Wrought Iron Candle Holders - Restoring Old Pieces to Look New Again

Years ago, I was given this beautiful wrought iron wall sconce that took two ball or pillar candles. It was painted a dark black and the color and shape worked great for my bathroom. I didn’t really give any thought to the fact that wrought iron and steam were a bad combination until I realized that my beautiful wall sconce was peeling in spots and rusting in others.

My first thought was, “oh great, I just ruined another thing (I am the eternal klutz) and now I will have to throw another home decor item out.”

Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to do it and I ended up storing the wall sconce in the basement, where it remained. I definitely followed the old, “Out of sight, out of mind thing.” It wasn’t until years later, as I was cleaning out the basement, that I happened upon it and realized that I could restore my wrought iron wall sconce and create something just as beautiful as before.

If you have an old wrought iron candle holder that has seen better days, you can easily restore it and end up with something just as spectacular as before. You can even play around with the colors of the piece to create an end result that fits in with any new decor you want.

What you need:

When you restore wrought iron, there are a few things that you will need to have. Below is a list of the items:

• The wrought iron candle holder: Of course you need one to restore and as long as it is wrought iron, it can be restored.
• Wire brush: A hard bristled wire brush is important to remove all the rust and, if the iron was painted before, to remove the excess paint.
• Primer: Use a primer that matches the color. So if you are using dark colors you can prime with a black and if you are using dark colors, you can prime with a white. Medium colors work best with a light gray.
• Paint: The best type of paint to use with wrought iron is a spray paint that is designed for metals. Use any color you would like.
• Gloves: I would recommend using gloves to keep your hands from being injured by debris or being covered in paint.
• Safety glasses: This is really important when you are removing the rust. It tends to flake and it may get in your eyes if you are not wearing safety glasses.

How to restore the wrought iron:

1. The first thing that you should do is prep your work area. This can be a very messy process and you will need to lay out newspaper to keep the area clean and to catch debris. Make sure you work on this in a well-ventilated area.
2. With the wire brush, you should rub the bristles across the wrought iron. This will take a considerable amount of time and you will need to scrape away until all the rust and paint is off the candle holder. Never use water and always keep the brush and the wrought iron dry while you are cleaning it.
3. Now that you have all the rust and paint off, it is time to prep the candle holder for painting. To do this, you should wash the candle holder and then allow it to dry completely. After it is dry, spray the candle holder with primer and set aside.

Once the primer is dry, simply spray paint it with the color of your choice, allow it to dry completely and repeat if necessary.

And all you are left with is a completely restored and beautiful wrought iron candle holder.

-Sirena Van Schaik

Trackback URI | Comments RSS