How to paint heating pipes correctly

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

How to paint heating pipes

Literally everything represents how to paint heating pipes, but many only imagine, but did not do this work. Although for high-quality application it is necessary to observe a certain technology, because the dye does not just have to cover the pipes, but also serve for a long time. After all, these are still high temperatures.

Today we will consider this issue. Also in the video in this article you can see the most difficult moments of this work.

Rules for painting heating pipes and radiators

This work is completely done with your own hands. And its price is not significant. With the right coating you will not remember about 10 years. Now let's look at everything in order.

Choose paint

Let's immediately figure out what kind of paint to paint the heating pipes, so that the final result does not make us disappointed in the quality of the work done.

What paint to paint heating pipes

The choice of materials for painting pipes and radiators should take into account the following requirements:

• Increased heat resistance (see Heat-insulating paint: material features);
• Abrasion resistance;
• Non toxicity;
• The ability to withstand aggressive environments.

Types of paint materials

In building materials stores you can buy paints for surface treatment of heating pipes:

Painting procedure

The procedure for painting heating systems is basically the following: once every 5 or 6 years. If you have a repair overdue, it is advisable to leave the pipe painting operation at its end.

To apply the dye you will need:

• Brush (see Paint brushes: which ones to choose);
• Roller;
• Spray gun.

Staining options

There are several options for applying paint:

• If the existing layer does not have significant damage in the form of deep scratches or noticeable bulges, it is permissible to paint over it;
• If the nature of the damage is serious enough and rust is even noticeable, then we prepare the working surface by preliminary sanding;
• We remove the poorly holding and starting to retreat old paint as a whole (see How to remove old paint from heating batteries), and only after that you can start staining.

For metal surfaces, a primer is also needed. It enhances adhesion of surfaces and prolongs the life of the dye.

Caution: It must be remembered that the soil mixture is applied exclusively on a clean and dry surface. Therefore, we first wipe the heating pipes with a wet rag, and after that with a dry rag.

• Then we wait for the primer to dry completely, and you can begin to paint.
  No special skills are required for applying paint. It dries quickly. Your task is to withstand as thin a layer as possible.
• If the layer turned out so thin that it shines through, apply another layer. This is consistent with the recommendation of manufacturers to paint at least two layers.
• After drying the primer, paint with a roller or spray gun. In difficult places for painting, a brush will come to the rescue. If we can’t paint over the hard-to-reach pipe section with a regular brush, we will use a radiator brush. Thanks to the long handle with a bend, it easily passes into a thin gap and will process a plain-accessible section of a pipe or battery.

Some recommendations

It seems that it is so particularly difficult to paint the heating system. However, pipes, like other surfaces, require certain rules to be respected.

We have compiled a short list of practical advice from our experts, following which will allow you to paint without deviating from the norms and without resorting to the services of professional painters.

• It can be difficult to paint a cast-iron radiator. Enamel is often applied over an existing coat of paint, but we do not recommend this because the surface quality is poor. Do not be too lazy to completely get rid of the existing layer, then prime the surface of the radiator. You may need to remove the batteries to get started. For painting heating systems made of cast iron, foam rollers of small diameter are suitable. They will cover the enamel evenly, covering hard-to-reach areas too;
• Often, experts are interested in: is it permissible to paint heating systems when the heating is on? No. Paint unheated pipes. The specialist will not take up the painting of currently heated systems. It is more reasonable to make repairs to the period when the heating system is not in operation or to wait for the end of the heating season. Anyone who had to paint a heated radiator, had the opportunity to make sure that the enamel begins to lie unevenly, there are stains;
• Radiators and pipes often have inconvenient shapes and reachable locations. Therefore, the execution of work sometimes requires not only attentiveness, but also almost filigree. Follow the established sequence of operations: first cleaning the surface, then the primer, then drying the primer and spray gun painting or other selected means, depending on the complexity of the surface;
• In order to avoid smudges, heating systems are usually painted from top to bottom. We paint elements of pipes and batteries not only in front, but everywhere, despite the inaccessibility.

It is hardly worth repeating on the importance of the right choice of paint. Separate requirements are imposed on paint materials intended for work with heating systems.

It is not forbidden to continue to use enamel in the old fashion, but today manufacturers are able to surprise us with a wide range of colors. All of them without fail are heat-resistant, resistant to abrasion and non-toxic.

Caution: Prioritizing is recommended for compositions containing metal powder. With such a special additive, our heating system will have a flawless appearance and, importantly, excellent rust protection.

Cast iron pipes

Most attention will need to be paid to painting cast-iron pipes and radiators.

Preparation of cast iron radiators

So:

• Basically, they are painted directly on the existing layer, which is why each time the appearance of these elements becomes worse, and the surface is more prominent.
• We strongly advise you not to be too lazy and remove previous layers of paint, and then treat the exposed metal with a primer. If you can’t get to some elements that require processing, then the radiator and some parts of the pipe should be removed and only put back after painting and drying.
• It is more convenient to work with cast iron elements with foam rubber rollers of small diameter, which will ensure uniformity of paint application.

Heated and unheated pipes

It is worth listening to the opinion of experts recommending paintwork when the heating is off. Despite the fact that our paint is heat-resistant, nevertheless it will lie on a cold pipe with a better layer. Otherwise, we risk getting bumps, spots, stains and bulges on the painted surface.

What are we paying attention to

Accuracy is never superfluous. In dealing with the painting of heating systems, of course, we want to avoid splashes, spills and soiling of our premises.

All these unpleasant nuances are not excluded, because you often have to work with hard-to-reach pipe sections hidden in niches of complex shapes.

• After applying the primer, it is still better to use a spray gun. The choice in his favor will significantly reduce the duration of work, as well as achieve thinness and evenness of the layer.
• We paint elements of heating systems from top to bottom. As already noted, this avoids unwanted smudges. In addition, we do not allow overuse of paint.
• Any elements of the system are painted over not only from the front side, but also in places hidden from the eyes.

As you can see, the painting of heating pipes, although it has its own specific features, if you follow all these recommendations, it may well be done by you yourself. You already read how to paint heating pipes and the instruction will not let you make mistakes.