Ranting and Railing About Rust at a Beachfront Home
Question: We have a wrought-iron railing 36-inches high around the front and side of our house facing the ocean in Baja. Our problem is that only a few months after painting, it begins to rust again . . . and the rust must be chipped off before repainting. Do you know of any product that will last or that does not require such exacting scaling? Or would you advise replacing the railing with another material?
I originally insisted on the wrought iron because it preserved more of the view than a wooden fence. It is about 100 feet long and is necessary because of an 11-foot drop to the street from the walkway around the house.
Answer: It’s a continuing problem, and so far as I know, there is nothing that will preserve a paint job on wrought iron when it has to meet the challenge of the ocean air.
Certainly wrought iron is attractive, but it stays attractive longer in hot, dry climates.
One of my resources, Michael Jansen of Jansen Ornamental Supply, 10926 Schmidt Road, El Monte, who has been connected with the wrought-iron business for more than 20 years, says you might consider a hot-dip galvanize for the railings, covered with an acid-etching primer and then use a chromate primer over that. This, of course, would require removing the railing, to have it hot-dipped in a tank.
And, everyone seems to agree, there is no permanent, perfect protection for wrought iron in the salt air.
Actually the best bet on the oceanfront is aluminum. It seems to hold up better than anything, as many of the modern beachfront hotels have discovered.
Better looking than aluminum would be wood, but while you wouldn’t have the rust problem, you’d still be faced with the paint-scaling problem.
Q: A friend told me he read that a ceiling fan will help lower a heating bill in the winter. This sounds crazy to me. What do you say?
A: The article probably referred to a ceiling fan with a switch to reverse the blades. This sometimes is effective in preventing a heat buildup near the ceiling by bringing the heat down into the room and circulating the warmer air.
M. and T. Newhouse of Buena Park want some information from readers about refinishing old bathtubs. They question whether the resurfaced tub will look like new and whether it will be just a temporary finish that will have to be redone within a few years.
If you have comments, please send them to me.
Dale Baldwin will answer remodeling questions of general interest on this page. Send your questions to Home Improvement, Real Estate Department, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Baldwin cannot answer questions individually. Snapshots of successful do-it-yourself projects may be submitted but cannot be returned.
