If you have a wrought iron bed, fence, railing, patio furniture, home accessory, or other piece that needs a fresh coat of paint or an updated color, here are the steps for how to paint wrought iron.
photo courtesy of Quadrireme flickr.com/photos/33324850@N08/3108585354/
Clean
Clean your wrought iron to remove any dirt, dust, cobwebs, and other items that you do not want in your paint job.
If you are working outside, you can spray down your wrought iron using a garden hose with a sprayer attachment.
You might need to wipe down your wrought iron with an old towel and dish soap if it is dirty and not just dusty.
Every spec of dust on your item will be permanently stuck to your item once you paint, so ensure that you remove it all so you can get a nice smooth paint job.
Repair
Examine all of the parts of your wrought iron (including the back and the under side) for rust, damage, and peeling paint.
Using a wire brush, clean all rust off of your wrought iron and remove any flaking paint.
If you have more extensive damage, you can repair it with epoxy or take it to a welder to have it professionally repaired.
Make sure to tighten any fasteners, such as screws and bolts, so your wrought iron piece is nice and sturdy (if you need to paint your wrought iron disassembled, you can do this step after it has fully cured).
Sand
Sand your entire piece of wrought iron to rough up the paint and allow the new paint to adhere properly.
If your wrought iron is in good condition, you can use a small grit sandpaper to rough up the surface a bit so the new paint has a good surface to grab on to.
Take extra care to sand extremely well areas that might get rubbed or touched regularly, such as the arm of a chair.
Also make sure to smooth any transitions from places where paint has flaked off or damage was repaired using a medium grit sandpaper.
Clean Again
Wipe down your wrought iron to remove any sanding dust. You may also want to use your garden hose again.
Make sure your wrought iron is completely dry before proceeding.
Rust Inhibiting Metal Primer
Use specially formulated primer for metal that is rust inhibiting #ad.
This is especially important if your wrought iron will be outside.
Your primer can be sprayed, rolled (using a standard roller or mini roller), or brushed on.
Make sure to cover any surrounding items that you do not want painted if you use spray paint. Spray paint tends to travel farther than you might expect, so you might want to cover more than what you think you will need.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for dry time before applying a second coat of primer.
Paint
After the primer has fully dried, apply a DTM (direct to metal) paint #ad made especially for painting metal.
Make sure to research to ensure that your spray paint is appropriate for your application - interior or exterior location.
For the best results, use 2 or more coats of paint, especially if your wrought iron will be outside.
Make sure to follow the manufacturer's directions for how long to wait between applying additional coats of paint.
Also allow the paint to properly cure before using it. Curing might take days while drying might take hours.
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