How to choose paint for cast iron radiators? Step-by-step staining process. Odorless paint for heating batteries: types, painting rules Is it possible to paint a battery with old paint

Preparatory measures for the heating season begin with inspecting and checking the condition of batteries, pipes, taps and all couplings. If there are no problems, and all the elements of the battery fittings are in order, you can proceed to cleaning and, if necessary, painting the heating radiators. In the old days, steel radiators and cast iron radiators were painted with what was in the store. Today, the assortment and selection of paints and varnishes is simply huge, so deciding what paint to paint radiators with is not as easy as it might seem. But we know one thing for sure, it should be odorless paint.

How to choose the right cover for radiators

Any specialist who repairs pipes and radiators, when asked which paint is better to paint radiators, will answer:

The paintwork should be thin and with maximum thermal conductivity of the paint layer in order to ensure good heat transfer to the room air;
The paint should provide protection for the metal surface;
The coating must withstand heating temperatures up to 150 ° C for high-pressure radiators and 120-130 ° C for conventional steel or cast iron batteries.

For your information! Paint for cast iron radiators, in addition to all the listed conditions, must have high fluidity and low viscosity.

Even after priming, the cast iron surface remains fairly rough and porous, so aerosol molds are the best choice for cast iron. The radiator is painted in several passes, each layer must be thoroughly dried and smudges removed. As a rule, heat-resistant aerosol paint for batteries has a very faint odor, but it is necessary to paint installed radiators only with open windows, in dry warm weather.

For conventional steel and aluminum radiators, the use of aerosols allows you to apply a thin layer to the most hidden places, where it is difficult to reach with a brush or roller. In addition, a thin layer of enamel dries 2-3 times faster, which means that even if there is a slight odor, it will disappear in half an hour. The smell from a thick layer of enamel on an organic solvent will stay on the radiator for 5-6 hours, for oil or pentaphthalic paint - several days.

Heat resistance and volatility of paints for heating devices

First of all, it should be noted that odorless paint for heating radiators does not exist in nature. Any enamel has a slight, but pronounced odor. Even paints for heating appliances, interior wall decoration based on acrylic polymers or just water-based brands also have an odor.

Ask the seller of a shop or salon of building materials odorless paint for radiators, and he will give you a whole list of heat-resistant enamels with the inscription "odorless" on the label. Actually this is not true. If you take the most seemingly safe water-based paint and paint a heating radiator with a temperature of 30-45 ° C, then the smell will be quite unpleasant.

Imported paints such as Polish, Czech or German paints for interior work and heating radiators may have little or no odor or a slight pleasant aroma, such as fresh ice cream or sawn wood. But this does not mean that such odorless paint for a radiator is absolutely safe and cannot affect well-being.

The production technology allows you to skillfully mask the real smell of paint, therefore, a special index of the content of volatile organic compounds is used in imported paint and varnish materials, or in an abbreviated version - VOC. Instead of a vague concept of odor, VOC accurately defines the maximum VOC content that must be inhaled when painting a radiator. Even for safe, and practically odorless, acrylic enamel for heating elements, the standard allows no more than 130 g of organic volatile substances per liter of material.

The easiest way is to decide on the heat resistance of the paint and varnish material. The label of a can of enamel for heating systems always indicates the maximum temperature of the radiator at which the coating can be applied, and the upper limit for heating the battery. For central heating systems, the temperature of the coolant rarely exceeds 100 ° C, but in private houses, part of the pipes that remove hot water from the boiler heat exchanger can heat up to 120-130 ° C.

Heating paint options

The range of modern paints for heating systems is very large. In order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each paint separately, you will need special knowledge and a lot of free time. In a simplified form, all paints for radiators and heating pipes can be divided into four groups:

Alkyd paints and varnishes;
Acrylic heat-resistant coatings;
Painting materials based on silicone polymers.

For your information! Often, when choosing a suitable paint and varnish material, the question arises whether it is possible to paint the battery with water-based paint.

If you ask a specialist a similar question, is it possible to paint batteries with acrylic paint, he will probably answer in the affirmative, but with the proviso that you can paint only with a brand specially developed for heating systems. Even if there is no smell, it is impossible to paint the metal of batteries or heating radiators with ordinary water-based paint. The composition of the water-based mass includes salt stabilizers of the emulsion and surfactants that provoke metal corrosion. An attempt to paint the clean metal of the batteries will inevitably lead to the formation of microbubbles with an oxidized surface, which also intensify an already unpleasant smell.

Acrylic radiator paints

The main difference between acrylic paint for radiators and conventional water-based emulsion is the presence of a special inhibitor that prevents instant rusting of pure metal in an aqueous environment.

Acrylic resins have a low resistance to heat, therefore, special color stabilizers are used for materials designed for use in heating systems. Such acrylic paint has good hiding power, density, does not lose whiteness during the warranty period, and, of course, is practically odorless. More precisely, there is a smell, but it is the smell of a fragrance. Such coatings are applied to the necessarily primed surface of the heating radiator with a brush or spray gun.

After drying, a very even layer with a semi-matt surface forms on pipes and radiators.

Alkyd materials

Alkyd enamels are less used for aluminum radiators and are more often used for steel and cast iron batteries. Alkyd paints and varnishes are able to withstand temperatures up to 150-170 ° C, therefore, metal pipes of steam heating and systems in which high-boiling antifreeze or antifreeze is used instead of water are coated with such paint. The smell of alkyd enamels is much richer and more toxic due to the high content of polar hydrocarbon solvents. Imported samples and the best domestic brands for heating systems can smell only during the first hours of operation of the radiator heating.

The density and adhesion of alkyd varnishes is much higher than that of acrylic resins. Therefore, regardless of the smell, they are used to paint old cast iron and steel batteries, in which there is a possibility of fistulas and leaks at the connections.

Silicone and silicone paints

Silicone or silicon-based paints and varnishes for painting water heating radiators are rarely used. The organosilicon coating has a high temperature of decomposition and peeling of paint, is not afraid of moisture and sudden changes in temperature. Such a coating has a very weak, but unpleasant odor, which is difficult to erode from the room. Unlike alkyd enamels, silicone, despite the smell, is safer. After drying, the odor does not appear even with very strong heating.

The disadvantages of organosilicon paints for heating radiators include low thermal conductivity. Even a relatively thin layer creates significant thermal resistance, so micron-sized metal powders of aluminum, nickel, oxidized copper and bronze can be added to the paint.

How to paint a heating radiator

The thinner the paint layer, the better the heat transfer, therefore, before applying a fresh coat of paintwork, you need to find a way to remove the old paint from the radiators. This will increase heat transfer and improve the adhesion of the new layer to the metal or primer.

Traditionally, three methods are used to remove old coatings:

Firing paint is performed using a building hair dryer. When heated, the old layer softens and easily separates from the base metal. Fine scraping and brushing will be required after firing.

Chemical methods are rarely used due to the high chemical activity of the reagent. The old paint is covered with a gel-like mass of thickened phosphoric acid, and after half an hour the coating can be removed with a spatula. If it is not possible to remove the old coating, then at least the surface layer 0.1-0.5 mm thick should be removed with sandpaper.

Conclusion

In any case, the cleaned battery must be degreased, primed, and only then can acrylic or alkyd enamel be applied. The best option for painting is considered to be a complete disassembly of the case, but such methods are resorted to only when overhauling or replacing the heating system.

Often, residents of apartments and private houses ask themselves the question: "Is it possible to paint hot batteries?" The answer is quite simple - it is possible, but not all coloring compositions available on the market are suitable for this.

What tools and materials are needed to work

Not always and not everyone has the opportunity to change batteries. A universal way out of this situation is to paint radiators in any color you like. You do not need to have certain skills to work, but you will need to purchase some materials and stock up on tools. The purchased paint must be resistant to high temperatures. This property is indispensable, since in winter the radiators of the heating system heat up and become very hot.

In addition, the composition must retain its original color over a long period of time. A rather important factor is also considered to be the lack of odor in the paint, so that after work you do not have to ventilate the living quarters. Before learning how to paint, you need to figure out which paints are suitable for this. So, in stores you can always find acrylic compounds. They are distinguished by the absence of a pungent odor and the ability to retain their color for quite a long time.

Another suitable composition is alkyd mixtures. They are characterized by resistance to high temperatures. Because of this, they are most commonly used with hot batteries. Among the minuses, the presence of a pungent odor stands out, so residents will still have to ventilate the premises.

Oil formulations are also often found in stores, but not many buy them. This is due to the emergence of safer formulations of the first two types. All of these paints are in one way or another suitable for the job. Do-it-yourself painting of heating batteries using these materials will give a positive result if you follow the instructions for use and dilute the paint with a solvent in the proportion indicated by the manufacturer.

To get the job done quickly and not be distracted, you will need to stock up on the right equipment. So, you will need:

fine-grained sandpaper;
a knife or other sharp object for cleaning radiators;
several brushes of different shapes:
small roller;
old rags.

With everything you need close at hand, you can get to work. It is very important to stock up on rubber gloves and a face shield, which will help keep the skin from stains and the respiratory tract from fumes.

Preparation and painting - we study the algorithm

Before you paint the heating battery with your own hands, study the plan for the upcoming work. As with all repair activities, battery renewal starts with preparation. First, you will need to clean their surface from dust and stains. Also check the radiators for signs of corrosion. After cleaning the battery, wipe with a damp towel. As soon as the radiators are dry, a thin layer of primer should be applied to their surface. However, be careful - often some modern formulations do not require preliminary surface preparation.

If there are old stains on the surface of the battery that cannot be washed off with plain water, then you can try to wipe them off with a special solution. To prepare it, take:

1 kg of soda ash;
1 kg of slaked lime;
5 liters of water;
large mixing bowl.

First, pour hot water into a basin and dilute the baking soda in it. After that, gradually add lime to the mixture, stirring the product regularly. As a rule, this mixture quickly removes even the oldest stains. After cleaning, you will need to prepare a place for work. To do this, cover the place under the batteries with old newspapers. Place a piece of thick cardboard behind the radiator to avoid staining the walls. You need to apply paint to the surface of the batteries with a brush, moving the tool from top to bottom. Thus, when working on the radiators, drips will not appear. Try to keep the paint layer even and thin. Next, apply a few more layers of the composition to the painted batteries.

The second upgrade method is dismantling the batteries

There is another way to change the appearance of batteries. It is more time consuming because you have to completely remove the radiators. However, as a result, you will be much better at cleaning the batteries from rust and dirt. First you need to reset the heating risers. After that, you will need to completely unscrew all through and blind plugs, as well as remove the jumpers. Next, you need to anneal the battery (heat and hold at a high temperature) using a powerful household hair dryer. Then we disassemble the radiator into sections, using a special key for this. Remember to tap the radiators with a mallet to remove rust. After that, the sections are cleaned with a metal brush.

In the next step, reassemble the battery using ordinary rubber gaskets. In this case, the size of the outer part should be slightly less than the end of each section. Then install and connect the radiator to the heating network. Apply a primer to the surface of a clean battery and start painting. The work algorithm is almost the same. The only difference is that the batteries will not be as hot as in the first case. Because of this, they will take a little longer to dry. Often, residents of houses paint radiators immediately after they are dismantled. In this case, it is possible to paint the surface of both the front and the back of the battery. In addition, there will be no risk of staining the wall behind the radiator.

Radiator Painting Tips - Let's Hear the Experts

Many owners of apartments and private houses ignore the experience of specialists, trying to do everything on their own. As a result, the paint on the radiators cracks very quickly and falls off in whole pieces. To prevent this from happening to you, we advise you to study the recommendations on whether and how to paint hot radiators correctly. Experts advise not to rush to work. Try to apply the paint so that no streaks remain on the surface. It is better to remove the excess parts of the composition in a timely manner or smear them on the battery.

To evenly paint the back of the radiator, use a curved brush designed specifically for hard-to-reach areas. In the process of cleaning batteries with a prepared solution from lime and soda, experts advise using a mask and protective gloves. So that the residents of the house do not suffer, it is necessary to ventilate the premises in which the work was carried out. Many experts advise using the decoupage of radiators, which is very popular today. Your batteries will look very stylish after use. At the same time, you will not spend much money on the update.

For work you will need:

white matte paint;
acrylic paints;
decoupage paper with a pattern;
varnish with increased heat resistance;
PVA glue.

To refresh the batteries, clean them. Then apply a thin layer of white matte paint to the surface. It will take at least 20 hours to dry. Once the composition is dry, you can start gluing the paper. After pasting, you can finish painting your elements - make a background or create an original drawing. At the end, it remains to apply a thin layer of heat-resistant varnish.

Of course, buying new radiators is a very expensive pleasure. And what about the owners of old, Soviet cast-iron batteries? paint them, of course. Thus, you can create your own individual interior. Painting is best done in summer, when the heater is cold and the smell from the paint will disappear faster.

What to do if there is an urgent need to repaint hot batteries? This can be done, but the quality of the work will be poor and it will be troublesome.

So that the work is done as it should, and in the future there are no problems, we advise you to take into account some of the nuances:

There are two methods of processing heating devices: mechanical and chemical.

The chemical method of processing consists in the use of special chemicals that are able to dissolve the old paint layer and remove it without much difficulty. Do not forget about security measures. When working with chemicals, you must wear gloves, safety glasses.
The mechanical method or "manually" is based on the use of sandpaper, scrapers, drills with special attachments.

So can hot batteries still be dyed? Of course you can, just find the right paint. Let's mention it again - read the label on the can carefully.

High-quality paint for painting batteries will cost about three hundred rubles. In a good hardware store, you can optionally make tinting. Usually they take fifty rubles for this.

So get down to business boldly. We hope that our tips will help you in the improvement of radiators in your apartment or house.

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Read also:

How to paint a heating battery: the nuances of the process Heating pipe paint - which option to choose? Battery humidifier - features of modern options

The choice of paintwork for the heating system is a rather relevant and undoubtedly important question. The paint must correspond to the tasks set: withstand high temperature conditions, maintain gloss for a long time and not snap off. But this is its functional and aesthetic load. But the question of what kind of odorless paint for heating batteries and how to paint them sometimes remains open. A cognitive excursion into the world of paints and varnishes will help to figure it out.

Which one is better to choose

The choice of paint for the heating system of an apartment or house is closely related to the material from which the batteries are made. Each of its types has certain properties that are friendly to paintwork or in conflict with it. The main types of materials used for the production of radiators:

cast iron;
bimetal;
steel;
aluminum.

For painting heating radiators, the market of manufacturers offers a wide range of species and a rich palette of coatings:

№	Varieties of paintwork	Views dyed radiators	Dignity	disadvantages	Firm- manufacturer
1	Oil paint	Cast iron	Wide color palette	Dries for a long time, has a persistent odor, quickly fades, cracks, loses its shine	Tikkurila, etc.
2	Serebryanka	Cast iron	Excellent heat resistance	Persistent odor	"Lacra", "Gloss", etc.
3	Silicate paint	Cast iron	Designed for high temperatures	Long lasting odor	"Nevbytkhim", "Ceresit", etc.
4	Powder paint	Any kind	Durability, resistance to damage and high temperatures	Painting in professional cameras	"Triton", "Ral", etc.
5	Alkyd enamel based on organic solvents	Cast iron, steel, bimetal	Rich range of applications	Characteristic odor, color varies by pigment	"Olecolor", "Enamel", "Tex", etc.
6	Water-based alkyd enamel	Any kind	Barely pronounced odor, no color loss	Titanium white is added to the high-temperature paints of this range, which are not cheap	"Tex", "Lacra", "Enamel", etc.
7	Alkyd hammer enamel	Cast iron, steel, bimetal	Hides the imperfections of the paintable coating	There is a faint odor that disappears after drying	"Olecolor", "Tex", "Enamel", etc.
8	Acrylic enamel	Cast iron, steel, bimetal	Almost no smell, dries quickly, wide range of colors, durability	It is required to carefully prepare the painted surface: sanding, priming	"Lacra", "Rainbow", "Tex", etc.
9	Spray paint	Any kind	Wide range of colors, ease of the dyeing process	Strong smell	Kudo, Decorix, Newton, etc.

