How and how to remove paint from a radiator - means for removing old paint before painting a radiator

Peeling paint on heating radiators significantly spoils the aesthetic appearance of both the heating system itself and the entire room. In addition, when carrying out painting work, before applying new enamel to the battery, the old one must be removed. Before removing paint from batteries, they must be thoroughly cleaned of dust. At the next stage, the radiators must be primed, and then, carefully, evenly apply new enamel to their surface in an even layer.

Most people (more than 40%) use radiators made of cast iron as their heating system. As a rule, they act as the main element of decor in a room, emphasizing the antique interior and design of the room. However, in some cases, replacing or removing cast iron radiators is not possible due to the nature of the heating system, which does not allow for its updating.

On a note! Before carrying out work related to removing outdated layers of paint from batteries, first of all, their surface must be cleaned of accumulated debris and dust. For these purposes, use an ordinary damp cloth or vacuum cleaner. If the paint is not flaking or flaking, you can use sandpaper to clean the battery.

Tools and tools

Before painting batteries and applying a new layer of paint to their surface, the previous layer must be properly removed. To do this you will need to acquire tools such as:

1. Metal brush.
2. Coarse sandpaper.
3. Sanding attachments.
4. An electric drill or angle grinder (angle grinder), preferably with a wheel diameter of no more than 150 mm.

Don't forget about safety precautions. When carrying out work to remove paint and varnish from the surface of radiators, it is recommended to use protective, durable glasses, rubberized gloves, and a respirator. To quickly remove enamel, as an alternative to metal brushes and sandpaper, you can use special chemicals. For example, Veslee 520 ml old paint remover is excellent for these purposes. Chemicals are preferably used to remove paint in hard-to-reach areas of radiators. For example, they are excellent for cleaning the surfaces of ribs.

Advice! When using chemical reagents to remove outdated enamel, it is recommended to use a respirator and ensure proper ventilation of the indoor air. In addition, before applying a chemical reagent to the surface, it must be cleaned with warm water and then dried.

Features of the procedure

Why do you need to remove old coating from radiators? The fact is that almost half of the population has cast iron appliances installed in their apartments. Their complete replacement with dismantling is in many cases unacceptable. Therefore, you have to look for update options. There may be several reasons for repainting:

• the batteries have lost their original appearance;
• it is necessary to change the color of the device;
• I wanted to decoupage the surface.

Regardless of the reasons, removing old paint from radiators is carried out according to certain rules.

Preparatory activities

It is best to combine battery cleaning and repair work. In this case, the finishing of the walls and floor will not be affected. If new painting is needed urgently, and repairs are still far away, then care must be taken to protect nearby surfaces. To do this, use plastic film or regular old newspapers.

It is best to combine battery cleaning and repair work

The radiators themselves are cleaned of dust and other contaminants. Particular attention is paid to hard-to-reach places and the area between sections. For cleaning use ordinary water and a cloth. If stains are difficult to remove, you can use soapy water or dishwashing detergent. Dust is removed with a vacuum cleaner. If there is no peeling coating on the surface, then use fine sandpaper.

It is recommended to remove old coating outdoors, but this is not always possible. Work indoors is carried out in the warm season, when heating has not yet started. If winter has already begun, then the batteries must be temporarily disconnected from the coolant supply.

Cleaning by any of the proposed methods requires the preparation of special materials and tools necessary for the work.

Materials and tools

Applying a new coat of paint means removing the old one. To do this you will need the following devices:

• metal brush;
• coarse and fine-grained sandpaper;
• metal spatula;
• electric drill;
• sander with a round attachment with a diameter of 15 cm;
• vacuum cleaner;
• unnecessary rags;
• protective equipment (respirator, gloves, goggles).

The surfaces are covered with sheets and paper; the wall behind the radiator can be protected with film.

Preparing for cleaning

It is preferable to carry out work to remove outdated enamel immediately before starting renovation work indoors, when preliminary preparatory work on the floors and walls has already been carried out. To carry out this removal procedure, you will need a spatula made of metal, a hard brush, and a simple rag.

Important! If cleaning of radiators is carried out after completion of repair work indoors, then in this case, the workplace where paint is removed must be properly insulated. To do this, you can use high-density paper or film.

It is preferable to remove paint and varnish material from removed radiators outdoors. However, this is not always possible. Regardless of the chosen cleaning method, mechanical or chemical, during work it is necessary to use rubberized or thick fabric gloves, a respirator, and safety glasses.

