Painting reproduction cast iron radiators – Tips & Advice!

If you have purchased reproduction cast iron radiators, but felt that you wanted to paint them yourself, to make your budget stretch further into your project and/or to personalise their final finish, then here at Coventry Demolition Company we have some Tips & Advice to remember. 

These will make sure that you get the most out of your cast radiators, maintain any guarantees and get a good finish.

1.     Can I Powder Coat my radiators?

The simple answer is NO. 

Firstly, unlike most reclaimed cast iron radiators which used paper based material gaskets, most reproduction cast radiators will have been built using a neoprene/rubber sealing gaskets to ensure a good seal between the joints/sections. It is important to know because the normal assumption is that to re-finish their radiators, you could Powder Coat them.

This is NOT the case however, with reproduction cast iron radiators. They MUST NOT be powder coated & put through a prolonged baking process at high temperatures as there is a risk that the modern gaskets used now will be degraded and could cause the radiators to leak

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2.    What paint should I use?

You can achieve a great finish using either cellulose or acrylic based paints. You don’t need to buy specific radiator paint, which is usually more expensive. A good alternative is car paint. These paints have been developed to cope well with extremes of temperature and are generally tough enough to withstand a good level of wear and tear as you can imagine.

In order to get the best finish, it is important to ensure that before you start painting the radiators, that they are prepped and the surfaces are clean and dust free.

Don’t use a water based paint. There will be a strong likelihood that the paint will react with the cast iron radiator resulting in orange coloured rust spots emerging. The end result will be that you will need to strip the paint off completely and start again.

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3.    Can I get a professional finish if I do it myself?

In truth, unless you have a purpose built spray booth, compressor, spray guns, heaters, paint, thinners etc to get a professional finish with good build coverage, it is very difficult and let’s be honest, most of us don’t have access to these in our garage or shed!

That said, you can paint your radiators yourself, but please be aware when buying your paint that most spray paints available from your local DIY store have a paint to thinners ratio of usually around 10% paint and 90% thinners as these products are generally designed for ‘touch up’ use. Therefore, the paints will be very thin/runny and will mean that you will get the coverage and colour, but not the build. 3 to 4 coats should be enough and always keep a can handy for any touching up after the radiators have been fitted to cover any scratches or finger marks.

Here, at Coventry Demolition Company, when we paint our customers radiators, the general ratio we use is the opposite, 90% paint to 10% thinners. Therefore, achieving both the coverage and build to help smooth out the textured finish of the cast itself.

4.    What is better – Brush or Spray painting?

If you want to paint your cast radiators by hand, then we strongly advise that you spray paint rather than use a brush. 

Although you will be able to paint the outside of the radiator with a brush, you will find it difficult to reach the inner part of the ribs/sections to achieve a quality finish.

If you need any further advice on painting or order your cast iron radiators, please contact Coventry Demolition Co on 0800 294 8603.You can also visit our website http://www.coventry-demolition.co.uk/