Iron fencing can take a lot of wear with minimal care and fuss. But an iron fence installation can also be a significant investment. You'll want to know as much as possible about the options available and about what you can expect from an iron fence before you decide to put one in.
Here are some of the basics of what you can expect from an iron fence's performance, design possibilities, and installation process.
A wrought-iron fence is one of the longest-lasting fence types available. It can weather storms, temperature extremes, drought, and floods without structural damage. Here are some details of how an iron fence will perform.
How Long Iron Fencing Can Function
Along with steel, wrought iron is considered one of the longest-lasting and longest-wearing types of fencing commonly available. Some iron fences can last a lifetime or even longer. To help the fence last as long as possible, you'll want to have it inspected and re-coated occasionally. Talk to your fence contractor about how often to have this done.
What Can Damage an Iron
Fence
Wrought iron does have one or two potential sources of damage. One is that if the fence is exposed to salt, its finish can become damaged, which can allow corrosion to speed up. However, unless you're right by the seashore or a road that gets salted every winter, this is unlikely to be a concern.
Besides finish damage and corrosion, the only way your iron fence is likely to receive damage is if something extremely large (such as a truck or a falling tree) crashes into it.
While you may have a picture in your head of how a stereotypical iron fence looks, a modern fence made of iron can actually come in a wide range of styles.
Picket Styles
The pickets, or the upright pieces of the fence, come in different styles. If you want a classic or minimalistic fence look, you can opt for straight, vertical pickets. But if you want a more ornate or decorative appearance, you can choose fencing with decorative pickets. Some have hearts, diamonds, scrolls, and other shapes added in for a more ornate style.
Finial Styles
The top of the fence is another spot that can be plain or decorated. The tops of the pickets can have decorative points (called finials), which are often made in a diamond-like or spearhead-like shape.
Design Specifications
In addition to decorative shapes, you can also customize other aspects of the design. These could include decorative and functional details such as:
Talk to your fence contractor about the different options available and about how you can customize your fence's design.
Once you've decided to install an iron fence, what does the installation process look like? Here are some of the basics.
How Iron Fencing Is Made
To understand the installation process, you'll need to know that iron fencing often comes in pre-assembled panels. These panels are manufactured in standard sizes, using metal tubes that are welded together. Because these panels are typically created for a flat surface, you may need custom panels for hilly yards unless your contractor carries racked (adjustable) panels.
How Installation Works
Your cast iron fence will typically not take very long to set up. Although the metal fence components are very heavy, the installation of pre-assembled panels is typically fairly basic. The contractors will need to dig postholes, set the fence posts, and attach the fence panels and gates.
These details can help you get a better picture of how the installation will go, how your fence will improve your security, and how you can expect it to perform. For more information on your iron fencing options and to get a quote for any iron fence project you have in mind, get in touch with a local fence contractor such as
Capitol City Iron Works today.
