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Post bottoms are rusting from pets no. 1

August 5, 2009

WE ARE A GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND IN NEED TO AN ANSWER FOR A HOMEOWNER.
6 X 6 WOOD POSTS ANCHORED TO CONCRETE USING GALVANIZED POST BOTTOMS ABOUT 5 YEARS OLD RUSTING AND FALLING APART DUE TO PETS URINATING ON THEM. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO USE TO CORRECT THIS AND POSSIBLY HOW TO REPAIR THE POSTS AND NOT HAVE THIS HAPPEN IN ANOTHER 5 YEARS.

GLENN KIRKLAND
GENERAL CONTRACTOR - BROOKSVILLE, Florida

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Hi, Glenn. You could have matching post bottoms fabricated from stainless steel, but I think the homeowner's money could be better spent planting a couple of trees :-)

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
August 6, 2009

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The type of post bottom available here is likely the same as in FL?
If so, its made of folded pregalvanized sheetmetal. Pregalvanized steel has a very thin zinc coating and the life of galvanizing is directly proportional to the coating thickness.
If you had post bottoms made from ungalvanized steel then had them galvanized after fabrication, you'd likely get 5-10 times the zinc thickness and so 5-10 times the life in corrosion protection terms.

Geoff Crowley
Crithwood Ltd.
Westfield, Scotland, UK

August 11, 2009

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The free solution,
Get rid of the pets.

Marc Banks
Blacksmith - Boone, North Carolina
September 6, 2009