Rust – An Enemy Of Melbourne Metal Fences 

You have made a smart choice when it comes to the longevity of the fencing, and you had installed a metal fence in your Melbourne home, building site or any other property. But…you know that there’s always a big but…comes out that in years your fence’s biggest enemy has gotten to it. Rust! Yes, rusty metal fences! Your metal fence has become from looking like a new and untouchable one, to a metal fence eaten by rust. 

Rusty may look good on some things, but it definitely does not suit your metal fence as the the whole idea of the fence is to keep you safe by being as strong as it possible can to keep the intruders away. Whether it’s your live stock in the Regional Victoria or a building site or a factory in Greater Melbourne that needs protection, rusty fence might not be up for the job.

As per usual, we like to start with first things first. So what is rust? When you mention rust, then majority people will imagine a reddish-brown flaky coat on the metal. Rust is commonly used when talking about the corrosion. Are they the same thing? Not exactly. To make it easily understandable, just remember the below:

  1. Corrosion is a chemical process, which results in disintegration of materials. Over a time material reacts with the external environment and its structure deteriorates and breaks down into small pieces.
  2. Rusting is a chemical process common with the metals containing iron. Simply put the corrosion process taking place when there is iron, is known as rusting. In the presence of oxygen and moisture or water, corrosion takes place forming a reddish-brown compound known as rust.

So now we know the difference between the corrosion and rust. Let’s proceed to the core issue of this post.

Assumably, when you were installing your fence, you did not use galvanized fencing materials, neither the powder coating options, which would have prevented corrosion process in your metal fence in Melbourne. Constantly changing weather, moisture, rain, and if you live by the water then the salt can increase the rusting as it speeds up the reacting process. All that included and the trouble is here, your fence is rusting! Even if that reddish-brown colour does not bother you, you should know that rust affects the whole metal fence as it spreads. It does not spread through contact like a biological infection, but the spreading occurs based on the conditions surrounding a particular piece of metal, metal fence in our case.

We have talked about the corrosion preventive methods:

  1. Galvanizing
  2. Powder Coating

But is there still a chance for a fence that has already started rusting due to the weather conditions or pollution?

Having a rusty fence doesn’t mean you have to replace the whole thing all along. No, luckily no! You just have get rid of the rusty patches and repaint it. Here are some simple steps how you can do it:

  1. Remove excessive buildup of rust using sandpaper. To save some trouble and do it faster, we would suggest using a grinder machine (rotary tool with a sanding disc). Try to get all the rust, and don’t forget even the smallest slots, holes and narrow spots as this is where rust likes to hide.
  2. Brush he fence with a stiff-bristled brush to remove all the traces of rust.
  3. Rub the surface with the tack cloth to remove the dust from sanding or any other loose dirt.
  4. Apply rust-inhibiting primer immediately after sanding and rubbing of the dust. Look at the instruction of how many coats of primers should be applied. Let it dry.
  5. Apply a layer of topcoat. Let it dry and apply second coat if needed.
  6. Step away and enjoy the view.

You can also use chemicals to remove the dust. There are many different ones. Easiest would just turn up to a hardware store and ask for an advise which one to purchase. Most of them are made from phosphoric or oxalic acid that are harmful to a bare skin. So be careful! They can also be expensive, so we wouldn’t recommend to use them for a large-scale project to fix the rusty fence.

Getting your rusty fence to look like new is a bit of a hustle, but it’s worth it. Best is to use preventive methods, like galvanized metal or powder coated fencing materials to prevent corrosion and to help your fence last longer.

At Diamond Fence we offer these fencing solutions. If you need any help on metal fencing applications, don’t hesitate and contact us today.

Call us on (03) 9753 4566 , shoot us an email on info@diamondfence.com.au , or just get a FREE online quote today.