I have lots of wrought iron, and this is what I found to be the most effective. I use wire wheel attachments on my cordless drill to take off any rust, obvious chipping and other rough patches, sand lightly with a sandpaper foam block (it forms better to the different kinds of surfaces) to rough up the painted surface, dust and clean well, then paint with a good primer and three top coats. I use Rustoleum in the spray cans, but I my iron is mostly outside. The spray cans are more expensive and messy, but I cannot duplicate the smooth surface no matter what kind of brush I use. I have also used spray paint indoors, but only after constructing an elaborate "tent" from boxes and plastic bags, and opening all the windows and covering everything within reach. Using spray paint this way would be the most timeconsuming part of the process, but worth a test run on a small section and comparing it with a handpainted section. If you decide to handpaint it, foam brushes work best. I use the new kind that are pads with a silky "fur" on the top...they make small ones meant for window sashes, but it can be time consuming and you can go through a lot of pads (they're cheap though). And if the new paint chips or rusts, it's a simple matter to touch up with a little sandpaper and paint. Hope this helps. PS: Also use plenty of protection -- My house was built in the 60s, and I bought it from the guy who built it, who left me every paint can he ever used on/in the house, so I have no lead paint.

We did go with Railing works, and recommend them highly! We've gotten lots of compliments in the years since. The color fits our stucco, and the cables almost disappear as we're looking through the railing to our back yard Our experience was very pleasant, and the results awesome. They were knowledgeable, easy to work with. Easy to get samples of color and the top/bottom etc. elements, so which is what persuaded my skeptical DH that this was precisely machined, excellent powder coating, a very clever design, and could be a DIY project. They worked with DH to choose the type of attachments to the deck, and also to the concrete stairs. In collaboration with them, we supplied the specifications for the railing, including all turns and stairs -- they answered all his questions, mailed diagrams back and forth till my engineer husband was certain it was all nailed down. The "kit" came with clear instructions. It did require cutting the top and bottom rails to for some of the 90-degree angles; DH has a circular saw, so that wasn't a problem, though My husband and sons (16 and 10) installed the railings around our deck, and also next to the stairs to our front entrance. I can't praise it enough!

I just tackled a bunch of wrought iron furniture. The most important thing is to get the loose paint and rust off. I used a combo of wire brushes and wire brushes drill bits in both course and fine. I spent a lot of time on it because i don't want to do it again for a few years (ideally though I would have sent them to be sandblasted and powder coated). I only used a rustoleum hammered black paint without a primer but probably should have used the primer as well.

Curious, inside or outside? If inside, what does it matter how cold it is? And my 11 yo is studying geography. The mid-west has an enormous variation in average winter temp. The difference between Minneapolis and Chicago is bigger than the difference between New York and Atlanta.