Exterior Spiral Staircase Making It Last for Years

An exterior spiral staircase is a nice ornamental outdoor design. Most outdoor stairs are made from iron or other types of metal. The appearance of the material makes it an easy-flowing decorative element for the home design. They fit in mostly any home design style and if cared for properly, can last longer compared to wooden exterior stairs.

Metal has been use for centuries for building homes and making decorations. The material is abundant which makes it a widely used material for all sorts of things. Its early uses were included weaponry and ornaments but with more advanced ways of extracting it, it is now used for bigger items, household structures and others. The iron used today comes in two forms; cast and wrought. While they start off from the same metal, cast iron is more brittle compared to wrought iron.

How to take care of exterior spiral staircase

When your exterior stairs are made of wood, you’ll have to rely on proper wood treatment to make sure that the stairs won’t rot. Proper drying and treatments is your best bet to prolong your wooden stairs outside. For iron spiral staircases, they’re tougher than wood but they still need extra protection to make them weatherproof.

The number one enemy of iron stairs outdoors is oxidation. When exposed to moisture, iron rusts. Once it begins, you can’t reverse the process and those rusted areas are vulnerable to corrosion and breakage. This will make the stairs very dangerous. So, to avoid this, it’s best to avoid the reaction in the first place. Exterior stairs will be exposed to moisture even if it’s sheltered by a roof or walls. Prevent it from rusting by treating the stair surface with anti-oxidation coating. There’s also a powder coating that can be used but to be sure, ask your supplier or where you bought the materials for your stairs.

Even if it’s treated, you’ll still have to touch it up regularly. You can paint anti-rust products on the stairs. How often you do this will depend on the weather or climate you have. If you live in a warm area, you can re-coat every 3 -5 years. However, if you live in colder or wetter climates, your stairs may need treatment every 2 years. For staircases that are exposed to heavy rain, every year will be a safe schedule to maintain a nice iron staircase. If you care for it, exterior spiral staircase stands a very good chance of lasting for years.