The old black paint was chipped and peeling and rusting in spots. Yikes.
And considering that the old rail was one of the first things you see on our house, it really needed a major facelift. So we looked at our options:
1) Rip it out and replace it with something white, modern, and maintenance-free. In short, we would absolutely love to do something like that. So what's holding us back? It would probably be pretty costly, and with a baby on the way we're saving all the pennies we can (babies are expensive!). So, while ideally we would love to go this route, it just isn't in the cards. Darn.
2) Restore the old wrought iron rail and paint it. While dated, the old rail does have character and charm, and with a bit of elbow grease and love, it could look like new (well, almost, anyways). Definitely the cheaper and more DIY-friendly option, and so this is the route we're going!
We did some good ole' fashioned research (by googling "how to paint wrought iron") and found that this would be a bigger project than we'd first anticipated (surely we're not the only ones that happens to?). Since the paint on our rail was chipping and rusting, we had to take some extra steps - we'd have to:
1) Use a wire brush to get all the flaking paint off (along with any clumps or drips of dried paint).
2) Sand, sand sand.
3) Prime with a rust-stopping primer.
4) And finally paint.
Yikes, that sounds like alot of hard work, but we're hoping that the TLC and new paint will last for years to come! (a feat here with this harsh weather)
So stay tuned for more updates - we're going to have a Rail-y Fun Time! (and yes, I'm a dork)
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I'm about to take on a similar project on our front porch, and I'm dreading it. I just have to sand and paint two wrought iron columns, but it seems like so much work! i'm excited to see how it goes for you guys. it will look so good with a fresh coat of paint! :)
ReplyDeleteyou could totally do this! we did this to our back railing since the stairs looked sort of plopped on the house, and not cohesive. so we actually painted the black railings white. we tried spray painting, but that didn't work since even with cardboard behind the railings, it was still wasting too much. one person rolled with a spongy roller, and one person painted it on with a brush. that method worked for us, and we hope to tackle the front rails soon. oh, how i would love something white and modern, too!!
ReplyDeleteHey Chelsea, I just ran across your blog and just love it! Thanks so much for all of the wonderful ideas and I have downloaded nearly all of your freebie friday things! Thanks so much. I am wondering about your terms of use for the patterns. I would love to use them for some stationery that I am designing and wanted to know if that was okay with you. Please let me know- tynerbock[at]gmail[dot]com
ReplyDeleteYikes is right! Our front stoop railings are in DIRE need of the same TLC! Ah, if only money were no object, huh. :) But then we wouldn't be walking away with all these "life experiences" we're supposed to be gaining and all. :)
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