A short consumer guide to wrought iron furniture, in particular wrought iron patio furniture

Who can resist?

Whist this sturdy material does offer a stable, weather resistant and attractive choice for patio and garden furniture, there are several things you should know about wrought iron patio furniture …

So, let’s take a look into the world of wrought iron furniture in our short consumer guide:

Traditionally speaking most items that we commonly call wrought iron are not they are cast iron.
In fact, the term wrought iron means pieces, bars or strips, of iron that are bent to shape, usually over a furnace (forging), and welded or bound in place. These pieces offer a much more traditional look and are often made with heavy grade iron, although due to the workmanship involved the prices of such furniture can become rather expensive. The high cost may be a negative aspect for many, but proof of its durability can easily be found in the huge number of public parks and gardens that have had iron benches outside for years.

As with most metal furniture on the market today, wrought iron furniture for the patio is often powder coated and painted. Although iron will rust in wet conditions if the coating is scratched or damaged, it is easily touched up with paint to prevent further rusting.

Wrought iron furniture is a term commonly used nowadays for most types of metal furniture, let’s take a quick look at the various types easily found in your local hardware store or on the internet.

Wrought Iron Patio Furniture:
As we saw above wrought iron furniture, whether for patios or inside, generally use galvanized (meaning coated with zinc) iron parts especially on key areas prone to rust, such as moving parts. Forging is an art and is carried out by skilled craftsmen. Traditional furniture can be oven painted, powder coated, or hand painted, or protected by transparent preservatives. It is important to keep any moving parts oiled. Any scratches should be painted over immediately in order to avoid rust.

Cast Iron Furniture:
This is the less expensive version of wrought iron that we are used to seeing these days.
Generally speaking scrap iron is heated until it reaches a liquid state and is then poured into molds. After cooling the cast iron furniture pieces are cleaned assembled and painted. Naturally, considering the materials used and the manufacture, this kind of iron patio furniture is much more cost effective than traditional wrought iron variety.

Cast Aluminum Furniture: The same casting techniques are used for aluminium as for steel. The higher grade cast aluminium furniture made by craftsmen who hand pour molten aluminium into wood carved molds. The finished pieces are then polished and painted, usually baked. This finish provides a thicker, more robust coat than traditional paint.

Wrought Aluminum Furniture: The better pieces using this technique are made from tubes, generally ,65 and strengthened at stress points with galvanised steel inserts.

Let’s look at some of the advantages of both types, this might help you choose:

Wrought Iron Patio Furniture & Cast Iron furniture

Aluminum Patio Furniture

The key to buying any piece of furniture, is that you generally get what you pay for, however, a high price tag isn’t always a sign of grade A quality. Shop around for your wrought iron furniture and consider the points above. You may be surprised at what you find.

If you your budget won’t allow for wrought iron patio furniture you can also get the traditional "wrought iron" look available in lighter-weight, powder coated aluminum often at a fraction of the price of wrought iron furniture.