prime&swift 24 Pack of 1-1/2" Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Feet Glides Cups by prime&swift Furniture Legs and Tables Easy to Install

Why chair glides matter for wrought iron sets

Wrought iron patio furniture is famously durable, but the bare metal feet are rough on decks and patios. Over time they grind paint off concrete, leave half-moon scars on wood and tile, and slowly chew up their own cup-shaped feet. I tested the prime&swift glides to see if a simple, inexpensive insert could fix all that without looking clunky or popping out after a few weekends of use.

Short answer: they work, provided you get the sizing right and install them with a little patience. They aren’t the thickest caps I’ve used, but they strike a good balance between fit, glide, and appearance.

Fit and sizing: measure the cup, not the outside

These are designed for cup-style wrought iron feet and spec’d for a 1-1/2 inch inner diameter. That “inner” bit is important. The outside of many feet is closer to 1-3/4 inches; what matters is the measurement across the inside of the cup where the cap will sit. I used a set of calipers, but a tape measure will work if you’re careful. If your inner diameter is much under 1.50 inches, these will be too tight; much over, and they’ll be sloppy.

The caps themselves are clear plastic, roughly 0.08 inches thick with about a half-inch wall height. The 0.08-inch thickness is enough to protect floors without raising furniture noticeably; the height is mostly the sidewall that nests inside the cup, not added height under the foot.

Installation: straightforward with a few tricks

I installed a full set on six chairs. Here’s what made the job smooth and what didn’t:

• Prep the cups. I scraped out old cap remnants and paint flakes with a flat screwdriver, then did a few passes with emery cloth to knock down rust and burrs. Anything proud inside the cup will fight the new cap or cause it to crack during installation.

• Warm the caps. A quick soak in hot (not boiling) water makes them just pliable enough to start easily. It’s optional, but I found it reduced the force needed.

• Align first, then tap. I pressed each cap into the cup by hand to get it started square, then tapped it in with a rubber mallet. If it begins to go in crooked, stop and reset. The one time I got impatient and hammered through a misalignment, I cracked a cap at the lip. With proper alignment, the rest seated snugly without drama.

• Use a block, not a steel hammer. If you don’t have a mallet, put a scrap of wood over the cap and tap the wood with a regular hammer. Direct hits with metal transfer too much shock and can crack the plastic.

• Skip greasy lubricants. A spritz of window cleaner or a dab of soapy water helps them slide without leaving a residue that encourages the cap to spin later. Avoid oils.

Once seated, the fit was tight and even all around. None of mine backed out during testing, and the snugness is exactly what keeps them from wandering.

Performance on different surfaces

I tested on sealed concrete, composite decking, and porcelain tile.

• Concrete: Movement felt smooth and controlled. Noise dropped dramatically—no more scraping squeal—replaced by a muted, low-friction slide. After a few weeks, the cap contact areas showed light scuffing but no deep gouges.

• Composite decking: Excellent glide with less chatter than felt pads, and no black marks. The clear plastic doesn’t grab or snag the board texture.

• Tile: Nearly silent. The caps skim rather than stick, even over grout lines.

Across all surfaces, the chairs felt stable. The caps didn’t compress or squirm under load, and the slight thickness under the foot didn’t affect balance.

Durability and materials

The plastic here is clear and on the thinner side compared with heavy-duty nylon alternatives, but it’s adequate for normal residential use. After a summer’s worth of use (sun, rain, daily chair movement), the caps on my high-traffic chairs developed a slightly frosted look and some flattening at the contact patch—what I’d expect with 0.08-inch material. No splits or through-wear, and the sidewalls stayed intact in the cups.

If you drag chairs across very rough broom-finished concrete daily, you’ll accelerate wear. Realistically, I’d expect a season or two on rough patios and longer on smooth deck boards or tile. The 24-pack format helps here: you’ll have spares to rotate onto the most-used chairs.

One more note: extreme cold makes most plastics brittle. If you’re in a freeze-prone climate and move furniture around in winter, take a gentler approach. I avoid shoving chairs across icy patios for that reason.

Looks and cleanup

The clear plastic is unobtrusive and plays nicely with dark iron frames—you don’t get the chunky look of external rubber caps. They pick up a bit of dust and fine grit, turning slightly cloudy over time, but they wipe clean easily. Because they sit inside the foot cup, you don’t see much of them anyway.

Pack size and value

Twenty-four caps cover six chairs perfectly (four feet per chair). If you need to outfit a table as well, plan on a second pack or prioritize the chairs. Cost per piece is reasonable given the fit and finish, though these are not the absolute cheapest inserts you’ll find. In my view, the snug fit and clean aesthetic justify the modest premium over bargain-bin caps that either pop out or leave streaks.

Where they fall short

• Sizing tolerance: Not every wrought iron cup is exactly 1.50 inches inside. Paint buildup, dings, and out-of-round cups can make installation tougher than it should be. That’s not the cap’s fault, but it does mean the “right” size sometimes still needs prep.

• Installation margin: Start a cap even slightly crooked and it’s easy to chip the lip. The material isn’t brittle in use, but it doesn’t love misaligned hammer blows.

• Heavy-duty applications: If you routinely drag furniture across rough concrete or host big gatherings where chairs get shoved around all day, a thicker nylon insert might last longer, albeit with a bulkier look.

Tips if your cups aren’t standard

• Too tight by a hair: Lightly sand the inside of the cup, focusing on weld seams or paint drips. A few thousandths make a big difference.

• Slightly loose: A whisper-thin bead of clear silicone around the inside of the cup before seating the cap adds just enough bite. Let it cure overnight. It’s reversible and invisible.

• Out-of-round cups: Gently reform with adjustable pliers and a rag-wrapped jaw, or choose a glide style designed to tolerate oval cups.

Who these glides suit

• Owners of cup-style wrought iron sets with a true 1-1/2 inch inner diameter.
• Households with wood, tile, composite, or sealed concrete patios who want to protect surfaces and reduce noise.
• Anyone who prefers a clean, tucked-away look over external rubber sleeves.

If your furniture doesn’t have cup feet, you’ll need a different style entirely. If your cups are badly deformed or significantly off-size, these won’t be a magic fix.

Recommendation

I recommend the prime&swift glides for most wrought iron patio sets that measure a true 1-1/2 inches inside the foot cups. They install cleanly with basic prep, stay put, and noticeably reduce both noise and wear on floors. The material thickness isn’t overbuilt, but it’s sufficient for everyday use and summer seasons on typical patios. The 24-pack covers six chairs and leaves you with a few spares if you’re cautious during installation.

If you need a heavy-duty solution for constant dragging on rough concrete, look at thicker nylon inserts. Otherwise, for the majority of homeowners who want an unobtrusive, snug-fitting cap that protects floors and preserves the look of wrought iron furniture, these are a solid, sensible pick.