Deck Rust Prevention

[cager]

I gave the underside of my 54" deck (60 hours) a 2nd cleaning yesterday.
The first cleaning removed quite a bit of the paint coating. The cleaning yesterday removed even more of the coating. Now, rust is starting to raise it's ugly head on the bare metal.

Is there some type of spray coating available for the undersides of mowing decks? I was wondering if a "Rustoleum" type spray would work?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[OhioGuy]

Hi Cager,

I've used all sorts of paint on the underside of various decks with about the same results. It's just hard to keep paint on there with the moisture and scraping and debris from the blades.

I think the most important factor for prolonging deck life is keeping it clean, the buildup of grass holds moisture and is the perfect environment for corrosion.

WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS A STAINLESS STEEL DECK!

Curt

 

[MrJimi]

I gave the underside of my 54" deck (60 hours) a 2nd cleaning yesterday.
The first cleaning removed quite a bit of the paint coating. The cleaning yesterday removed even more of the coating. Now, rust is starting to raise it's ugly head on the bare metal.

Is there some type of spray coating available for the undersides of mowing decks? I was wondering if a "Rustoleum" type spray would work?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I am a rustoleam fan!! use their primer and make sure you clean your deck REAL GOOD and dry, then the primer, then the paint and spray cans are real thin? Not a good thing as Martha Stewart would say.
Jim

 

[mrutkaus]

I bet some two part epoxy paint such as used for bathtubs would work, otherwise just keep it clean and dry. My deck isprobably 22 years old; most of the rust came from the top in, not from the bottom up...

Mike

CC 782 w/44" mower/snow blade

 

[MrWiggles2]

As long as you do the preventive maintenance in cleaning it, it will rust but not through. If you cut wet grass and leave it, its going to work its magic. I use my new powerwasher and then spray it good with WD40. A little surface rust won't hurt, but leaving grass stuck under will do a lot of damage. Also, leaving water pooled on top is a definite no no.

 

[jmt1271]

how long is too long to leave grass clumped under the deck? i dont want to remove and clean my deck every mowing. i try and do it once in the middle of the summer and once at the end of the mowing season.

 

[turbojerk]

I wonder if that spray in bed liner stuff would hold up in those condition?

It may make it tough to clean though since it's textured(?)

T

 

[micman32]

Just keep the deck clean. I don't remove the deck everytime. I try to give it a light scraping after each mowing. Just jack the front up a little.
Painting would be futile because of the environment under the deck. You would have to paint it over and over.

 

[Hard]

power wash, light sanding, power wash again, let dry, prime and paint after every other mowing.

 

[bermuda_ken]

We use graphite based paint on the decks. This acts as a "teflon" type coating that can be reapplied whenever needed by yourself. The truck box undercoating has not been shown to be a good alternative coating.