By: Alicia Schnell
Ever since the introduction of steel, pure iron products are on the decline. Today, if Iron fencing is the look you seek, Ornamental Iron is the product you’ll get. That’s not to say it’s impossible to get Wrought Iron fencing – it’s just become very difficult and costly.
Wrought Iron comes from natural, raw iron harvested from the Earth. Ornamental Iron is created from the man-made product steel. The differences between steel and iron naturally lead to differences in the final product installed on your property. Wrought Iron does not dimple, dent, or collapse and the bars are solid throughout. Ornamental Iron is more susceptible to bending or denting under incredible pressure and the points and bars are hollow. Because Ornamental Iron is a mass-produced product, you might notice a welded seam running down the tubing and some similarities between your fence and others. This is a considerable change from the custom, hand-hammered designs of the old Wrought Iron.
However, there are several perks that come from choosing Ornamental Iron fencing. Since Ornamental Iron is mass-produced by machine, the wait period between purchase to installation is much shorter and the cost cheaper than Wrought Iron. It’s also lightweight, fairly easy to install, modify, repair, match, and extend after it’s been built, and there’s a 10-25 year warranty to boot. Plus, the process to purchase Ornamental Iron is easier. Now if all those pros cannot convince you to choose Ornamental Iron and you’ve got your heart set on Wrought Iron, you can, with difficulty, still find a Wrought Iron manufacturer these days. One thing to be aware of, however, is they usually add iron silicate to their product now. Therefore, it’s no longer 100% pure iron. So make sure you ask the manufacturer about the purity of their product and keep in mind that the process is going to be lengthier and more expensive than Ornamental Iron.
Here at Fence Specialists, we order our Ornamental Iron fencing from brands such as Ameristar and Fortress. We can also order, fabricate, and install gates. One of our estimators, Stephenie Burkhart, loves Ornamental Iron because it is “pretty, more secure than wood or chain link (because no one can cut through it and is harder to climb over), and lasts forever. It doesn’t lose its shape like chain link can, is maneuverable (making it an easy product to repair), and costs considerably less than it did in the past.” The only drawback she sees is, “if you have dogs, they can see out and people can stick their hands through the fence to pet them.” If you are interested in learning more, would like to see a sample, or pick up a brochure, feel free to call us at 253-531-5452 or stop by our shop on Golden Given in Tacoma, WA.