Enamel removal work must be carried out with the heating system turned off. Mechanical cleaning involves the use of abrasive agents, such as sandpaper. Liquid remover can be used for removal in hard-to-reach areas of the radiator, such as on the fins. However, it is not recommended to use the remover at the joints of battery sections where there are gaskets made of rubber.

Removing old paint from radiators: how to remove it yourself

How to remove old paint from radiators? This question worries many, because even cosmetic repairs often require painting radiators. An old cast iron radiator with peeling paint can ruin the entire appearance of the room. There is no need to apply fresh paint over the old coating. By doing this, you will only emphasize the relief of the radiator, which has formed over several years.

You will have to remove the old paint, prime the radiators and only then paint them again. There is no other way to turn an old radiator into a modern interior detail.

Start with the process of removing the old paint. There are 3 ways:

• surface heat treatment;
• mechanical removal;
• chemical wash.

Wait until the heating season ends, only then should you start cleaning and painting radiators. The fact is that the remover will not remove paint well from a hot battery, and the new layer of paint will dry unevenly. Because of this, the paint will quickly come off the cast iron surface. In addition, you will have difficulty working with a hot battery.

Buy all the necessary materials in advance. Prepare your tools, they will come in handy in any case. You will need the following equipment:

• metal spatula;
• brush with wire bristles;
• a supply of rags or old rags.

We remove paint from radiators on our own; it is better to clean the surface of the radiators immediately after preparing the room for repairs. In case you remembered this very late, simply isolate the part of the room where the work will be carried out. Use a thick film for this purpose, this will prevent dust from getting onto the already repaired surfaces.

Of course, the easiest way is to remove the radiator before starting cleaning, and then carry out all the work outdoors. But this cannot always be done, so take care to protect the premises. We should not forget about personal protective equipment. Prepare rubber gloves if you choose a chemical cleaning method. For all types of work you will need safety glasses, a respirator and fabric gloves.

Before you start cleaning the battery, thoroughly wipe off the dust. If there are pieces of paint coming off, remove the old enamel using a spatula.

Before you clean the batteries from paint, you need to go to a building materials store and buy a new paint composition there.

To paint heating appliances, it is necessary to choose heat-resistant paints, the basis for which can be:

1. Acrylic . Water-based compositions, which include acrylic polymer, remain as bright and odorless for a long time. They can be given any shade you like by adding the appropriate pigment to the base enamel. Acrylic paint intended for application to the surface of batteries is designed for heating temperatures not exceeding 80 ºС.
2. Alcides . The basis for such coloring compositions are organic solvents. The result is coatings that are stronger than acrylic ones. If you need to paint the radiator white or light color, it is better not to use alkyd enamel, since the surface of the devices will quickly turn yellow. Alkyd-based compositions can be used to paint batteries, but only in dark shades.
3. Heat-resistant varnish . Aluminum or bronze powder is added to it.
4. Silicone resin.

In order to give old cast iron radiators a more aesthetic appearance, two-component compositions are used. In them, heat-resistant varnish is mixed with powder, the color of which can be matched to silver, gold or bronze. Their cost is low, but at the same time they are well applied to devices and are durable.

Silicone coatings have similar properties, but such enamels are expensive. The process of applying them is simple, since they are sold in aerosol cans. Silicone-based compounds are sold in a wide range of colors.

When choosing a coating, first of all, take into account its thermal resistance.

Methods for removing old paint and a review of popular removers

How to remove old paint from a radiator? There are many proven methods that can effectively remove the outdated layer of paint from heating system radiators. The most effective and most common of them are the following methods:

1. mechanical;
2. chemical;
3. thermal.

Each of the listed methods has its own specific advantages and some disadvantages. For example, the chemical method allows you to remove paints or water-based compounds from hard-to-reach places. It involves the use of such removal products as Maximum, Kompozit, Abro PR – 600 Paint Remover. A good product for removing enamel is a substance called Khimrezerv, body.

Removing old paint using an aerosol

Aerosols are chemical agents that allow you to remove outdated paint even in hard-to-reach areas of products. This paint removal method, which involves the use of chemicals made in the form of aerosols, is best used to remove, remove, and clean enamel on radiators or to remove the paint from radiators that were made of cast iron.

Important! Before using aerosols, it is necessary to remove objects made of plastic or rubber from the working surface on which it will be applied. To prevent aerosol from getting on the floor, it must be covered with film or very thick paper.

To remove the outdated layer of enamel, you need to take an aerosol and spray it on the surface of the battery. As a rule, in order to treat the radiator (external and external parts), you will need no more than one can of aerosol. After applying the product, after about 15-30 minutes, the old finishing layer will gradually begin to become covered with bubbles. It is worth noting that

the rate of reaction will directly depend on the temperature of the air inside the room.

