I get the budget thing, but honestly, I’ve had bad luck with galvanized near the coast. Even with
, it always seems like I’m chasing rust spots every few months. Maybe it’s just our crazy humidity, but after a couple years, I ended up replacing half my hardware anyway. Sometimes I wonder if biting the bullet for 316 upfront actually saves money (and headaches) in the long run...“wire brush and slap on some Rustoleum”
—yeah, I’ve played that game too many times. Galvanized just doesn’t cut it for me either, not with salt air chewing through everything. I finally switched to 316 on my deck railings after replacing bolts twice in five years. It hurt the wallet up front, but honestly, I haven’t touched them since. Sometimes “cheaper” ends up costing more, especially out here where metal rusts if you look at it funny.“wire brush and slap on some Rustoleum”
I hear you on the upfront pain of 316—it’s not cheap, but neither is replacing hardware every couple of years. I went through a similar cycle with some of my green roof installations near the coast. Tried to save a bit by using hot-dipped galvanized fasteners, thinking the plants and growing medium would shield them from the worst of the salt air. Turns out, moisture just finds its way in, and within three seasons I was already seeing corrosion.
Switching to 316 stainless for the edge metal and fasteners was a tough sell to clients at first, but after a few years with zero callbacks for rust, it’s become my standard. It’s one of those things where you don’t really appreciate the value until you’re not scraping off flakes or dealing with leaks every spring.
I do think powder coating can help in some situations, but out here, the salt just seems to find any weakness. Sometimes the old “pay once, cry once” saying really does apply... especially when you’re a stone’s throw from the ocean.
That’s been my experience too—galvanized just doesn’t cut it this close to the water. I’ve had to replace balcony railings twice in less than a decade because the salt air ate right through them, even with regular maintenance. The upfront cost of 316 stings, but honestly, not having to deal with emergency repairs or angry tenants makes it worth every penny. Powder coating looked good for a year or two, then started bubbling and flaking... lesson learned. Sometimes you really do have to pay more to save yourself headaches down the line.
- Totally get the pain of salt air—my porch lights started rusting after just one winter.
- Looked into 304 vs 316 and yeah, that price jump is real... but I’m tired of replacing stuff every couple years.
- Tried a cheaper powder-coated mailbox once. Lasted about as long as my New Year’s resolutions.
- Still debating if it’s worth swapping out all my hardware now or just waiting for things to fail.
- Anyone else notice even “marine grade” labels can be hit or miss? Maybe I’m just unlucky, but nothing seems truly rust-proof around here.
