Cast Iron Garden Furniture

Hello Friends and Readers:

I'm writing this week to tell you about my vintage cast iron garden furniture collection.  Most of which was picked up at various flea markets.

I read somewhere once that "you don't start collections, collections start you." I can certainly attest to that.  My Wedgewood collection began with the simple purchase of a Wedgewood floor lamp at a yard sale.  Now I have about thirty pieces of it.

During my flea market treasure hunts, I'm normally drawn to vendors who have vintage or antique items.  Still, there are many vendors who typically sell new merchandise, who may often surprise you by having an antique or vintage piece in their booth.  Therefore, you can't rule them out when you're out hunting for unique pieces.

Such was the case when I spotted my first piece of vintage cast iron garden furniture.  It was a bench made of leaf and grape design.  It was the only old looking piece in that particular vendors entire booth.

My first thought was that it would look romantic sitting in a little private area on my front lawn.  Yet from a distance, the bench appeared to have some condition issues.  When I took a closer look however, the only issues were that the white paint on it was worn and flaky and there were some areas of rust.

I must admit that the condition of the bench did turn me off a bit.  I usually try to buy pieces that require little to no work.  Still, I could see that there were some good bones left in the bench, so I figured I'd take a chance on it.

My husband and I took it home and made a small restoration project of it.  We used steel wool and sand paper to get rid of the rust and to smooth down the flaky paint.  Once that was done, we wiped the bench down and re-painted it white.  The piece turned out beautiful.

Needless to say, this was the beginning of my love affair with vintage cast iron garden furniture.  Since the purcahse of that piece, I've amassed quite a unique collection.

Vintage Cast Iron Wrap Around Tree Bench

I've seen garden furniture similar to my piece in some of the old Turner Classic Movies that I watch.  I get excited whenever I see a garden piece like mine in a scene of an old movie.

After researching antique and vintage cast iron garden furniture, I've learned that cast iron outdoor furniture was at it's height in popularity between 1850-1890.  A passion for gardens during the Victorian era had created a demand for cast iron outdoor furniture during that time.  Many of the orignal pieces still exist today.

Why not start your own collection of vintage cast iron garden furnture?  Write back and tell me all about it.

Vintage Cast Iron Love Seat, Chairs & Table