Painting wrought iron patio / garden furniture

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 3/10
  • NO TOOLS REQUIRED FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 1 HOUR TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB
  • YOU SHOULD OBSERVE SAFETY RULES FOR SPRAY PAINTING
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.
BEFORE YOU START
  • See part I about how to remove rust prior to reading this tutorial
  • Personal Protective Equipment is mandatory for this job. Eye and ear protectors, good dust and paint masks are needed.
  • The job is technically easy but quite tiring.
  • Spray paint can only be done in an open area. 
  • ​We did use zinc rich spray paint, that requires no primer. If you're using acrylic or enamel aerosol cans, then you must apply a coat of zinc-rich primer before proceeding with the paint. You may apply the primer with a brush if you have no spray painting equipment.

How to prepare wrought iron furniture to receive new coats of paint

This pictorial is continued from part I which explains how to remove rust from iron furniture.
Never paint iron furniture without having removed all rust as explained in part I.
Stage 2 consists of passing a grit 80 to 100 sandpaper by hand.  
Sand off all remaining old paint well with brisk movements to allow the new paint to adhere properly.​
Once done, clean the furniture items with 90% alcohol and a cloth for removing the old paint dust and any trace of oil or grease (if any). You may buy your alcohol from our partners' stores:

The material you need for painting your iron garden furniture:

You need:
  • A good vapor mask​
  • A zinc rich and no-primer spray paint, available in aerosol cans. Make sure to use anti-rust paint with zinc, if you use regular acrylic or enamel aerosol cans, you need to apply by brush a zinc-rich primer prior to proceeding with the spray paint.

Painting the wrought and cast iron patio / garden furniture

Start by:
  • ​Turning the furniture upside down to start spraying first the bottoms and non visible parts
  • Shaking the spray cans well for at least 2 minutes before the first use and keep shaking between sprays.  
The first coat does not hide completely the bare metal which is normal. Hold the can at 25 cm and move it steadily. Apply three thin coats with at least 10 minutes interval between the first two and 30 minutes before the last. 
The third paint coat will make the finishing on the iron perfectly uniform.
Now this garden set has been restored and is ready for a new life of several years.    

See also our other tutorials in relation with furniture paint...

...and buy your drill wire brushes from our partners' stores: