During repair or installation, the battery loses its original gloss. Chips, scratches and other defects appear on the surface. In addition, the owners sometimes decide to paint in accordance with the chosen style of the room.
Not every remedy is suitable for such procedures. It must be resistant to high temperatures and their differences, and also have corrosion protection. So how to paint the battery? Before you start work, you have to prepare the surface. This will help extend the operational period. The first is the cleaning of any contaminants from the surface. For this, any available tool is suitable. They need to walk in every corner.
Other nuances of preparation
It is also important to degrease the surface, even if the installation is new. Sandpaper helps a lot. There are metal brushes on drills, such a process will be quick and efficient. If you skip this step, the paint does not fit evenly, and its service life will be short.
When the radiator already has a coating, it is completely removed. Often there is rust, it is in these places that care will not hurt. Good solutions are sold in stores that quickly wash paint and rust off the surface. They are applied with a special spray. After that you need to create a protective layer in the form of any fabric. Leave for an hour and a half, then the paint becomes soft and can be easily removed.
What tools can you do without?
Before painting the battery, you should prepare everything you need. A considerable set of tools will be required so that the process of painting and preparation does not take much time:
- Drill with a metal brush.
- Composition for washing the old layer.
- Brushes of different sizes.
- Film or cloth for the battery.
- Putty knife or any other item to remove the old layer.
- Emery paper.
- Acetone.
- Primer for corrosion protection.
- Roller.
- Paint.
The main plus in the use of additional compounds is their safety for humans. The metal is not damaged. When the old paint is removed, it is worth going through all the batteries with emery cloth, and then with anti-corrosion agents. To degrease, acetone is suitable.
All this is preparing the battery for the main distribution of the coloring composition. On such a surface, the paint will be well distributed and will remain unchanged for a long time. Such actions increase the level of adhesion.
How to choose a paint?
Before painting the battery, you need to choose the right composition. Because when the paint is of poor quality, its duration will be reduced even after careful surface preparation. There are special formulations on sale that must meet a number of requirements.
What you should pay attention to? The paint should normally respond to elevated temperatures and not contain toxins. It is good when there is metal powder in the composition. It acts as a coloring pigment. The most common are heat-resistant and water-based.
To color and gloss remained for a long time, you need to give preference to acrylic compositions. But there is also a minus - the appearance of a strong smell. We'll have to wait a day to get everything aired. Today there are modern developments - water-dispersed compositions, after applying which you can already be in the room.
Before painting the battery, you should take the time to choose a paint. Another option is alkyd compounds. They give a flat surface, well protect from scratches and chips. Oddly enough, but in the process of painting there is a strong smell. It does not go away even after drying and a long airing. When the radiator is heated, the "aroma" reappears.
Which method to choose?
There are several technologies, it is worth choosing the most suitable. How to paint heating batteries with your own hands? It is necessary not only to prepare the surface, choose the paint, but also to correctly distribute it on the surface. To simplify the process, you have to choose a good tool.
The most suitable option is a roller, but not with villi, but smooth. Do not choose a large size, for hard-to-reach spots use a narrow brush or spray. For the latter, a larger amount of coloring composition is needed.
It is convenient to work if the battery is not on the wall. In this case, creating maximum staining is easier. Places that are unavailable are reduced or absent. Not every radiator is quick and easy to dismantle. It is easier to perform the coating in the position in which it is located.
Before painting the heating battery with your own hands, you need to not only remove the upper, old layer of paint, but also drain the hot water or close the heat. But it is best to do the work during a period of disconnected heating. The paint does not lie evenly on a warm battery; it should also be dry when it is not turned on.
The application layer affects the color. It should initially paint over places where it is difficult to get close. After which it is already to pass along the rest of the surface. Paint is applied from top to bottom. When the radiator is curved, it is best to apply two layers of small thickness. When the first is dry, only after that the second is applied.
Why do I need to update the top layer of the radiator?
All apartment owners know that the battery is not only used to supply heat to the house. Elements may well become the decor of the room. It is in this situation that they choose the right color and implement the project. The old battery is easily converted into a neat one and complements the design of the room. It is important to know how to paint the battery. There are a lot of different things on the market and it’s not so easy to choose your own version.
In what situations can one do without painting?
It often happens that applying paint to a radiator is not a desire to change the interior, but a necessity. At what points will you have to do this for sure?
- If a new cast-iron construction is installed. Today, products from this material are delivered without topcoat. This is sometimes convenient, because everyone decides how to change it in the future. Leaving unpainted is not worth it.
- When a decision has been made to radically change the design of the room, and without choosing a new color or shade, it will not work to reach the desired result.
- After prolonged use, the battery can easily lose its original external data. The paint bursts, peels off and rust may appear. This especially happens in old apartments, where the heating is made of cast iron.
These are the main reasons why the appearance is updated. At the same time, it is worth doing the surface preparation with high quality. Only after that the paint is applied quickly and evenly, and it does not take much time to dry. Another nuance is that you will have to remove the old cover so that the radiator does not lose maximum heat transfer.
What do before the main work?
How to paint cast iron batteries? This question is asked by many. Before the main actions, surface treatment is performed, sanded. This applies not only to the old design, but also to the new one. Stripping and degreasing are the main procedures. Not everyone can immediately say at first glance that the battery requires processing. But in order not to take risks, it is better to do a complete preparation process.
To do this, you need to pay attention to a few simple facts:
- The old layer does not have cracks, chips, holes on the surface. This indicates quality coverage. Therefore, this coating can not be peeled off and immediately apply a new composition.
- Before painting the old heating battery, it is worth visually assessing whether there are chips. When they are distributed on the surface in different areas, you can sand them, degrease. And it is not always necessary to process the entire perimeter.
- When the paint has peeled off around the perimeter, you will have to do full-scale work to clean the entire surface. To do this, take a brush with an iron pile, a special tool for washing off paint.
Rust must be dealt with using special tools. The radiator surface is washed not only from old coatings, but also from dust and dirt.
Which paint is better?
What paint to paint the battery? Hardware stores are full of offers. Manufacturers are trying to create competitive products. But it’s not so easy to choose the right one from the whole variety. It is worth paying attention to many parameters and personal preference. Specialists give their advice:
- Paint must be heat resistant. The battery can heat up to ninety degrees. Not every composition can stand it.
- During operation, it is important that the paint is wear-resistant. Only in this situation will the shelf life be long.
- It is good if the surface is pre-treated with anti-corrosion agents. Then there will be no problems with rust.
Experts do not recommend the use of conventional enamel, because it will not be of use. The shelf life of such a battery is negligible. Acrylic compounds are in demand - the drying period is short, there is no strong smell. When answering the question of what paint to paint heating batteries, it is worth taking into account whether there is a solvent in the composition. In this case, acetone and soil mixture are not required. But the smell is unpleasant and persistent.
Application of the coloring matter
If an odorless composition is selected, then a primer must be applied to the prepared surface, it will allow the paint to be easily distributed, to adhere tightly. Such a composition should be correctly distributed, so as not to harm the process of heat transfer. It is especially worthwhile to be careful with cast-iron, as they have a small heat transfer process.
The most suitable primer mixture is with anti-corrosion effect. This will create an additional protective barrier.
Work sequence
How to paint an old battery? Let's list a few important points:
- Do not start the process when the heating is on. Otherwise, the paint will dry out with cracks and the smell will be stronger.
- The application process is from top to bottom so that the drops do not roll.
- Do not forget about personal protective equipment. But in order not to get dirty very much, first we apply the composition to all inaccessible places and only after that from above.
- It is with a brush that it is easier and more accurate to distribute the paint.
- To make the surface even, experts recommend making two thin layers. In order not to take away heat transfer, you should not perform one thick layer. Drying time, as a rule, is prescribed on the package with paint. One layer is applied, completely dried, and only after that do the second.
- In order not to spoil the floor, a simple paper or polyethylene is spread on it. This is especially true when done finish coating.
Difficulties in how beautifully to paint a heating battery should not arise. The lack of rush, accuracy, the right tool - these are the main components. Many people mistakenly believe that the painting process is simple, and everyone holding a brush in their hands at least once will cope with the task. But in fact this is not so. When everything is done incorrectly, the radiator will be no different from what it was before the repair.
Therefore, some owners rarely update the color of their radiators, while others every year. It’s better to arm yourself with detailed useful information than do random jobs.
What compounds are easier to work with?
How to paint the battery? It is worth choosing the right composition from the entire range on the market. The easiest and most common option is enamel. In two main options - acrylic, alkyd. The latter have many positive characteristics and most importantly - a long service life. But there is a minus - the presence of a substance that creates a strong smell. But after drying, he leaves.
Today, paints and varnishes, in the composition of which any impurities with a harmful effect on human health, go out of circulation because of the low demand for them. Although they make the surface smooth, even, serve for a long time. Their cost is low.
Water Soluble Compounds
They occupy leading positions because they are completely safe. They have many positive aspects:
- Well and quickly distributed over any surface.
- Completely safe for humans.
- A short period of complete drying.
But before you buy a composition for a metal surface, you should refer to the instructions, because not all products are good. Since water causes corrosion, acrylic based formulations are suitable. They are unstable to leaching of the surface.
Spray paint
To choose the most optimal, it is worth giving preference to enamels in cans. Create a perfectly smooth, durable surface in a matter of minutes. But in any case, you will have to prepare radiators for such an update. Among the advantages of such compositions is a quick drying time. A layer becomes hard in just 10 minutes. In addition, paint under pressure is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the heating radiator. Getting stains using a spray can be quite difficult.
Conclusion
So, we figured out how to paint the heating batteries with our own hands. Everyone will be able to do quality work. But do not rush, especially to people without experience.