Right, double seal covers - galv internal recess cover is 88 quid, one with stainless steel edge (just an edge riveted on, not the whole thing - I asked them), is 198 quid. Can that be right ? Surely I can't pay that much ! So, how can I treat a galvanised finish to make it look better and / or protect it from eventual rust ? Finish must not add too much thickness to the metal I suppose. Any ideas ? Simon.
I bought an exterior manhole cover (to take pavers) from Jewsons the other day. List £84, paid £42. All I did was say it was cheaper elsewhere (Wickes, as it happens).
I have a tile depth one, you lay tiles in it to match the floor, or build it up with mortar and vinyl it. All you see is the edge just below the tile surface.
There is no better treatment against rust than hot dip galvanising. There is no need for any further protection against rust. However, you can improve the appearance by painting it.
Getting paint to adhere to the zinc finish isn't easy. The old fashioned approach was to apply a mordant wash (such as T-wash) or a coat of etch primer. Some systems used both. Then you followed up with a lead-based undercoat followed by two coats of micaceous iron oxide paint.
There are some more modern recommendations here, but the need for T-Wash and/or an etch primer remains in force:
As you can see, getting a paint to adhere reliably to galvanised steel is not a trivial issue.
Personally, I would recommend one coat of Hammerite "Special Metals Primer" and two coats of Hammerite top coat in your choice of colour:
I hardly dare ask, but why didn't you get it from Wickes ;-) ?? Simon.
Not in stock!
Oh yeah, not since 1985 ? Simon.
Actually I had seen one in Wickes a week or so earlier - before we had decided we needed one. Went back - and there were none. It's obviously block paving season throughout the land. (Or would be if it stopped raining.) I was ready to "threaten" Jewsons that I would go to Wickes a few miles away in the next town but it would have been a pain.
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