How do you paint a cast iron radiator?

How do you paint a cast iron radiator

If you’re looking for radiators as part of a refurbishment, you don’t need to restrict yourself to neutral colours like black, white, or grey. At sarahlane you can choose from a range of options to suit each room’s colour scheme.  While many radiator manufacturers offer custom colouring, unlike most brands, sarahlane radiators are finished with enamel paint for a bright, durable coating that won’t fade or wear.  Our specialist enamel coating process ensures a smooth, glossy finish that accentuates the strong cast iron construction. 

Other manufacturers use powder coatings or apply a polished finish.  Powder coating uses a coat of powder applied to the radiator’s cast-iron columns. The radiator is placed in a hot oven where the powder melts and bonds to the metal surface. While the completed finish can look very professional, it’s prone to cracking and flaking over time.

For a polished finish, some manufacturers sand down and then buff the radiators until the base metal is visible and covered with a smooth finish. Because polished finishes often rust, they require a coat of lacquer to protect the finish. Because it’s a two-part process, achieving a polished finish is time-consuming and labour intensive. That can make it expensive.

If you’re in the mood for a bit of DIY, you can use standard water-based paint to make the radiator any colour you like. It’s affordable and easy to apply, but traditional paint is unlikely to stand the test of time. It will chip and flake easily, and without professional tools or a dust-free working environment, the colour can bead up and bubble. Paint works, but use it with these disadvantages in mind.

There are many benefits to cast iron radiators and the colour and style of finish options is certainly one of them