Restoration
The Eight-Year-Old Swan
An outdoor boxwood swan came back worn after eight years outside. The foliage was spent, but the steel frame was still sound.
PieceOutdoor boxwood swan
ServiceStripped and re-covered
Age8 years outdoors
MaterialsOutdoor boxwood over galvanized steel
OutcomeRestored, not replaced
The brief
Outdoor foliage wears out. After eight years of sun, wind and rain this swan had gone thin and faded where the weather hits first. The frame underneath had not moved.
Replacing the piece means paying again for the sculpture: the welding, the shaping and the profile that makes it read as a swan. Restoring it means paying only for new foliage and protection, and keeping the part that took the skill.
If you would rather have real boxwood, see the live boxwood range.
Strip the green, keep the sculpture.
The build
How it was built.
Every piece starts as a welded frame and is finished by hand before it ships.
Strip it back
All the old foliage comes off. Patching over it makes a restored piece look restored, and it puts new material on a surface that is already breaking down.
Treat the steel
We clean the bare frame and give it a galvanized metal spray. That stops rust, stiffens the surface and gives the new foliage something sound to sit on. This step decides whether you do this again in three years or in eight.
Re-foliate by hand
Fresh UV-rated outdoor boxwood goes on by hand, following the original contours. The shape is already in the steel, so the job is to cover it evenly until the swan reads right from every angle.
The galvanized steel frame is what let us strip and re-cover the swan. You can buy the same frames bare in wire frame topiary.
The steel is the expensive part. After eight years outside, it was the only part still fine.
Restore or replace
Why it was worth saving.
Restoring reuses the frame you already paid for, keeps a custom shape that may not be reproducible, and keeps the steel out of landfill. If an outdoor piece of yours has gone tired, ours or anyone else’s, ask us before you replace it. Call 866-306-1020 and describe what you see.
Specification
What it is made of.
- Frame
- Original welded steel armature, retained
- Prep
- Old foliage stripped completely; frame cleaned
- Coating
- Galvanized metal spray against rust
- Foliage
- UV-rated outdoor boxwood, applied by hand
- Warranty
- Five-to-eight-year no-fade rating on the new foliage
- Lifespan
- This piece ran eight years outdoors on its first coat
- Upkeep
- Occasional cleaning
- Applies to
- Any of our outdoor pieces: balls, spirals, animals and custom work
Ready-made and custom
Where does a piece like this come from?
You can buy pieces ready-made, or commission one to your drawing, in the same frames, foliage and finishes.
Planning something like this?
Tell us what you are picturing.
Send a photo or a sketch with your dimensions and date. We come back with a design, a price and a delivery date, then build it to order.
- 4–10 weekstypical build time
- Any scaletabletop to 40 feet
- US & Canadashipping and install
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