Epoxy paint on metal steps - Will it work?

[belfert]

I plan to redo my steps in tread plate kinda like Gary LaBomard did.  I figure standard paint won't hold up long, especially in the dusty desert with sand/dust tracked in.

A local place that specializes in epoxy paint recommended a high solids epoxy paint with very little solvent.  He said the standard epoxy paint with lots of solvent would be too thin.  I used their regular epoxy paint for my basement floor and it worked great

Do you guys think this would work?  I'm not sure about the paint on the vertical parts of the steps and I didn't think to ask the guy at the epoxy paint place about this.

[Frank @ TX]

Hi Belfert,
I used the rubber flooring material that MCI uses.  Sooth black rubber with white and grey spects.
It's long wearing and high traction even when wet or dusty.
Frank

[prevost82]

Brian .. I doubt that it would last. You need to put on something that is high wear.
Ron

[belfert]

I have some sort of rubber material on the stairs and driver area now.  The problem is they used a seperate molded corner piece on the edge of each step.  All of the cracks accumulate large amounts of dust in the desert.

I would like to redo the steps so they are even.  The first step is shorter than the others after the new door was installed.  I was thinking of using tread plate like Gary did so I can weld up all of the seams so dust doesn't get into seams.

I guess I need to reconsider epoxy paint even though it has lasted fine in my basement.

[Kiwi55]

I have some sort of rubber material on the stairs and driver area now.  The problem is they used a seperate molded corner piece on the edge of each step.  All of the cracks accumulate large amounts of dust in the desert.

I would like to redo the steps so they are even.  The first step is shorter than the others after the new door was installed.  I was thinking of using tread plate like Gary did so I can weld up all of the seams so dust doesn't get into seams.

I guess I need to reconsider epoxy paint even though it has lasted fine in my basement.

What about some type of truck bed liner...Paul

[kyle4501]

Or you could use stainless tread plate & buff it when you're done. When you figure in the cost of paint & maintence, stainless doesn't cost much more, sometimes it's cheaper.

[belfert]

I've considered truck bed liner, but the Line-X bedliner in my trucks was so rough I'm afraid I could never clean the dust and dirt off it after being in the desert.  Maybe the Huskyliner they sell at Walmart and other places is not so rough.

[belfert]

Or you could use stainless tread plate & buff it when you're done. When you figure in the cost of paint & maintence, stainless doesn't cost much more, sometimes it's cheaper.

Stainless is very expensive new.  I was over at the local metals place a few weeks back and I seem to recall stainless was selling for $8 a pound for drops.  Aluminum was $3 a pound for drops.  (I was buying aluminum so I didn't pay a lot of attention to stainless prices.)

I should be able to get stainless tread plate for free or very inexpensive, but isn't stainless likely to scratch from sand and dust?  My first thought about this was to use plain tread plate aluminum or stainless, but I figured it would look like heck after a trip or two.

[DavidInWilmNC]

Why not use something like tile?  The larger tiles (8-12") would work nicely.  The grout would seal it well so you'd have none of those crevices to catch sand, it's durable and low-maintenance, it's cheap 'n' easy  to install, it looks nice, and it won't have that 'tinny' sound like metal steps don't if they don't have enough mass to dampen the sounds.  I was thinking about some sort of vinyl like the original MCI stuff, but it does have those edges to catch sand.  A snap-in carpet runner could work, too, and be easy to remove and clean.  Having thought about many materials for the entry steps, I think I'm probably going with a non-slick ceramic tile.

David

[kyle4501]

Or you could use stainless tread plate & buff it when you're done. When you figure in the cost of paint & maintence, stainless doesn't cost much more, sometimes it's cheaper.

Stainless is very expensive new.  I was over at the local metals place a few weeks back and I seem to recall stainless was selling for $8 a pound for drops.  Aluminum was $3 a pound for drops.  (I was buying aluminum so I didn't pay a lot of attention to stainless prices.)

I should be able to get stainless tread plate for free or very inexpensive, but isn't stainless likely to scratch from sand and dust?  My first thought about this was to use plain tread plate aluminum or stainless, but I figured it would look like heck after a trip or two.

I wasn't thinking polished - too much bling to have chrome steps.

I was thinking a matte finish - You could glass bead it if you wanted an even finish.

I'm thinking that 14GA would be enough with all the angles & that would be ~60# of metal.
Shop around, that is too high for drops since the recycler is paying less than $.75 per pound for SS.

[tekebird]

line ex or other spray in liner and hose the steps out.

[luvrbus]

Brain,check with Jim Smith at Smiths bed liners in Albuquerque NM at his shop last week i seen a hhr Chevy ( i think thats what you call them) with a spray on bra and Believe it or not a Harley sprayed with the liner materail plus the bra on his bus and the texture was semi smooth he could tell you of somebody that uses the same process he uses close to you. sorry i don't have a number for him.i know its not line x