Is it possible to paint hot

The opinions of experts on the issue of painting radiators differ: some argue that they need to be painted in order to protect them from corrosion. Others argue that the application of this or that type of enamel to heating radiators does not perform any protective function and is purely aesthetic in nature. Painting pipes in winter, when the radiators are hot, is another matter.

Paints and varnishes that are suitable for the heating system and withstand high temperatures require painting on cold batteries. If the radiators are covered with enamel on a hot surface, then the paint will dry "on the fly" and the quality of the staining will get out of control: sagging and unsightly stains will appear.

It will not be superfluous to remind that when covering on a hot radiator, the smell of paint will intensify, and opening windows in winter for ventilation is problematic due to the cold.

Important! Consumers most often choose white battery cover, but experts say that the darker color of the radiator contributes to better heat transfer.

Painting process

Before proceeding to the stage of applying paint, you need to stock up on the necessary equipment:

radiator brush (curved, with a long handle);
regular brush (100 mm wide);
rubber or silicone gloves;
respirator (if paintwork is smelly);
newspaper (to protect the floor from paint stains);
sanding sheet No. 2 (if necessary, cleaning the batteries from irregularities);
rag;
primer;
dye;
white spirit (for unexpected contact with paint on the skin).

Sometimes, preparatory work takes more time than the staining process itself. This is not surprising, because the radiator has a lot of hard-to-reach parts that need to be washed, and in places to peel off the peeling paint and grind.

Important! If you want to completely remove the old coating, you can use a special wash.

Prime the prepared surface.
In order to eliminate drips, painting starts from the top of the heating system.
The internals of the batteries are also covered first.
Layers of paint are applied evenly in a thin layer.
As the paint and varnish material dries, the radiators are painted over again.

Technology of painting on old paint

The condition of the paint on the heating system can be different:

The coating, although old, is faded, but has a monolithic adhesion to the base. It is enough to sand the surface a little with emery paper for reliable adhesion of the next layer of paint.
The old coating is frayed in places, peeled off and in places metal is visible. Here, a more thorough grinding of the surface will be required so that chips and irregularities do not appear under the new layer.
The paintwork is corroded, peeled off in large areas, rust appears in places. Such paint must be mercilessly removed with a metal brush or special preparations for washing. The prepared surface is primed before applying the first coat of paintwork materials.

Important! You can simply renew the old paint: apply a fancy pattern to it, having previously sanded it, for better adhesion.

In spray cans

For the convenience of consumers, paint and varnish manufacturers produce an aerosol coating for radiators. It has excellent properties:

withstands high temperatures;
easy and quick to apply;
dries up almost instantly;
has a pronounced gloss;
fits perfectly on any surface.

The only negative is the strong smell, but it will disappear literally in an hour.

Balloon paint is sprayed onto the surface to be painted from a distance of 30 cm. The movements should be smooth, but fast, zigzag. Depending on the quality of the surface condition of the heating battery, it may be necessary to paint in several layers.

Important! When working with aerosol enamel, it is necessary to cover a large area around the radiator with newspapers, because skill in painting with paint from spray cans will not come immediately.

Having the necessary information about the coatings of heating batteries, you can enlist useful advice and find out the features of the technologies for using paints and varnishes.

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An integral role in the arrangement of any living space is invariably played by such an important communication as the heating system. The devices that are part of it can not only heat the air in the room, but also be part of the interior, while a well-designed radiator will become a real decoration of any living area.

However, old batteries with peeling paint are unlikely to be able to decorate the house in any way, so the owners find a solution to this problem in replacing old equipment with new ones. This method is quite effective, but also very expensive. Therefore, it will be a much more reasonable solution in terms of savings.

It should be noted that in the process of deciding which paint to paint the heating batteries, you should opt for special compositions designed specifically for such structures. Their use will protect the surface of the radiator from the appearance of corrosion on it and will provide the unit with an aesthetic appearance. If earlier it was customary to cover the functional parts of the heating with exclusively white compounds, today the materials for painting have very different shades, so choosing the option that will best suit the interior of the room being equipped will not be difficult.

