How to Prepare a Wrought Iron Fence for Painting
Your wrought iron fence at one time sparkled and shined, but now it is showing its age with chipped off paint, rust and dirt. Like any painting project, whether it is wood or iron, proper preparation is the key to a beautiful paint finish. Preparing a wrought iron fence for painting can be somewhat labor intense, but the result will be well worth it and last for many years.
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Things You'll Need
- Garden hose and water
- Stiff scouring brush
- Wire brush
- Sand paper
- Cordless drill with wire wheel attachment
- Primer rust preventive metal primer paint, either can or spray
- Paint brushes
- Protective gear
Instructions
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Clean dirt, grime and loose paint from the wrought iron fence using a garden hose and a stiff scouring brush.
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Remove rust and old paint with a wire brush. Sand paper may be used for stubborn rust spots. A cordless drill with a wire wheel attachment makes removing rust and paint much quicker, but you may still need to use the wire brush for the more intricate areas of the fence. Ideally, the wrought iron should be cleaned of rust and paint until clean metal is visible.
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Rinse all the debris and dust off thoroughly the fence with the garden hose. Let the wrought iron dry completely. Make sure all the grooves and detailed areas have dried before attempting the next step.
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Using a metal primer and paint brush, "spot prime" any rusty areas. It may also be necessary to build up thickness with the primer if some areas are noticeably lower than the surrounding paint. Do this by applying primer with a brush on the lower area, letting it dry, and repeat putting layers of primer on the area until it is built up to, or close to, its surrounding area. Let it completely dry.
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Apply a good quality, metal primer with a rust inhibitor additive to the wrought iron fence with a brush like normal paint. If the metal of the fence has intricate details, it may be better to use an aerosol spray primer to apply the primer.
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Tips & Warnings
It's always advisable when sanding and grinding to wear protective breathing masks and protective glasses.
