How to Prepare Your Wrought Iron Fence for Winter

Wrought iron fencing is a beautiful addition to your property and provides many benefits, but the unique material requires special care for the harshness of winter. With just a little wrought iron fencing upkeep, you can protect your investment by making sure that your wrought iron fence is ready for the severe winter weather.

Here are our tips to prepare your wrought iron fence for winter and protect it from the elements.

Cleaning

Cleaning is an important part of wrought iron fencing maintenance. Cleaning your wrought iron fence keeps the environmental contaminants from building up on the surface and ruining the look of your fence, or worse, degrading the coating over time. Ideally, your wrought iron fence should be cleaned once a week, but even cleaning it monthly will do wonders for its looks and longevity.

If your wrought iron fence borders a road that’s frequently traveled, you’ll need to be even more vigilant about cleaning. These roads are more likely to be salted often, and salt splashing onto your fence can corrode it over time. Whenever possible, wipe down the area of your fence that’s near the road with warm, soapy water to keep the salt from building up and corroding the surface. After cleaning, you can also apply a coat of protective wax to protect it from road salt.

Rust Removal

Though different coatings help wrought iron fencing combat rust, it can still accumulate over time if your fence is exposed to harsh elements. If there’s existing rust on your fence, it’s best to remove it before the next snowfall, which will only make matters worse.

Rust tends to accumulate in the joints between the slats and bottom run, around ornamental features and on thinner pieces of iron. Rust can be removed with a paint scraper and wire brush, and regular rust removal keeps it from building up.

Priming and Painting

Once the rust is gone, you can sand, prime and paint your fencing to protect it from the elements. Sanding is done to remove any remaining rust or paint chips, leaving you with a smooth surface for painting. After sanding, it’s a good idea to prime your fence to protect it and help the paint go on smoothly and evenly. Then, you can paint your fence with whatever rust-resistant outdoor metal paint you like.

The sanding, priming and painting process is best done in the warmer months, since it involves several hours of drying time. Plus, you’ll want to be sure that your primer and paint coatings are done properly and ready for the winter.

Wrought Iron Fencing Upkeep

With just a little bit of care and attention, your wrought iron fencing will be ready to withstand a harsh winter and last you for years and years. If you want to learn more about how to protect wrought iron fencing in winter, AR Iron can help. We’ve been serving the Las Vegas and Henderson communities for many years, so contact us today to see how we can help with your wrought iron fencing maintenance!