We bought these steel doors at Home Depot because we were tired of termites eating our wooden screen doors. You can just imagine our exasperation when these painted steel doors started to rust. It hasn't even been a year since Art installed them! When we mentioned this problem at the Builders Home Show, the presenters all nodded knowingly."This is Hawaii," they said. "It's the salt air."
Art was figuring he'd have to scrub the rust off with a steel brush, hope he got it all, prime and then paint it.
Then he talked to his brother-in-law, Kent in California and he suggested a type of spray that would combine with the rust and turn it solid, leaving it a black color. Then you'd just paint over it. Kent said it worked like a charm two years ago, but he couldn't remember the name of the product.
We went to Home Depot and looked for something like this, but couldn't find it. We started talking to another fellow in the aisle who happened to be looking for a similar thing. The good thing is he knew what it was called. EXTEND!Home Depot didn't have it, but we found it at Lowes. Yahoo!
Art will try using it today if it doesn't rain again. We're going to have to cover the areas that aren't rusted because if the spray gets on unrusted parts, the directions say the solution could cause those areas to rust.
We also bought some Lithium grease spray that window people told us we should spray over metal parts to keep it from rusting. Then there's a silicon spray to keep your sliding windows rolling like silk.
Rust and termites, the bane of Hawaii!
Kay, we have an aluminum screen door, which has not rusted during the 10 years we have had it. We bought it at Lowe's.
ReplyDeleteYes, steel rusts. Look at Aloha Stadium!!!
Next time, try aluminum.
Hawaii always sounds like paradise in films, but it seems that there are a few evils eating away at it after all. We do have a few things that we have to guard against here in the UK - woodworm and weather mostly - but they're much slower at causing any damage.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of work to live in Hawaii. All we see is the beauty. I never knew there were all these other problems. Termites scare me.
ReplyDeleteSo, paradise has its problems. Who knew that rust and termites were such a threat. It makes sense that they would be. Good luck in finding a solution.
ReplyDeleteThere's always some challenge...we are dry and dusty, winds and wild fires in Utah now.
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to appreciate all that we DON'T have to deal with here! In spite of a lot of rain, we don't have any rust and no termites! I do hope the stuff you got does the trick! You guys work so hard to do it all the right way!! Have a great week, Kay!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
Whoever knew that Hawaii had so many problems? It all looks idyllic to us outsiders . . .
ReplyDeleteHope you find a lasting solution to your rust problem!
Yikes...glad you found a solution to the rust problem. It must be frustrating!
ReplyDeleteOur white metal headboard rusted on the voyage from Hawaii to Seattle.
ReplyDeleteWe might be rusting here in Seattle soon. We just had 3.5 inches of rain in the last four days. That is not normal, and in fact is a record for September.
ReplyDeleteIt seems every paradise has its tribulations.
What do most people use for doors there I wonder.
ReplyDeleteWe use cast iron here -- coat it with primer and then paint it.Every third year repaint it (we do it but the majority waits for good five years).
ReplyDeleteSo many products that do such amazing repairs.
ReplyDeleteWe deal with humidity and fire ants in SC. I HATE fire ants!!
ReplyDeleteOur refrigerator door is totally rusted out. There is a person who fixes that, and when we get home we'll attend to it.We live very close to the water, and our windows are always open. We have vinyl sliding doors to the deck.
ReplyDeleteOur screens are plastic and have held up. Our deck is Trex and is impervious to termite damage. The pest that annoys us the most is the coqui frog, imported from Puerto Rico on decorative plants. The original infestation was near the Hilo Wal-Mart.
Keeping the frogs off our property is a big job. They have a loud shriek that has ruined the peace of our once quiet nights. So to save a little money on plants, people shop at the Wal Mart nursery, as if we didn't already have plenty of plants here, and before you know it we have a pest like this to deal with.
You know... the screens in our sliding doors are OK so far. It's the screens on our sliding windows that are deteriorating. Sheesh! Our front door screen is what we're going to have to repair.
ReplyDeleteWe have rust here..but mostly on our cars from the salt as you remember...
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