# Restoring rusted stalls?



## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

Hmm, do you know what metal they're made out of?

You can always sand blast them and spray paint, then coat them with a sealer. That way you can customize your colors, but the paint will eventually chip/ wear off. 
If the metal is too corroded it might be best to replace it as it could be too weak structurally to be safe around animals.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

If the rust isn't all the way through compromising the strength of the bars or latches, you can sand them and paint them with rustoleum or rust paint of that nature. Works great, I did this with an old rust laden bench, been 3 years now and it still looks good.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

If the latches are simple ones that can be screwed on, then I would likely just replace them. It's not terribly expensive and once they've rusted, they never work smooth again.

As for the bars, I'd probably start with a brillo pad or wire brush and maybe some CLR or other rust remover. Then, as HC87 said, you could look at having them sandblasted and painted. I would at least look at some sort of sealer because once they've rusted, they will rust again if left exposed to the elements.


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## RunSlideStop (Apr 21, 2012)

I don't think they are so bad that they are dangerous (had a few major bucking episodes and no damage to the bars.. the wood below shattered though!). I suppose steel wool is the place to start! Hello biceps!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Steel wool first, the really coarse stuff, then sand paper to get a smooth finish, you can use a power hand sander, I did, worked great.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

It's good that they don't seem compromised, otherwise it would get expensive to replace them.
Yup, just get the rust off, then paint if you like, but sealing is a must.


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