Stopping Rust on an Iron Gate in Humid Texas

Four layers and two bake cycles go on a finished gate, and each one adds a day to the schedule. The recoat intervals iron gates georgetown the derek bordeaux group uses are shorter than the paint can says, because an iron gate in Georgetown, TX stays damp for hours after sunrise. Rust is slow work, and a good finish makes it slower.

What is the first layer?

The first layer is bare, clean steel. Mill scale and old rust come off by blasting or a wire wheel before anything goes on, because paint over scale peels in sheets within a year. A gate that skips this step can look fine on the day it is hung and show orange streaks by the next summer.

Where does galvanizing fit?

Galvanizing is a zinc coating, applied by dipping the finished frame in a molten bath. Zinc corrodes before steel does, so it protects even where a chip exposes the metal. It also coats the inside of tubing, which no brush can reach. A galvanized frame is gray and a little rough, and it takes a powder coat well when the surface is cleaned first.

What does primer add?

A zinc-rich primer gives a smaller version of the same protection and bonds the topcoat to the metal. It is the layer that matters on site repairs, where a chipped spot is cleaned, primed and touched up in an afternoon. Two thin coats of primer outlast one thick coat, because a thick coat traps solvent and cracks as it dries.

How does powder coat hold up outdoors?

Powder coat is a dry powder sprayed on with an electric charge and baked into a hard film. It resists sun and scuffs better than brushed paint. The weak spot is the edge: a sharp corner or an unground weld thins the film, and rust starts there. Rounding the edges before coating is cheap and adds years.

What do the humid months change?

Humidity near Lake Georgetown and the San Gabriel River keeps steel wet at the base of posts and along the bottom rail. Open tube ends take on water and sweat from the inside. Capped ends and drain holes matter more than the brand of paint, and a gate that dries out between rains lasts far longer.

How is a rusted spot repaired?

A rusted spot is sanded to bright metal, wiped clean, primed and painted to match. A gate that has rust through the wall of the tubing needs the section cut out and replaced, then welded, ground and finished again.