What determines the choice of paint for batteries

To figure out which paint is better for painting batteries, it should be remembered that the quality of the composition used directly depends on the final result of the work.

Specific requirements for radiator paint include the following:

resistance to high temperatures (at least 100 ° C);
resistance to aggressive environment;
wear resistance;
absence of any harmful emissions.

To decide what to paint heating batteries, you should study all the varieties of compositions used for these purposes.

These include:

Acrylic based enamels... Their production is carried out using organic solvents, as a result of which a characteristic and not very pleasant smell arises during the drying process. However, such paints have a glossy sheen that will not disappear even after many years of use.
Alkyd enamels... Such compositions are very resistant to high temperature influences and are wear-resistant. In addition, you can always choose the desired shade, since these paints are available in a wide range of colors. The main drawback of these enamels is an unpleasant odor, which not only persists after several days immediately after painting, but can also appear again when the radiator is very hot.
Water-based paints... This option is considered optimal among consumers, since such an odorless paint for batteries dries very quickly (in more detail: ""). However, when choosing such a composition, it is very important to pay attention to its packaging, where information on the possibility of applying such paint to elements of the heating system must be indicated. High-quality odorless paint for radiators cannot be cheap.

Thus, we can say that the only odorless paint for a battery is water-dispersion, therefore, it is this material that should be paid special attention to.

Less often today, oil-based paint is used, since such a composition has become obsolete over time and has given way to more modern paints and varnishes.

Preparation before painting radiators

It is important not only to decide which paint is best to paint the batteries, but also to carefully prepare the desired surface for processing. At the same time, an important fact is that the preparatory activities themselves take much more time than the process itself.

The procedure should be as follows:

The surface of the radiator must be thoroughly cleaned by removing the old paint from it and cleaning the places with the developed rust. Dust and dirt should also be removed with a cloth.
Next, it is required to apply a solution to the battery that washes off the old coating, and then cover with a film in order to soften it. Further, the paint can be easily removed using a construction trowel or a grinder equipped (read: "How and how to remove paint from a radiator - means for removing old paint before painting a radiator").
After that, the already cleaned surface is sanded with sandpaper and degreased with any solution with a small amount of alkali.
A primer composition with anti-corrosion properties is applied to the already cleaned surface, which not only prevents the appearance of harmful formations, but also increases the adhesion properties of the paint. It is most correct to use an alkyd primer for these purposes.

In the process of choosing which paint to paint the batteries, it must be remembered that the modern construction market offers a wide range of these products, which are based on a primer and a plaque removing solution. The special convenience of such mixtures lies in the fact that they can be applied immediately, without carrying out all of the above manipulations with the battery.

Heating radiator painting process

Having finally decided on what paint to paint the radiators, all actions should be performed in accordance with the following order:

Initially, you need to protect the floor from dirt by covering it so that paint stains do not fall on it. For these purposes, unnecessary paper (for example, old wallpaper) or fabric is perfect.
Then you should choose brushes with soft bristles. In this case, one of them should have a straight shape, and the other - curved in order to be able to apply paint to the most inaccessible areas of the radiator.
You first need to apply the coloring composition at the top of the battery, gradually moving towards its bottom. At the same time, do not forget that you need to paint all areas of the radiator, starting with the inner floors and ending with the outer ones. This is done in this order in order not to accidentally stain your clothes or hands. After the first layer of the composition has dried, you need to apply the second. Experienced craftsmen recommend: regardless of what paint to paint cast-iron batteries or batteries from another material, it will be much more correct to apply two thin layers than one thick one, since in the first case it will be possible to ensure a uniform paint coverage. Read also: "".

The painting itself can be performed using a special spray can or by means of a spray gun.

Having performed all the above actions in this sequence, it will be possible to achieve a perfectly flat and smooth surface of the radiator, and the applied paint itself will last a very long time (read also: ""). The main thing is to choose the right composition that will be most suitable for a particular heating battery.

If necessary, you can always study various photos of the color options for these devices in order to best choose the desired color scheme for yourself.

Tips for painting heating batteries on video: