Aluminum fencing looks like expensive wrought iron but costs less and lasts longer. You get the elegant look without the maintenance headaches or the premium price. Aluminum never rusts. Iron rusts. Steel rusts. Aluminum doesn't. You skip the scraping, priming, and repainting cycle. Hose it off once a year. That's your maintenance. This matters in Wilmington where winter salt and summer humidity attack metal. The strength surprises people. Aluminum fence posts are hollow but