replicate the oxidization look. Your beams are on trend.
The Harbour Bridge is being constantly repainted… as popularised by the star of Crocodile Dundee who did it for a living
It's just rust, it's not the molecular acid from Alien. Your house isn't going to fall down.
Have a look at Penetrol
Go to a proper paint store (Not Bunnies) and take a photo and ask them what the treatment should be as they will know what should be done.
Is it the original mill scale?
Dont you like the patina look?Look into laser cleaning. Will be much quicker. Get a quote from a local supplier to see if it is worth it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn86klcwcr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TcHNsPr9Nw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeeRgEY2UEIs it wet under the house?
no very dry except l am 4 km from the coast
Was hping to ask if youre near salt water. If youre concerned wire brush it to get the loose stuff off and paint with some form of rust guard paint.
Reality is, unless youre in the direct line of salt spray ots not going to make much difference. Theres a reason they dont bother to paint them, amd its not just laziness.
thanks l am thinking now to just leave it, because the beams of thick and they are not getting wet they should be ok for decades l hope
When I was doing asset inspections on water infrastructure I carried a wire brush and a spray can of Wurth Rust Stop Quattro and Wurth Bright Zinc Spray and treat minor rust areas immediately as it was quicker than taking a photo and writing it in a report that took 6 months of approvals before it was made "official".
It was $30 (?) each can and I'm sure their are cheaper options that do a similar job.
What about just applying fish oil, thats supposed to help with rust
Unless you will still be living in the house in 100 years time I wouldn't bother.