Restoring Metal Garden Furniture

Metallic furniture pieces are a great add-on to any garden, but placing it outside will make it vulnerable to wear and tear. As time passes by, the quality of metallic furniture placed in the garden becomes worse, with rusts growing uncontrollably and the paint chipping off. There are a number of ways to restore worn-out metallic furniture in the garden, read on and discover how it can be done by using different materials available inside your home.

Metal Garden Furniture Maintenance and Restoration

Steps on how to restore a metal garden furniture piece made from cast aluminium

A cast aluminium metal furniture can be cleaned using a combination of warm water and liquid soap. Apply the soap on a wet sponge, and start cleaning the furniture thoroughly. Scrubbing the edges is recommended because this is where most dirt is coming from. Once you are satisfied with the result, you need to add a car wax into the surface to make sure that it will be protected from different elements.

Car wax acts as a shield against acidic rain and scratches, and it can be purchased from any hardware stores. For those who have an unfinished aluminium garden furniture, oxidation can happen and you would notice stains similar to rust forming. This is common especially if the furniture was placed in a property near the coast. The salts in the air can contribute to the corrosion, but dealing with it is much easier than cleaning a rusty metallic furniture.

Aluminium polishing paste, which can be bought from a hardware store, needs to be applied to the affected area. The paste will eliminate the oxidation, thanks to its abrasive property. Applying the paste on the aluminium furniture would also protect it from future instances of tarnishing. To apply the past correctly on an aluminium furniture, you need to take a soft bristle brush and then wear protective gloves. Remove any loose surface material, and start scrubbing it into the surface. The correct way of applying the past would result in a clear finish, and you would see a lot of differences before and after the paste were applied. Avoid putting the paste near surfaces that it can stain because it would be difficult to remove it. After the paste has been applied on the surface of the aluminium furniture, rinse it off with water and leave it to dry.

Steps on how to restore a metal garden furniture piece made from cast iron

Compared to the cast aluminium furniture, cast iron furniture looks more elegant and beautiful. It is also sturdier, but it needs extensive maintenance to keep its quality. Cast iron garden furniture can also last for a long time, and it is a great addition for your garden.

However, different elements in the environment can contribute to its degradation. To protect the cast iron garden furniture from excessive wear, make sure that you are washing it occasionally with warm liquid. Using warm liquid would remove the dirt and dust that has accumulated on the surface of the furniture. It is important to remove the dirt and dust because it can trap moisture from the atmosphere, and then result in cracking paintwork. If you ignore this, the furniture will deteriorate.

Always keep the furniture clean to make it last longer. Another issue with metallic furniture is the growth of rust. When there is paint damage on the cast iron furniture, there is a chance for the rust to develop. The paint is applied on a cast iron furniture to protect it from rusting, but it would not last forever. There will come a time that the paint will chip off, leading an opportunity for the rust to grow. If you are noticing that the paint is already chipping off, you need to repaint it to prevent further damages. The best thing that you can do is to remove the paint completely, and then applying a metal primer that can be purchased from any hardware stores. Leave the metal primer to dry, and then use a metal paint that is rust-resistant to coat the metallic furniture. This will make it look brand new once again.

After applying a rust-resistant metal paint on the furniture, you need to apply a car wax over the surface for added protection. Moisture will be automatically blocked if the car wax is applied, and it will be protected from scratches. If you have an additional budget for the restoration, you might want to consider a spray version of the car wax to apply it evenly into the surface. Make sure that you will be wearing a set of the protective mask if you will be applying a spray paint into the surface of the furniture because it has a strong odour. Inhaling this odour can be dangerous because it might damage your lungs. You also need to remember that multiple coats of metallic paint and car wax is needed to ensure the protection for your furniture.

Once the car wax has been applied, make sure that the furniture will be cleaned constantly to discourage the accumulation of dust and dirt. If you wanted to clean the cast iron furniture that was recently covered in metallic paint and car wax, all you need to do is to wash it with water, and the dust and dirt will automatically fall off. After washing off the metallic furniture, take it outside and dry it under the sun. You would notice a lot of difference before and after the restoration, and the furniture might develop a longer life span if it is constantly restored.

Other ways of restoring metallic furniture pieces

Aside from the steps mentioned above, you can also try different ways on how to restore the metallic garden furniture. One of the most common steps that metallic furniture owners are doing is to apply a mixture of water and vinegar to clean it. The vinegar will remove any rust growth on the furniture, and it would also remove any dirt or dust that might have accumulated in the surface.

After the water and vinegar mixture has been applied, clean the furniture properly, scrubbing off all of the rust using a stiff brush. If you wanted to apply paint on the metallic furniture, make sure that you will be removing the old paint completely. Applying new paint on the old paint would result in bubbling. Paint strippers can be used to remove the old paint, and you need to scrape off any remaining paint on the furniture. Once it is completed, you can start applying a metallic primer, and then eventually, the metallic paint itself. If you notice that bubbling is already happening on the surface, it only means that the paint is slowly corroding, and if you will ignore it, the bubbling will contribute to excessive chipping, leaving the door open for other damages to occur.

Another thing that you can consider if you are trying to restore a metallic furniture is the use of steel wool and sander to clean it completely. Steel wool is used by furniture restorers when they are dealing with intricate areas. On other surfaces, a sander can be used to smooth it. After using a ball of steel wool or sander on the furniture, you need to clean it properly with water. This would remove the particles that were eliminated using the sander and the steel wool. Occasionally, people are discovering small patches of holes resulting from excessive rust growth. To deal with these holes properly, you need to use epoxy and patch up the holes. Once it dries, sanding is required to make it smooth.

Other metallic furniture restorers also use a pressure washer to clean the furniture. If the damage is extensive, the pressure washer can be considered to clean off the furniture completely. Pressure washers are very powerful, and they can remove all of the dirt and rust from the surface in a short period. Many furniture restorers find it more economical to use pressure washers, and it helps them save a lot of time and energy.

It is important to take care of your metallic furniture, and there are a lot of ways on how you can protect them from different elements. All you need to do is to buy the right product for the type of restoration that you are considering and ask help from a professional if you find the task too difficult to accomplish.

Restoring metal garden furniture is a great hobby, and it would also contribute to a better-looking garden. All you need to do is to invest in restoring materials and a little bit of patience to make it work.