At the end of the day, I guess it’s just about layering up whatever protection you can afford.
That’s pretty much the reality, but I’ll push back a bit on the plastic caps—if you use the right ones, and seat them with a dab of adhesive, they’ll hold up better than most folks expect. Still, nothing really beats 316 in this salt air, but the price is just brutal. I’ve tried hot-dip galvanized too, but honestly, they start showing rust almost as fast as the ceramic-coated stuff. For me, it’s all about redundancy: sealant, paint, and regular checks. It’s tedious, but I’d rather touch up than do a full replacement every few years.
I hear you on the redundancy—I've learned the hard way that skipping a step just means more headaches later. On one of my older properties, we cheaped out and used galvanized fasteners with a single coat of paint. Looked fine for about a year, then the rust crept in under the paint and it was a mess to fix. Now I double up: marine-grade sealant plus stainless where it counts, and yeah, I still do spot checks every couple months. It's a pain, but way better than dealing with corroded railings or hardware replacements mid-season. The cost stings, but the labor savings down the line are worth it.
Couldn’t agree more about the “do it right the first time” approach, especially near salt air. I learned pretty quickly that shortcuts just aren’t worth it here. I did a small deck project last year and almost went with regular galvanized screws because they were cheaper and right there at the store. Ended up reading a bunch of horror stories on here and bit the bullet for stainless and marine sealant. Even my neighbors thought I was overdoing it, but after one winter, their stuff is already showing orange spots and mine still looks new.
I get what you mean about the cost stinging—those little extras add up fast—but honestly, the peace of mind is huge. I do think sometimes people go overboard with constant spot checks, though. Personally, I do a big look-over in spring and fall, then just keep an eye out for anything obvious in between. Maybe I’ll regret that someday, but so far it’s working.
Now I double up: marine-grade sealant plus stainless where it counts, and yeah, I still do spot checks every couple months.
That combo seems to be the sweet spot. If you’re already putting in all that effort, might as well make sure it lasts more than a season or two.
You’re not wrong about the neighbors thinking you’re going overboard—I get that all the time. Folks love to cut corners, but I’ve seen enough rusty railings and warped deck boards to know it’s not worth it. Stainless and sealant add up, sure, but replacing stuff every couple years costs more in the long run. I do a seasonal check too, but I’ve never understood folks crawling around every month unless they just like finding problems.
I get what you mean about folks thinking it’s overkill. My uncle used to laugh at me for re-sealing the hardware every spring, but his porch railings are a mess now—meanwhile, mine still look new. I do wonder though, has anyone tried those zinc anodes folks talk about for boats? I keep hearing they help with corrosion, but not sure if it’s worth the hassle for decks and railings.
