There is nothing quite so classy as wrought iron or metal garden furniture. Somewhow it just seems that bit more sophisticated and timeless than plastic alternatives. There is just one small problem with metal garden furniture, however, and that is you need to keep on top of its maintenance or it can end up becoming a bit of a mess. So here are a few of our top suggestions for keeping your garden furniture looking its best for all those long hot (hopefully) summer days ahead:
Keep your furniture clean by washing it in some warm soapy water. If it has an ornate design you can get into any little nooks and crannies with a toothbrush.
Once dry, you need to get rid of any flaking, damaged or chipped paintwork. Strip off as much loose paint as you can with wire wool then complete the job with something like Nitromors. Sometimes, if the piece of furniture has been painted a few times, some of the intricate detail in the item may become a bit lost, in which case you might want to strip it completely before priming and repainting.
Rust can be a problem with metal furniture, especially if it has been left out-of-doors over winter, uncovered. To remove rust you could try wire wool, as before, or if the rusting is quite wide-spread or difficult to remove you may need to resort to a rotary tool with a carbon steel brush attached. If the damage is very deep-rooted you will need to use a grinding stone attachment. Once everything is dealt with to your satisfaction, give the item a thorough rinse with a garden hose and dry off.
If you want to repaint it after you have removed any rust, first apply a couple of coats of metal primer to the furniture, before finishing off with a top coat in your desired shade. If you are a little pressed for time, don’t worry because you could actually skip the primer stage and use a direct-to-metal paint just for the top coat.
All you need to do is to repeat this simple process once a year to keep your metal furniture in tip-top shape.
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