The owners of city apartments are used to carry out spot repairs in the winter. Indeed, most of our citizens spend their free time in the spring, summer and autumn periods in cottages and suburban areas, go to the sea and to other countries, and therefore the opportunity to update the interior most often appears only in winter. When performing standard work on painting the ceiling or wallpapering the walls, problems usually do not arise, but not many people know if hot batteries can be painted.
It should be noted that the need to update the paintwork of water heating radiators arises with every repair. Under the influence of heat, when the heating season begins, the paint loses its former luster and original shade. The effect of temperature on a white surface, which very quickly acquires a yellowish color, is especially noticeable.
To obtain high-quality paint, it is advisable to dismantle the heating radiator, carefully remove the old coating and apply two layers of enamel or other suitable paint. But during the period when the heating is turned on, it is impossible to dismantle the battery (or rather, it is possible, but very difficult), so you have to paint on the spot.
Can the battery be painted during the heating season? It is undesirable to apply paint on hot metal surfaces, since the coating dries very quickly on the base, preventing the formation of an even and smooth film, but if the heating system in the room allows you to shut off the coolant, the quality of the paint will be worthy.
Otherwise, it will be necessary to coat the hot surface of the battery, which implies a more thorough approach to the selection of material and painting technology.
Better paint hot batteries
Exposure to hot water causes premature failure of heating radiators - over time, foci of corrosion are found on the metal surface. To prevent this process, special types of paint should be used for painting batteries.
A high-quality paint composition should tolerate elevated temperatures, have a stable film structure and maintain its original tone for a long time. Besides, if the owner prefers to carry out repairs in the winter, it is advisable to choose a paint without a pungent odor.
For painting radiators during the heating season, it is recommended to use the following types of paint:
- Alkyd. This material does not have a pungent odor, retains its original shade for a long time and is excellent for internal metal work;
- Acrylic Paints based on this excellent resistance to elevated temperatures and are ideal for application to household heating radiators. Acrylic compounds retain their color for a long time, but have an unpleasant odor, so the use of these paints for interior use is limited. There is a variety of acrylic paints that need to be mixed with special solvents, they are distinguished by higher opaque qualities and a perfect glossy film, and for the application of this paint does not require a preliminary primer surface;
- Oil. Persistent and reliable paints, but they have a significant minus - too long drying time.
In addition to the listed paints, aerosol cans with auto enamel can be used to paint radiators. The sprayer greatly facilitates the work and allows you to save material.
Painting technology
Before painting the heating batteries in the heating season, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of the work and purchase the necessary materials and tools.
The quality of painting depends on the observance of the technology of preparing the surface for painting work and on the right paint. The process of painting a hot battery is available to any beginner, but some of the secrets of craftsmanship given below will help you do this job faster and with higher quality.
Materials and Tools
Before you paint the hot radiators in the apartment, you need to purchase materials and tools.
From the materials you will need:
- paint (alkyd or acrylic, a special water-based paint is also suitable, but it is better to refuse oil paint, since it dries for a long time);
- thinner for old paint;
- primer for metal;
- plastic film to protect the floor and wall.
The following tools need to be prepared:
- scraper to remove the old coating;
- medium grain sandpaper;
- brush fleets 50 and 20 mm wide;
- brush with a curved handle 20 mm wide.
Preparatory work
First of all, it depends on the proper preparation of the foundation whether it will be possible to paint the batteries in winter with high quality.
When preparing the surface of the radiator for painting, it is necessary to adhere to the following sequence of actions:
- The battery must be free of dust and dirt.
- Next, the radiator is carefully inspected in order to identify corrosion pockets on the surface.
- At the next stage of preparation, you need to remove the old paintwork, for which use sandpaper and a scraper.
- The cleaned surface of the radiator is treated with a primer. Applying a primer on the surface to be painted allows you to level the base, remove small pores, which will provide more reliable adhesion of the paint and metal. The primer is selected according to the type of paint.
- The place of work is covered with plastic wrap. You need to protect not only the floor, but also the walls around the radiator.
The main difficulty of the preparation is to remove the old coating. There are several ways to get rid of old paint, but the chemical method is considered the most affordable. To prepare the flushing composition you will need to purchase: soda ash - 1 kg and hydrated lime - 1 kg, 5 l of water will also be required.
The process of preparing the wash solution:
- hot water is poured into a large container (at least 10 l) and soda ash is dissolved in it;
- then slaked lime is added in small portions;
- the mixture is thoroughly mixed, after which it must be allowed to stand for 10-15 minutes.
The finished mixture is applied to the surface of the radiator, incubated for 5-10 minutes and begin to clean the paint with a scraper.
With a mechanical method of cleaning paint from a battery, it is best to use a drill with a special nozzle. When performing work, do not press hard on the tool so as not to damage the integrity of the metal.
After completing all points of preparing the surface for painting, you can begin the basic work.
Painting instruction
When painting the battery, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Check that the walls and floor are protected against paint. If necessary, put additional film webs;
- Before starting work, you should read the instructions for the colorful composition and, if necessary, mix the contents of the can to get a homogeneous mass;
- Paint the radiator begins with the most inconvenient and inaccessible places. For these works, use narrow brushes of the flute and brushes with a curved handle;
- The outer parts of the radiator are painted with wider brushes or a small roller;
- It is recommended to paint from top to bottom. This makes it easier to avoid smudges;
- To obtain a reliable coating, two coats of paint must be applied. The second layer is applied after the first layer has completely dried.
If a spray can was chosen for work, spraying is carried out from a distance of at least 300 mm.
At the end of the work, it is recommended to ventilate the room.
These recommendations allow you to remove the question of whether it is possible to paint the batteries when the heating is on - subject to all requirements, heating radiators can be painted even at high temperatures in the heating system.