How to Paint Cast Iron Furniture

Cast iron and wrought iron furniture will lose its lustre over time and rust starts eating away on the exposed steel.  When it is time to refinish steel furniture, the best option is to paint it but care must be taken to use the correct procedure to get a durable finish. The following steps can be followed:

1. Clean the furniture

Painted cast iron chair

Use a cleaning agent such as sugar soap to wash away dirt and grime. Apply a solution of water and sugar soap with a brush and scrub to properly clean the surface. After cleaning the sugar soap must be neutralized with clean water. Leave the furniture to dry completely before starting with the next step.

2.  Remove old flaking finish and rust

Remove loose paint with a wire brush or use a drill with a wire brush bit to strip away loose paint. When you have a powder coated finish, use a sander to scuff the surface. Rust can also be treated with a rust inhibitive primer. Wipe away the rust with a tack cloth.

3. Apply a rust inhibitive primer

Apply two coats of metal primer with a paint sprayer or aerosol can. Another option is to use a good quality Direct to Metal (DTM) acrylic paint that dries to a hard durable finish.

4. Paint the furniture

Apply at least to top coats of paint. The best is to use oil based paint or alternatively DTM paint. Cast iron and wrought iron furniture should preferably be spray painted. Use a compressed air spray gun or a DIY turbo driven electric sprayer or a good quality aerosol spray can.

If you want more information on how to spray paint furniture, you will find everything you need to know in “How to Spray Paint Furniture”. Questions like what type of spray equipment can be used, what type of paint is best for spraying and how to mix paint and apply paint with a sprayer are covered in this 56 page e-book