Custom Iron Doors Exterior make your home look amazing and add to the curb appeal of your home. When your new wrought iron door is installed, it includes a special galvanized coating to protect it from the elements and rusting.
Wrought iron doors are very durable and are designed to last a long time. However, if you don’t clean and maintain your doors, they will begin to show signs of aging. They can also develop rust, just like any other type of metal exposed to the elements.
If you take care of your doors, rust isn’t something you need to worry about right away. Rust tends to appear on much older doors. Fortunately, if you take care of cleaning and maintenance, you can catch rust before it becomes a problem and ruins your front door. Ideally, you should try to clean your door at least once a month to keep its beauty and charm.
Exterior Iron Gate Price
Unless you’re buying a custom gate for your home, wrought iron doors can cost between $325 for a single swing gate to $3,800 for a driveway gate. However, if you want to install an automatic security gate, you will need to pay an additional $1,700 for materials and $2,000 for installation, which includes hiring an electrician at $90 per hour.
So we need to take good care of it.
Cleaning and maintenance materials for wrought iron front doors
You need to make sure you have the right cleaning and maintenance materials beforehand. Some of the more common items you’ll want to have on hand include.
- Castile soap
- A small ladder
- Lint-free cleaning cloth
- Small bucket of water
- Garden hose
- Garden nozzles
- Sandpaper
- Anti-rust primer
- Metal door paint
- Small brushes
- Painters tape
If your door is fairly new, you may only need cleaning supplies and a small ladder. However, if your door is older, then you can clean it first and then look for signs of rust.
Step 1: Mix Castile soap into the water
Mix a small amount of Castile soap in your bucket with warm water. You don’t need a large amount of soap. Just follow the mixing instructions on the bottle.
Step 2: Rinse the door
Using a gentle water setting, rinse the door clean. This helps remove dust, dirt, bugs and other debris.
Step 3: Clean the door
Take out a cleaning cloth and wet it with soapy water. Clean the door from top to bottom. Don’t forget to clean the top sill and sides of the door as well.
Step 4: Rinse off the soap
Using a mild water setting, rinse the door to make sure all the soap is removed.
Step 5: Dry the door
Take a clean, dry cloth and dry the door as best you can. You want to remove as much water as possible. You can prop the door open to help it dry more easily.
Step 6: Inspect the door
Once the door has been washed, you’ll want to check it for signs of rust. If it doesn’t, you’re good to go. If there is rust, then continue with the door maintenance.
Step 7: Remove the rust
Take your sandpaper and gently wipe the area with rust stains. You only need to remove the rust from the door. Take a damp cloth and wipe away the rust, then dry it to make sure you remove all the rust.
Step 8: Prime the door
Apply the rust primer to the location where the rust was removed. Make sure to use even strokes and that all exposed metal is covered. Allow the paint to dry fully.
Step 9: Paint the door
After the primer has dried, paint the door. If you are using a matching paint color, you may only need to touch up the areas with rust. Otherwise, you’ll want to paint the entire door. Make sure you use painter’s tape to tape the areas that don’t need to be painted.