Aluminum wrought iron fencing

T

Thomas E Westfall - Deceased 1970 - 2017

July 7, 1970 ~ June 10, 2017
I know this is really off topic, but I’m looking to put up wrought iron fencing around my house. My lot is a 50’X100’ so it is not really that big so I thought we might be able to afford it. For the last few years for Halloween I have put up a fake wrought iron fence I made out of salvage lumber ripped down from 2”X4s”. at six foot tall it looks awesome and when I put the Victorian blue siding on the house it will look awesome. Mow for my dilemma. The internet is full of sights that promise the world, but I just want to find one site that has the best cost to quality. If anyone has used the aluminum style what do you think of it? There are just so many places it boggles the mind and I could surf until I finally go blind. I would love to stay at 6’ tall and I love the either alternating high picket with a 2 or 3 rail. Below is a youtube link from Halloween and you can see my fake fence. If anyone could help please let me know. I need a fence because my 1.5 year old son is fascinated with cars and we live on the main drag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eURGlYuRN94

the fence grew this year so the entire front yard is fenced in.
 
go to one of the home improvement places and see what they have. if you don't like it you can return it to them at least. either that or find you some one that likes to black smith and have them twist you up one. you will be repainting the aluminum one . I would guess all that is cast on them would be the tops anyway. what is the rest made of? if they cast the whole thing one would think it would be rather soft
 
Don't use aluminum outdoors..... on anything. It will not hold paint long term. Take note of existing aluminum lamp posts, parking meters, mail boxes, benches, etc. They all oxidize /corrode and the paint falls off. Aluminum also breaks easily. Cast iron is the way to go.... if you can afford it.
 
I have metal railings outside some of my funeral homes for safety. If you enjoying painting railings...then put them in. If you don't want constant maintenance then avoid them.
 
The former owners of my house put in a wrought iron style aluminum fence in the back yard about 8 or 9 years ago. They fenced a pretty big area 114'x67'.

All of the paint is still holding up really well. I've had no problems with the finish (so far) and it looks great.

The only issue I've had with it is how easily damaged it can be. The day after the international meet in Hudson, I got a call that my neighbor's tree fell and took out three panels of the fence. Two of the panels needed to be replaced and one was able to be repaired with spare parts. The fence company also had to dig out a few of the posts (which were cemented in) and cement in new ones. The whole repair was pricey.

I've also had two instances now where tree trimming companies that were sent by the power company to cut limbs that were close to the power lines have damaged the spindles of the fence by getting their truck too close to it and not watching where the limbs were dropping. Both times the companies did pay for the damage, but dealing with that was a real pain.

Overall, it's still a great fence. I just wish it wouldn't break so easily. Here's one pic of my fence today and one from the day after the international meet last year showing what it looked like after a big limb landed on it.
 

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i/m going to look at a wrought iron fence that is being scraped, but from the photos I think it has met its usefulness. I just hate chain link fencing. I have considered a gothic style picket fence. What ever I do it needs to be around 5’ tall. My husky can easily clear 48” without even trying.
 
Before it gets moved to S.O.T.,

Anything you want to have outside should be powder coated if you don't want to have to keep repainting it.

Aluminum or steel can be powder coated and will last a very long time.

Aluminum with bend easier than steel and aluminum will cost more.

Powder coating will cost more up front but will not likely need to ever be redone. Time and paint costs will be saved over the long run having it powder coated and will never look bad like a painted surface will between paint jobs.

Satin or flat black will look much better than gloss black if you are trying to get a wrought iron look.

Hope this helps,
Darren
 
I used to work for a fence company and I can say that the stuff holds up very well. The brand we always installed was Jerith Mfg. All of it is powder coated and comes in an assortment of different colors. It's by far one of the more expensive fences. My opinion is to buy a good quality fence such as Jerith. The fences you find at Home Depot and those places never seem to be the same. Usually most of the repairs we had to do were on those cheapies unless for some reason someone ran into the fence with a car or something. The ones at Home Depot are junk. You get what you pay for.
 
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