Is it worth it removing rust from an old laundry cabinet or simply replace it?

[Newbie321]

Hello community,

I have an old rusted laundry cabinet and I was wondering if it would be worth my time and energy to revive with it a CRC Rust Spray gel or something similar? The rust have been there since I moved into the apartment 8 years ago. Would it require a lot of effort to try and remove the rust or would I be better off just replacing the laundry cabinet altogether? As it would be ideal to save a bunch of money without having to replace the entire cabinet. But how long would it if at all be effective to remove the amount of rust on my laundry cabinet? (Someone had chucked out their laundry cabinet and I picked it up thinking that I might wanna replace my old one with this one. What do you think? Should I just replace it with this one instead? see 1st pic))

Thanks in advance! 

- Candy

[EricL]

Hello @Newbie321 (Candy)

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your laundry tub.

The ongoing debate whether to restore or replace a certain piece of appliance has been a long-standing discussion. In your case sanding down the rust spots and repainting the steel body is one way to restore it. But how long will the repair last before the steel body starts to rust again? 

On the other hand, replacing the whole tub means that you'll get a fresh new appliance that should provide several years of extended service. But it will definitely cost more than a restoration project.

However, if you wish to restore your tub, the only thing I would watch out for is large areas that are no longer recoverable. It means that the rust has eaten through the cabinet walls and feet. If this is the case, then it would be more practical to replace it.

The general steps to restoration are to sand down all the rust off the body, give the entire body a sand down to rough up the surface. You then wipe the entire surface with sugar soap to remove all the sanding dust. I suggest using the White Knight Rust Guard System. It has a four-step process which is to clean, treat, prime and topcoat the steel cabinet.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @Nailbag, @Peggers and @prettyliving to weigh in on this topic.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Nailbag]

Hi @Newbie321 If you decide to go down the path of restoration as @EricL explained, then use wet and dry sandpaper with a cork sanding block. These starter packs are great as they have a range of grits from fine to super fine. So, start with the fine and work your way up. If you haven't used this type of sandpaper before, they work best with a little bit of water sprayed on or dip them flat in some water while on the sanding block. Work in small to medium circles and regular check progress by wiping the area with a rag and running your hand over the surface.

When you ready to repaint, I would use a spray paint over a brush as this will provide the best finish. This product from white knight has rust restoration and prevention properties, but there are other brands as well as different white finishes such as matt, satin and gloss. Satin will be the one I would choose as Gloss will tend to show any imperfections. You will need some painters tape and newspaper to mask off the protected areas. 

I would spray the side area first and not too close to the surface. It's better to do more lighter coats than less thicker ones to avoid any runs. Move the can from left to right as you move down.

If you decide to replace the unit, then Bunnings have a range at very reasonable pricing starting around $250 in both PVC and metal body which is where I would start. 

Regards, Nailbag

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @Newbie321 

Absolutly love this question, and it shows that you havnt decided automatically to turf something

I had the same questions for my old laundry sink, Will post the link at the end tho

The side rust and scratches dont look too bad and potentally you could bring it back. That lumpy top of the sink tho looks like it could have gone too far. You could try and seperate the sink from the base (I remember struggling with dismantling mine, especially with how the previous people had attached it to the wall lol Then see if the rust has gone through and repair as @EricL has suggested.

You could also go the route of looking at your laundry, sitting down and nutting out what you want it to do and how its running at the moment. My laundry had the sink and washing machine pretty much in the same setup as yours. I thought about mine and decided yes I can redo it the laundry but made myself a rule to reuse as much as I could but make it more functional in the process. I reused some old cabinetry that I had saved from the skip bin at work, I reused some old tool slotted storage for an interanl dryer without the power bill and bought myself a new bench top plus new square sink.

Laundry retrofit  is my project, I had fun and felt pretty good in sticking to my rules. It wasnt hard to do, the sink was the most expensive part but I could have saved myself some money there by reusing the intereior of the tub (I had a look I was after with the square sink) Recovering the extra bench space was the winner tho. Its a nice useful laundry now.

So wether you sand and then bring back your existing tub (it would look nice) or decide to reuse (keep an eye out on facbeook market place/gumtree for people saying free removal) You have time to collect your resources befor ethe rust gets too bad Would love to see pics of your project which ever way you go!

Last thing tho, Welcome! This is a great place to have a look at ideas of what could be Its also got a bunch of good members with a whole lot of ways to do things, we all have slightly different ways but everyone in here wants to help  

Dave

[Newbie321]

Thanks for the reply! It has helped me! I have decided to go with replacing the tub.

[EricL]

Hello @Newbie321 

I'm glad you've decided to go with a new tub. If you happen to have any other questions about your laundry renovation, please don't hesitate to post another question.

Eric