This is a primer on maintaining stainless steel cable railing. For details that answer “what is cable railing” please click the link.
Maintaining Stainless Steel Cable Railing is not much different than maintaining a nice car. The majority of discoloration found on cable railing will be in oceanfront locations where the most corrosive natural ingredient is found in abundance, SALT!
Limiting maintenance begins the day you install your cable railing by giving it a thorough washing immediately after install, and skipping this step because all looks new and shiny is a big mistake. The nature of cable with several strands twisted together makes it a prefect hiding place for work site residue, dirt, solvents and other contaminants to hide and trap salt regardless of treatments and cleaning. Though we use a proprietary cleaning process on our cable it is nearly impossible to remove all contaminants on and between the cable strands until the product is installed.
Much of the maintenance can be done with nothing more than a good car wash soap, a sponge or rag and fresh water, but a recommended enhancement is to use a pressure washer on the cable which does a great job of flushing out residues along with job site dirt and handling grime. A once over with a hose or power washer before cleaning with soap will allow the soap to better penetrate the cable. Be sure to flush out nooks and crevices along the way.
Since stainless steel depends on Chromium oxide for its primary protective layer the cleaner the railing is kept in the first few months the better the material becomes.
Should you encounter light staining or have an unfortunate accidental nick in the material an easy field passivation kit will allow for quick removal. Always follow instruction when passivating.
Do you have further questions about cable railing? Please visit our resource blog for more information.