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Galvanised staircases that stay rust-free for decades
Galvanising is not a paint. The finished steel is immersed in molten zinc and comes out with the zinc alloyed to its surface, inside and out, which is why a galvanised stair from the 1980s still looks sound today.
Why we galvanise everything that lives outside
Paint fails at the edges and inside the tubes first, and that is exactly where rust starts. Zinc bonds to every surface of the stair including the ones you cannot see, and where it does get scratched the zinc protects the exposed steel anyway. It is the only finish we trust outdoors without a maintenance schedule.
Silver or coloured
Straight from the galvanisers a stair is a bright spangled silver that dulls to a soft grey over a year. Plenty of customers keep it, especially on industrial and agricultural buildings. For houses we usually powder coat over the galvanising, which gives you any colour and a smooth finish while keeping the zinc underneath.
Cost and lead time
Compared with a painted stair, galvanising costs slightly more and puts a few days on the programme for the round trip to the galvanisers. Against forty years without repainting, it is the cheapest finish there is.
Questions we are asked about Galvanised staircases
Can an existing painted steel staircase be galvanised?
Only by taking it down and sending it to the plant, which is rarely worth it. It is usually better to replace with a new galvanised stair and take the old one away.
Does powder coating over galvanising peel?
Not when the stair is properly prepared. We sweep-blast and pre-treat the galvanised surface before coating, which is the process the coating manufacturers specify.
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