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Rust proofing steel used in wet application

Hello.

I am a landscape architect and I have a fountain in which water falls over a steel grate. (The grate is supporting a concrete emitter.) Is there any paint or clear coat which I could apply to the grate? I am prepared to re-coat every 6 months to a year. As an aside, my firm designs street lighting and sculptural elements, and we understand the critical importance of finishes and steel quality. Thank you for your suggestions!

Katherine Spitz,
Architect/ landscape Architect (specifier) - Los Angeles, California, USA
2007

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For my nickel, I would grit blast it to bare metal , and then use one of the liquid vinyls with a proper primer for that material. It will last a good while without recoating. The down side is it only has a few colors. You could probably get by with a two part epoxy with a correct primer. It will do quite well, but not as well as the vinyl, largely because it is thinner. Be sure to get an exterior grade for good UV resistance. I do not think that a two component polyester gel will work as well, but I will not bet a cup of coffee on that.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2007

Hi Katherine,

Try SHELL for their EPON 828, I believe, which is said to be OK when even used under water BUT aesthetically you should have some mat or glass cloth as .... and I don't know this ... the epoxy could get brittle.

As you know, one doesn't use 'straight' polyesters etc by themselves but uses 'glass' for reinforcement.

Ah ... just thinking ... what about Monsanto ... they used to have a 2-component Urethane paint ... superlative finish ... and Urethane has a very high flexing capability. This is NOT the store bought Urethane but a 2-component and costs more, too.

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).
2007

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