Preparing for the heating season. How to properly coat heating radiators?
All enamels for radiators have the same general requirements: they must protect the metal surfaces from corrosion, they should prevent the surface from getting yellow, and they should not peel off from the surface under the influence of high temperatures. It is better to use special paints and varnishes designed for metal pipes and radiators when deciding to fix the coating of heating radiators.
The assortment of “Miks color” has both alkyd and waterborne products, which are intended for application on radiators:
- Alkyd enamel for radiators “Miks color” is an enamel specially designed for metal surfaces. It has improved physical and mechanical properties and it can resist temperatures up to 80 °C.
- Acrylic enamel for radiators “Miks color” is an eco-friendly product. It can resist high temperatures up to 110 °C. It dries up quickly after the application (drying time is about 3 hours).
Do not apply enamel on hot pipes and radiators, after applying the enamel wait until it is completely dried before turning the radiators up!
Surface preparation:
The surface of the radiators or pipes must be dry, thoroughly cleaned of dust, rust, scale, grease, and other dirt particles.
If the surface has not been coated before, it should be thoroughly cleaned of all kinds of dirt and degreased. Remove old loose paint coats from the surface till you get to the hard surface. To remove the base coats mechanically you can use a scraper or a brush, for it to be removed thermally you can use a hot air dryer or infrared radiation, or by using chemicals (like paint removing products for example).
The surfaces, which were previously coated with oil or alkyd paints, should be sandpapered till you achieve a matt surface in order to achieve better adhesion.
Clean thoroughly the metal surface to remove rust with a metal brush or/and sandpaper. It is recommended to treat the surface with a chemical remover before mechanically removing previous coatings or dirt for better results.
Application:
The most common and useful tool of application is a brush (1-2 coats of the enamel). Less applicable methods are with a roller or a spraying gun. Depending on the surface and form of the radiator, the choice of the brush can vary from a brush with a long handle to the one with a short thick, or thin handle.
It is necessary to treat the first applied coat of the enamel with sandpaper before applying the second coat.
And the last tip: do not apply the enamel on the radiator valves, as the coating will interfere with the mechanism of the radiator.