Brownstoner Reno
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August 9, 2005
Painting the Radiators
The radiators are getting spray-painted silver before getting hooked up.
Comments
Why silver??? wouldnt you want them to match your trim color or room color?? It is a long held myth that silver makes them radiate more heat. Dont do it!!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 12:54 PM
Looks like it's already done!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 12:59 PM
Raelly? Out GC told us we needed to paint them silver?
Posted by: brownstoner at August 9, 2005 1:06 PM
Don't match the wall or trim color-unless you plan on keeping those colors forever. If you decide to change them, the radiator will need to be done as well. Since they have to be sprayed, it just adds to the work. My house had radiators painted to match the walls when we bought it- unfortunately those colors were mauve and lime green. Trust me when I tell you the walls no longer match the radiators, but we still haven't gotten around to taking the radiators downstairs to re-spray.
Paint them silver.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 1:28 PM
does it matter? aren't you getting covers built?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 1:51 PM
Radiators do not HAVE to be painted silver. As a matter of fact, when it comes to color selection or anything to do with aesthetics, I would be very careful about listening to a GC.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 1:55 PM
brownstoner,
what brand is it? i'm getting ready to spray paint mine too.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 3:23 PM
I'm curious, did you have the radiators stripped? If so, how? We have some old radiators with lots of flaking paint, and our attempts to scrape/paint them ourselves aren't really working.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2005 8:50 PM
does spraying them silver allow them to give off more heat?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 2:46 PM
I did a bunch of research on this a couple of years ago. While I don't recall all the technical details, I do remember that painting radiators silver is no better for heat conducting than painting them any other color, ie. the degree of reflectivity of silver paint doesn't make a measurable difference. On the other hand, an ugly piece of silver foil placed behind them does makes them more efficient -- but that's hard for most of us to seriously contemplate.
At the end of the day, the radiators that both look best (in my opinion) and conduct heat best (according to the experts) are the ones that have been sand-blasted, ie. no paint is better than even the best paint. I understand there's an outfit on Staten Island that does this. Of course it's also the most expensive option -- not the least because of the effort involved in removing the rads from your house.
Our contractor told us that the most important decision for painting rads is the TYPE of paint you use. He recommended specialist heat resistant paint. We also took his slightly unconventional advice and painted all the rads matte black --except those in the bathrooms which are glossy white -- which, apparently, was quite common among the Victorians. We're very happy with the result. The rads are surprisingly stylish yet unobtrusive in black and the dark color hides the flaws that metallic paints tend to magnify.
Posted by: Roz at August 10, 2005 3:03 PM
No paint gives off the best heat but paint them any color you want. The choice of paint is more important when it comes to durability and cleaning. Contractors use silver because its easy and when it comes time to repaint the walls you don't have to paint the radiators again. Sandblasted is really beautiful. I know someone who has super minimalist decore and he had his powder-coated white. Very nice. Copper looks great with dark wood. Leave them distressed looking for that French Country feel.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 3:29 PM
I have radiators with tiny water landscapes...shells scrolling waves, I pulled them out of the garbage during someone's reno on west 11th street in the city. I saw some great steam radiators in a chinatown loft in the old odd fellows hall on Centre street. They circled this massive column, were completely covered in ornamentation, and had a top shelf that looked like a griddle. The garment workers would keep their lunch warm on top. It was really like a piece of furniture or a stove. They were painted silver. By the way, that building, 224 Centre St., is completely built of brownstone!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 3:48 PM
I like the silver.
Posted by: a. at August 10, 2005 8:05 PM
Look, you can paint radiators any color you want, but they will radiate their heat better with silver (or any metallic) paint. The reason is very simple...metallic paint goes on with a thinner coating. The worst paint to use is latex, because latex goes on with a heavier coat. Because metallic paints go on thinner, heat conducts through the coating easier. Oh, by the way, I'm old enough to remember radiators being installed after the hot-air furnaces were removed. The radiators were always painted silver, or a radiator cover was used to "pretty up" the room.
Posted by: Ken at August 23, 2005 6:54 PM
I've used an automotive paint to paint radiators in the past. It was black, with a slight metallic sheen to it, and it was purchased at an automotive store. I can't be more specific, because my friend ( whose apt it was ) bought the paint and I wasn't paying vcery careful attention, but I know that that was almost 6 years ago and the paint is still holding up.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 24, 2005 12:50 PM
My neighbor has asked me to use my artistic talents to paint the radiator in her daughter's room with a leopard pattern, gold background with black spots.The radiators are silver now and the room has a jungle theme. Can I do the two colors ? And what is the best choice of paint for this application that won't peel off in a couple of years.
Gary
Posted by: gary at November 1, 2005 8:40 AM
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