Little did I know that my summer job as a teenager would help prepare me to tackle a dreaded spring home improvement – – painting an iron gate. As a teenager, I worked during the summer at a children’s day camp but also did odd jobs around the school to help prepare for the beginning of school in the fall. I cleaned rooms, painted walls, moved furniture but the job I hated the most was painting the wrought iron gates. The first summer, I had more paint on the white concrete walls and up my nose (I was using a spray can for painting) than I had on the gate; however, after a couple of summers, I learned a few tricks for painting an iron gate that made the task easier and less messy. I am thankful I learned how to paint an iron gate while I was a teenager because the thought of inhaling black paint and scrubbing it off my hands seems far more appalling than when I was 16.
Supplies and/or materials
• Sandpaper
• Sponge
• Mild dishwashing detergent
• Water hose
• Newspaper
• Rubber gloves
• Protective eyewear
• Paint
General tips – – to make it easier and save headaches
• Wear safety glasses (or sunglasses) and a face mask when sanding and especially when painting – – the first year I inhaled black paint and you can assume how disgusting that was over the next few days.
• Wear long sleeves, pants and rubber gloves when painting – old clothes are perfect and save you from having to scrub your skin to remove paint. Rubber gloves are a must unless you want stained hands for weeks.
• Pull hair back and put on an old baseball cap – unless you want to dye your grey while you paint the gate.
• Pick a couple of bright, sunny days to paint because you need to allow the gate to dry completely
• Do not paint on a windy day – – I did this the second summer not realizing this creates an entire list of problems too long to recite here. Just trust me that it must be dead calm the day you paint.
Preparation tips – gate
You must prepare the iron gate before you begin to paint or repaint the gate. This does not require special expertise or really a lot of hard work – – only sanding and washing. Inspect the iron gate for any rust or chipping paint and sand these areas thoroughly to remove the dust or chipped paint. After you finish sanding, wet the sponge, apply a small amount of dishwashing detergent and wash the iron gate to remove dirt and grime buildup as well as dust from sanding. Use a garden hose to rinse the gate and allow to dry overnight. The gate must be completely dry before you begin to paint.
Preparation tips – area
In my case, the iron gate was between two tall cement walls that were painted white and I was painting the gate black. Because I did not want to paint the walls, I made sure to cover them with newspaper and tape it down with the masking tape. I also covered the concrete walk under the gate and 3 feet in both directions to make sure no paint accidently got onto the concrete below the gate. A couple of lessons I learned the hard way that year for preparing the area around the gate for painting:
• Overlapping the newspaper and using more tape than your grandmother does on Christmas gifts will keep the paint from “sneaking” between cracks and onto the walls.
• Masking tape does not adhere to some surfaces (such as grass) but nice big rocks or heavy paint cans work nicely.
Painting tips for an iron gate
One might think that painting an iron gate with a brush was the easiest way; however, they would be incorrect. Wrought iron gates in particular have a lot of intricate designs and tight corners that make it difficult to cover with a paintbrush. Furthermore, those intricate designs have corners that pull the bristles out of a paintbrush when trying to work it into tight corners. A spray can is a much better way to paint an iron fence provided you take the proper precautions set out above.
Using a light even spray, work from top to bottom and cover the entire iron gate with a light first coat. Some people swear by using a primer; however, if you use a good all-purpose outdoor paint made specifically to cover iron gates you need not waste your time and money on a primer.
Allow the first coat to dry completely before applying a second coat. If the paint you are using does not contain a sealer, I do think that a topcoat or sealer helps the paint to look newer for a longer time. Besides, once you have done all the prep work applying the paint to the iron gate is really the fun part of the task.
Once the paint is completely dry, carefully remove all of the tape and newspaper from the area and admire your work.
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