Bringing New Life to Old Wrought Iron

This weekend, my mom and I finished refurbishing my wrought iron patio furniture. What a project! But wow, what great results! I am so excited to have these, because I have a beautiful 6th floor patio to enjoy in Denver.

Here's the bill:

Sofa = $50

2 Spring Chairs = $40/each

Side Table = $18

Coffee Table = $25

1 can Rust Stop = $4.99/each

12 cans Rustoleum Primer (Flat Black) = $3.77/each

12 cans Rustoleum Flat Protective Enamel (Black) = $3.77/each

Plastic Plugs for Feet = $3.99/4-pack

Total = $280.44...but let's call it $300, because I'm probably forgetting something. But hey, quality wrought iron sets can easily be upward of $1000! Furthermore, the sofas are really hard to find.

Here are items my Mom had on hand:

Pressure Washer

Spray Can Trigger (OMG Lifesaver)

Sand Paper & Various Scrubby Tools

Electric Sander

Tarps

Nylon gloves 

This is what I started with. It doesn't look like much, does it? I bought all my pieces at Fabbu Estate Sales in Austell, GA. They have great things at fantastic prices (I got a solid oak trunk for $70!), especially if you're willing to give it some love. And boy, did these wrought iron pieces need love.

Step 1: Clean. Thankfully Mom has a pressure washer, although a scrub brush and bucket of soapy hot water would do it.

Step 2: Sand. That old nasty paint had to go. Although I didn't want to get down to bare metal, I had to at least get off the chipped paint and outer layers. Our sad little green table was apparently hideously yellow in some past life. Bless its heart.
Mom had an electric sander, which was really a life saver on the larger pieces.

Step 3: Rust Stop. Luckily, there wasn't any really bad rust. The Coffee table and spring chairs had some rust on their mesh areas, and the sofa had a few spots here and there. All in all, not bad. I used the spray-on rust preventer to hit these spots and prevent future damage.

A note about rust: It's not a killer, but it really depends on where it is. Patches of rust on non-weight bearing areas are no big deal. Deep rust on the feet or major joints is a big problem.

Step 4: Primer Coat. Self explanatory. I did a double coat, and was especially attentive to the footsies (which are very susceptible to rust). The spring chairs had lots of curlicues, so I had to get all up in there. The mesh areas were also a challenge, and ate up a lot of paint.

 

 
Step 5: Paint Coat. Hooray!

Step 6: Dry.

Step 7: The Ceremonial Placement of The Foot Caps. Yay! Done!


And the final result:

 

Ready...Set...Lounge!