If you have a wrought iron 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.
Repair
Examine all parts of your wrought iron, even the under side, for rust and peeling paint.
Using a wire brush, clean all rust off of your wrought iron and remove any flaking paint.
Sand
Sand your entire piece of wrought iron to rough up the paint and allow the new paint to adhere properly.
Also make sure to smooth any transitions from places where paint has flaked off.
Start sanding using a coarse grit sandpaper and end with a fine grain 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.
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.
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.
For best results, use 2 or more coats of paint.
Cure
Make sure to allow the paint to properly cure before using it. Curing might take days while drying might take hours.
