Iron

Casual furniture made from iron has been extraordinarily popular for more than a century. It is versatile, stylish, strong, and often less expensive than furniture made with other materials.

Characteristics: Heavy, durable, with graceful, flowing designs.

Location: Porch lawn, deck, patio; indoors in sunroom, dining and living areas, breakfast nook.

Recognizing Quality: More parts are used to create a better iron chair than lower-priced versions. The back legs of chairs and chaises should be reinforced with braces or double rods (lighter material requires less bracing). Iron mesh should feel sturdy and be unrippled, and in quality tabletops be held in place by a channel, not tack welded. Bolts or rivets should be rust resistant.

Maintenance: Maintain iron furniture as you would your car's finish. Wash it occasionally and apply liquid car wax at least once a year; two or three times is even better. Use Soft Scrub to remove some stains and light scratches, or talk to our salespeople about other products available. If you see any rust, get after it at once with a wire brush and some touch-up paint. Fast action will keep the rust from spreading. During the winter, cover the furniture well or, if possible, bring it indoors. Spray WD-40 oil on any moving parts twice a year.

Available in handsome designs ranging from contemporary to traditional, iron furniture is so durable that it frequently outlasts its owners. However, if it has not been properly coated by the manufacturer and maintained by the consumer - no ifs, ands or buts - it will rust.

Wrought Iron

Today's wrought-iron finishes are extraordinary. While the most popular frame colors are still black, forest green, and white, there are wonderful coatings of every variety that look Old World, yet protect your furniture from rust through the miracles of modern science.

Designs range from simple to ornate. Some pieces are adorned with decorations - flowers, leaves and other designs. Quality manufacturers create these ornaments from thick aluminum castings with exquisite detail, which have been molded from hand-carved or antique dies. On less expensive pieces, the accents are simply stamped out.

Cast Iron

Cast iron is the essence of romance and nostalgia. Heavy and ornate, it is often identified with the South. Think of an elegant white bench with an exquisite floral design, gracing a well-manicured garden or curving around an ancient elm. Weighing three times more than an identical piece in cast aluminum, cast iron is popular for public areas because it weighs too much to be easily pilfered.

As with all iron, check out the finish. Although all iron furniture requires occasional touch-up, if yours has a quality coating, you will enjoy low maintenance and decades of use.