Dean paints metal gates, railings and iron window frames in Hartwell, NN7, around 6.5 miles south of Northampton town centre. The village has limited ironwork, but some of it is historic, such as the Gothick iron casements on two listed estate cottages on Forest Road.
Small amounts of ironwork, some of it historic
Hartwell is mostly stone cottages and 20th-century housing, so metalwork is a modest part of exterior work here. What there is falls into three groups: garden gates and railings on village houses, railings around the church and the war memorials, and iron windows on older cottages. The last group needs the most care, because it is part of listed buildings.
The Hartwell area page explains how these sit within the wider village.
Gothick iron casements at 4 and 6 Forest Road
4 and 6 Forest Road are a Grade II listed pair of Grafton estate cottages from about 1840, built in squared, coursed limestone with slate roofs and Gothick iron casements. Iron windows are a different job from timber ones. Paint that fails lets moisture reach the metal, rust forms under the coating and the bars and glazing rebates can swell and crack the glass or the surrounding stone.
Our approach to iron casements:
- Loose paint and rust are removed by hand with scrapers and wire brushes, taking care around old glass and putty.
- Bare metal gets a rust-inhibiting metal primer straight away, before it has time to flash rust.
- Undercoat and top coat follow in a finish suited to metal, with opening casements eased so they are not painted shut.
- The existing colour is kept. On a listed building, a change of colour may need consent from West Northamptonshire Council.
Timber-window shortcuts such as filling and sanding as if the frame were wood do not suit iron, and an acrylic trim paint over rust will lift within a season or two.
Garden gates and railings around the village
Elsewhere in Hartwell the metalwork is mainly front garden gates, side gates and short runs of railing. Older pieces may be wrought or cast iron, while newer gates on the estates are often mild steel or galvanised steel. Each takes a different primer. Galvanised steel in particular needs a primer made for zinc, or the paint will peel off in sheets.
Gates hung on posts set in damp ground tend to rust first at the base and at the hinges. We check those points closely, free off stiff hinges and latches, and pay attention to the bottom rail where water and leaf litter gather.
Where a gate or railing is set into a stone wall or plinth, rust at the fixing point can expand and crack the stone around it. Where that wall is old limestone, it is worth catching early. We clean around the base of each bar or post, prime any exposed metal and look for gaps where water can sit, so the joint between metal and stone stays as dry as possible after painting.
Damp, shade and the timing of metalwork
Properties on the Salcey Forest side of the parish get shade, tree debris and slow drying. Metal that stays wet and cold collects condensation, and primer applied to damp steel or iron will not bond well. So metalwork in Hartwell is booked for dry, mild days, with paint applied once the morning dew has gone, and shaded gates left until later in the day.
Because Hartwell is a drive out by road, gates and railings are often combined with other outdoor work such as fences, doors or fascias, so a single visit covers everything. For the full rust treatment and painting process, including which metal needs which primer, see our main metal gate and railing painting service. If you are comparing quotes, our guide on how to choose a painter and decorator lists the questions worth asking.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
