Flaking radiator paint

[Wilfo]

Hi all,

Paint on my bathroom radiator is flaking pretty badly lately (image attached). I've had my flat about 3.5 years and if memory serves it's not always been this bad. I'm hoping to sell in the foreseeable future, so hoping to deal with this among various other tasks in order to make the place more appealing to potential buyers! One surveyor commented that I may even need a new radiator but this seemed a bit over the top?!

How does one go about painting a radiator? Obviously I'll peel off as much of the existing paint as I can, but after that:
- Do I need to prepare the metal by sanding it down or anything?
- Is there any particular type of paint I'll need?
- Anything else I should know?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chivas69]

Let me guess, it's close to the toilet?

 

[tudors]

You are joking surely , re paint it , it's covered in rust , RENEW it !

 

[sparkwright]

You should change it.

But I know you would rather paint it.

So scrape off as much flaky paint as you possibly can.

Then sand the radiator all over, and 'feather' where the paint meets the bare metal.

Then paint the bare metal with a rust killer primer. Light grey is available. Two coats to be sure.

Then two coats of oil-based undercoat.

Then one coat of oil-based gloss.


I have suggested undercoat and gloss, you are more likely to have this paint already in your house to save you buying new paint.

DISCLAIMER. Don't blame me if the radiator leaks when you are messing about with it.

 

[dishman]

Erg, I say renew. A small single panel radiator will probably cost a bit less than £50.

Yes, you have to learn how to measure up new brackets, and ensure the size you get fits. I'm sure you can get imperial sizes to ensure it is a straight swap (other than the brackets).

There is a lot of messy prepwork involved in that and if painting it in situ with a brush, close up it will probably look...not great...with a lot of brush lines (unless you are a pro painter).

I painted my radiators recently that were in good condition. I took them all off the walls and spent a long time preparing them.

I sanded them down, removed rust, then spray undercoated in grey, then over-coated in spray gloss white.

It was a lot of effort, and the spray is not easy. You have to mask off the room and have very good ventilation. But as you can see, it gives you the best finish.

 

[Wilfo]

Haha, I got the message from another forum - better to replace, so I've made my mind up on that one. Thanks all!