Wrought Iron Plant Stands Are Gorgeous But Here's How To Prep Them For Outdoor Use

Wrought iron patio furniture is often touted as one of the best outdoor materials. It's timeless, durable, and relatively affordable, but it isn't perfect. Unlike traditional pure iron, wrought iron contains a higher carbon content and may undergo a variety of special processes that make it resistant to outdoor weather conditions. Even so, wrought iron is susceptible to rusting, especially if it's kept in close contact with water, dirt, dust, and other corrosive materials. 

This is especially concerning for wrought iron plant stands, which have the tough job of holding up your heavy potted plants, taking splashes from the hose, withstanding high humidity, and tolerating any scattered dust or soil that comes their way. Manufacturers don't always give wrought iron plant stands enough protection against these elements, so it's crucial that you prep them with a special coating, such as a rust preventative enamel paint or zinc spray.

Preparing your wrought iron is surprisingly easy, and you'll thank yourself later when you're not viciously scrubbing off rust. Besides preparing the wrought iron, it's also important to learn how to successfully clean wrought iron furniture, especially plant pot holders, to prevent the wrought iron from turning rusty and brittle. Here's how you should be treating your wrought iron plant stands before placing them outside along with other tips for cleaning and maintaining them. 

The easiest solution to prepare your wrought iron plant stands is to spray them with a rust preventative enamel paint, such as Rust-Oleum Stops Rust protective enamel, available for just under $8 per spray can at The Home Depot. To ensure you're giving your plant stands the best chance at success, read up on professional tips for painting wrought iron, move in slow, steady strokes, and always apply a second coat or clear top coat according to the directions. This will work best on plant stands that are relatively new and haven't yet started to rust. Another option is to use a cold galvanizing zinc spray such as Ambro-Sol, available on Amazon for around $9.00. Zinc spray forms a solid barrier and will sacrifice its own electrons instead of letting oxygen reach your iron. 

After properly preparing your plant stands and setting up your patio plants, it's important to follow some key precautions. When watering plants, try to avoid splashing the iron directly, and if needed, remove the pots to water before placing them back on your stand. Keeping a dry rag nearby to wipe down any droplets can also preserve your wrought iron. Over time, it's likely that your wrought iron plant stands will face some rust, no matter how hard you try to prevent it and clean it properly. Once that happens, you can try to make rusty furniture new again with these simple hacks.