All our wrought iron style handrails can be supplied as bare metal or with one coat of a black zinc primer applied. This allows you to either opt for the traditional wrought iron look by applying a good quality exterior gloss black paint or the freedom to go for another look of your choice.
The Traditional Wrought Iron Look
If you are planning to go down the traditional route, you can either opt to buy your rail with one coat of primer already applied or to go for the bare metal rail and add a coat of primer yourself. If you already own a pot of primer it can work out cheaper to apply the primer yourself but if you would need to buy a pot specially, it can work out cheaper to let us do that for you.
Our primer includes zinc that will help prevent rust. However the primer alone will not provide enough protection. Traditional wrought iron products are painted regularly to maintain a barrier between the steel and the air. We suggest that you apply a good quality exterior gloss paint as soon as you receive your handrail. You should then aim to apply 4-6 coats over the first six months of it's life. After this initial period you should aim to apply an extra coat every 6-12 months, depending upon the conditions where you live, until you have a strong barrier built up. It is then advisable to check the paint work periodically and add further coats if necessary.
If you live in an area which is near the sea or water, or a main road that is gritted regularly in winter, it is advisable to wash down your handrail periodically with warm water and a little washing up liquid.
The Non-Traditional Look
Our handrails do not have to be painted black! Some opt for white or many other colours of the rainbow! If you opt to paint your handrail though, the important thing is that you build up a layer of protection by applying several coats.
There are many different options out there for coating metal, some offer more protection against rust than others. Some require more outlay but less maintenance and some are the other way round! In a future blog post we will aim to look at some of these options and the advantages and disadvantages of both.