How to protect steel from corrosion in our house

Our daily life is surrounded by objects made from metallic elements, which is why it is extremely important to know how to protect them and avoid oxidation or accelerated corrosion of them. All metals naturally tend to oxidize, and as much as we try, they will always look for their original state in the form of rust.

 

How to protect the steel from corrosion. The steel can be found in the structures of our houses, in carpentry, both windows and doors, and in many other objects within our home. To protect steel there are two possible options:

-Protect steel with a primer or surface paint.

- Use alloys that seek to give protection to the metal automatically , and this is achieved during the manufacturing process.

The truth is that all metals tend to oxidize, and if we speak exactly we could say that there is no stainless metal, all will always look for their natural state, that is, rust. 

Perhaps the only alloy that we could really consider "stainless" is that of stainless steel, made of chrome, silicon and manganese, with chromium being the one that makes it almost unattainable to rust. Even so, not all stainless steels behave in the same way before rust, so it is common to find "elements" of stainless steel that end up acquiring a reddish appearance, especially in very humid environments.

But at the domestic level we find many metals (other than stainless steel) that are part of the internal structures of our house or the carpentry of doors or windows. Therefore, we must protect them correctly to avoid accelerating their corrosion.

How to protect steel from corrosion in our house 

-The most commonly used method to prevent metal corrosion is by priming. On a domestic level, if you need to protect or repaint any steel structure, we recommend you go to a specialized store. In new steels, a primer of outdoor calcium plumbate and zinc chromate is usually used indoors. We advise you to give several hands to get a layer that is strong enough to last several years.

-Calcium plumbate is a primer that is used for iron and metal, even when galvanized, but not for aluminum. If you have to protect an aluminum carpentry such as a window, you will have to use primers based on zinc phosphate or chromed zinc.

In a more colloquial language, if we want to protect the steel from rust, we can use an enamel primer. The enamel can be found in different colors in any specialized store and is applied by brush, roller or gun. The enamel does not dissolve in water.

Before applying the enamel it is advisable to paint the surface with a protective layer that is usually orange or black, this ensures a good adhesion of the enamel and good protection.

Intentionally oxidized steel structure

Some household tricks to remove stains on metals.

On a domestic level, popular science uses a series of tricks that will help us protect metals and remove rust stains.

-Beeswax . You can use the beeswax by letting it dry to solidify on a spot of rust and then sprinkle it with salt and rub hard. In this way we will be able to remove the rust stains by mechanical dragging without damaging the surface on which the stain is.

-To clean silver there is a very effective home method. In a basin place an aluminum foil at the bottom and fill it with water and salt. Place all the silverware in the basin and you will be able to clean them from the formation of a chemical reaction that occurs by joining the aluminum, the silver, the water and the salt.

We must distinguish between rust and corrosion

We often confuse rust with corrosion. These are two distinct phases in the oxidation process of a metal. First, a surface layer of rust forms, almost like an orange stain that can be removed by following the advice given above. With the passage of time, that oxide is transformed into corrosion, which consists of chemically undoing the metal creating scabs or scales that are gradually being removed from it. In the case of corrosion, when we find a corroded metal, all we can do is stop the process but we can no longer restore the metal to its previous state. What we must do is sand the affected part well and protect it with a primer and an enamel, we will not be able to recover the metal to its original state but we will be able to stop its deterioration.