Galvanized roofing for shower, bathroom walls & kitchen backsplash

A. Unfortunately I think so, Stewart. Galvanized coatings are not considered a decorative finish: the galvanizing will protect the steel, but in indoor use where it is wet and has little opportunity to "breathe" and form tight carbonate complexes with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the galvanizing itself may corrode with white rust ("wet storage stain"). So you probably should put a lacquer or clearcoat on this, and it will be hard to get good adhesion. You could try scrubbing it down it with trisodium phosphate [on eBay or Amazon], then washing with vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] and I let it sit over night. All of the above wiped clean the next day. Whereas on the unwaxed part it left some residue. Give it a try and see what you think.

A. I don't really think that's a great application for galvanized metal, Linda. I would be afraid that you'll get white rust in a shower application.

But if you are determined, then Dwayne's recommendation sounds like a good one.

A. Hi, Dianne. I'd like to hear from people who have tried it rather than to continue to extrapolate based on book knowledge too :-)

Billy, there were responses that predicted lack of success for an indoor shower due to: 1). the galvanizing being unable to resist unsightly white rust in this wet but low airflow environment; and 2). the unlikelihood of a durable lacquer or clearcoat being able to fully adhere to the galvanizing.

But an outdoor shower (plenty of air movement) and indoor use in the drier but more airy kitchen environment might be fine. Still, removing kitchen splashes without staining sounds problematic.

Regards,

A. I saw they used this in a magazine and am thinking of doing it in my bathroom they say to use Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Enamel .
before screwing them into place and they suggest using self sealing roofing screws and sealing with metallic caulk. I hope this helps. I have seen the use of the metal in restaurants and it looks really cute in the new modern ones.

? Wow... do any of you have photos you can post. I am thinking of doing this!

The article that has a picture and the process along with the materials are in the June 2009 Country Living Magazine.

I have a friend who did the galvanised in her kitchen. It rusted after about 4 years near the sink. About 1 foot out on either side where folks stacked the dishes.

I do not recommend it on a wet counter.

If you had a dry food prep area that would be different. Over by her microwave and over where she kept her toaster and coffee maker it still looks good.

Thanks for the feedback, Carol!

Luck & Regards,

A. Semantics, but you can not galvanize tin as it melts at a higher temp than tin. "Tin cans" used to be steel with a thin tin coating and are not tin. That coating has virtually been replaced by organic coatings.

With the amount of moisture from baths or showers, that area is guaranteed to rust --some day-- if you put up galvanized steel. This could be days, weeks or years, depending on the quality and the environment.

A. Yes, it is semantics. People use the slang word "tin" to refer to steel sheet metal, and it can be a bit confusing. Galvanized roofing will last many years or several decades outdoors, however:

1). It is not considered failure or rusting if the coating turns brown, due to its zinc-iron nature, whereas you might consider it unacceptable indoors.

2.) Plenty of air (carbon dioxide) is required for galvanizing to work well. Voluminous white rust (wet storage stain) results if it can't breathe and I'm not sure if the ceiling will breathe well enough. But I have read stories in handyman magazines of it being used successfully.

Regards,

As Tommy Lee Jones tells us, Geoff, it's No Country for Old Men :-)

Regards,

A. Hi Shelley. Sorry that this advice is probably more applicable to a future reader than to you, but the best approach is probably rolled edges .

Regards,

A. I did the shower surround and a wash tub sink. Tub surround has held up well. I believe the best thing I did was to put a rainfall type shower head on a extender in shower. Minor amounts of water hit the walls. The wash tub sink bottom began to rust within a month. I currently am trying to repair by spraying with new galvanized paint, then used marine clear acrylic paint over that. Then decided to go a complete different direction and tiled the bottom on the tub. I made the sink slope so water will drain better. Time will tell if this will work.