Some rust is just part of the deal near the ocean—no need to lose sleep over it.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not sure I’d be that relaxed about it. I’ve seen a couple jobs where folks took the “it’s just rust” approach and then ended up with way bigger headaches down the line—especially on fasteners and flashing. Stainless is good, but what about the stuff you can’t easily see, like under the ridge cap? Twice a year seems a bit light for salty air, honestly. Anyone else run into hidden rust that turned into a bigger problem?
Yeah, hidden rust is sneaky, especially around the ridge and under old sealant. I’ve pulled off panels that looked fine from the outside, only to find fasteners half gone underneath. Anyone ever tried swapping to all stainless fasteners mid-life on a roof? Curious if that’s worth the hassle or just chasing your tail.
Anyone ever tried swapping to all stainless fasteners mid-life on a roof? Curious if that’s worth the hassle or just chasing your tail.
I swapped out about half my fasteners for stainless after finding rusted ones on the windward side—definitely not a fun job, but I figured it was better than waiting for leaks. The switch slowed down the rust, but honestly, I still get some corrosion where salt spray collects. Stainless helps, but it’s not magic, especially if you’ve already got moisture trapped under old sealant. If I had to do it again, I’d have gone all-stainless from the start... but at least now I sleep a little easier during storms.
I’m in the same boat—my place is just a few blocks from the water, and I’ve been eyeing those rusty screws for months. I started swapping them out section by section, but it’s slow going. One thing I noticed: if you don’t clean off the old sealant and gunk first, even stainless can start to look rough after a while. I wish I’d known to use a little anti-seize on the threads too... makes it way easier if you ever have to pull them again. Not sure it’s worth doing all at once unless you’re already up there for something else, but it does help me worry less when the wind picks up.
if you don’t clean off the old sealant and gunk first, even stainless can start to look rough after a while.
This is exactly what I ran into with my deck railing. I figured stainless screws would be “set it and forget it,” but nope… after the first winter, some of them looked almost as bad as the old ones. I didn’t realize leftover sealant and salt could still mess things up. I tried scrubbing a few with a wire brush before swapping them out, but honestly, it’s a pain when you’re up on a ladder and the wind’s blowing.
I haven’t used anti-seize yet—does that stuff make much of a difference long-term? I always thought it was more for engine parts or something. The last thing I want is to have to redo this in a couple years, so if that actually helps keep things from seizing up or rusting, I’m tempted to go back and redo the ones I already swapped.
One thing I’m still figuring out is whether it’s worth using those little plastic washers under the screw heads. A neighbor swears by them, says they help stop water from sneaking in around the screws, but I can’t tell if it’s overkill or not. Anyone else tried that?
I totally get what you mean about not doing it all at once unless you’re already up there for something else. My plan was to just do the worst spots first, but now every time there’s a storm, I’m paranoid about what’s going to come loose next. Living this close to the ocean is great until stuff starts falling apart faster than you expect.
Curious if anyone’s found any kind of clear spray or coating that actually helps slow down rust? I tried one of those “marine grade” sprays on some hardware by my door, but honestly can’t tell if it did anything yet. Maybe it just buys you an extra season or two?