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Squeezing the last drops out of a budget is essential to making the most of any fiscal year. This includes improving the equipment on the property--even the rusty stuff. One way to grind a few more years of life from common-area items--metal waste receptacles and benches--is to have them restored rather than replaced.
The old way of restoring this equipment might have included a seasonal intern, wire brush, store-bought rust-prohibiting paint, a summer and plenty of sweat equity. The downside--besides manpower costs, paint splatter and flakes of rust staining the ground--is that the rust left on the metal is still corroding the structure.
Modern restoration is more technologically involved and between 40 to 70 percent less expensive than replacing the piece. It also extends the life of the outdoor equipment by eight to 10 years and looks better than any job the seasonal intern can do, and that intern’s time can be freed up for backburner projects.