Then, when the old enamel begins to peel off, it can be removed from the surface of the battery. For these purposes, you can use an ordinary metal brush. If it was not possible to completely remove the paint, then this procedure must be repeated again 2-3 hours after the first attempt.

Chemical remover

To remove enamel from radiators, you can also use special chemical removers, which are available in a large assortment in many hardware stores. The most common and effective option is to use a gel remover. Such chemicals contain special components that can destroy the layer of any cladding (paint or varnish).

The procedure for removing paint from batteries using chemical removers is carried out using a brush. However, this method has a big drawback. Washing these chemicals off the inside of batteries can be very difficult. When working with chemical removers, you should follow safety rules. These substances must be stored in the special container in which they are sold. It is not recommended to pour them into another container.

To clean radiators using chemical removers, you need to take a brush and dip it in the solution. Then, using broad strokes, the surface of the batteries should be treated with this solution. The duration of action of chemical removers, depending on the product used and the condition of the surface being treated, is no more than 5-15 minutes. Therefore, before the remover applied to the heating radiator has had time to dry, using a spatula or a metal brush, you need to remove the old layer of enamel. After work, the radiators must be thoroughly washed with soapy water and then dried.

Preparing the battery for painting - how to remove paint

Before you start painting the heating device, you need to figure out what removes old paint on radiators and carry out a number of preparatory measures. Otherwise, you will not get a new high-quality coating.

Before painting radiators, you should perform certain actions:

1. Prepare tools and work area.
2. Remove the previous coating and existing rust, having first found out how to remove old paint from radiators.
3. Clean surfaces and degrease them.
4. Apply primer.

The highest quality and most beautiful coating is obtained if it is applied to a dismantled device. If it was connected to the heating system using an American connection or special kits, then you can remove the radiator without any problems.

When it is firmly fixed, then before removing the paint from the radiator and applying a new composition, the walls and floor covering of the room must be protected from dirt by using plastic film or other materials. They also prepare tools and everything else for repairs in advance.

Thermal and mechanical cleaning method

The thermal cleaning method involves using high temperatures to remove old enamel from the surface of batteries. To do this, a jet of hot air is used, which can be obtained using a special construction hair dryer. When heated, the old coating will begin to peel off from the metal surface. To completely remove it, use a spatula or metal brush.

Advice! If several layers of paint are applied to the radiator, then in this case, instead of a hairdryer, it is preferable to use a blowtorch. However, when using such a lamp, combustion products that are dangerous to humans are released. Therefore, when using it. Work must be carried out outdoors.

The simplest in terms of execution, but at the same time the most labor-intensive and time-consuming, is the mechanical method of removing the old layer of enamel. The disadvantage of this method is that when using it it is very problematic to clean hard-to-reach places on the radiator.

The essence of the mechanical cleaning method is to use a variety of tools (spatulas, brushes, angle grinders, drills) to remove the outdated layer of enamel. This method also involves the use of coarse sandpaper.

How to clean cast iron and other radiators?

Cast iron radiators are the most unpretentious in choosing a method for removing old paint. For work, you can use all types of processing.

The joints of the heating battery sections are connected using rubber gaskets, which should not be cleaned with chemicals. Otherwise, the rubber will be damaged, causing the battery to leak.

Old enamel is removed from an aluminum product using special neutral removers . They are applied for 15 minutes. Then the coating is easily removed with a spatula. It is not recommended to use mechanical processing for aluminum radiators to prevent scratches.

Removing the coating from bimetal requires care, since the product consists of aluminum and steel parts. To prevent deterioration of the appearance, it is preferable to use chemical removers and avoid serious mechanical impact.

Basic Safety Precautions

When carrying out work to clean the old paint layer from the surface of radiators, simple safety precautions must be observed. Regardless of the method for removing the outdated layer of enamel, all work must be carried out after wearing protective clothing and protecting the eyes and respiratory organs with goggles and a respirator.

On a note! The most dangerous to human health is chemical cleaning. When using chemicals, you must follow safety regulations for working with them. After all, such substances are caustic and toxic. Therefore, when working with them, you need to thoroughly ventilate the room and prevent them from coming into contact with the surface of the skin, use a respirator and wear gloves.

Security measures

Removing paint from a cast iron radiator is always associated with the interaction of harmful substances and the human respiratory system. To protect yourself from inhaling dust and particles of material, you must always work in a respirator or gauze bandage.

The use of chemicals may cause harm if droplets of the material come into contact with clothing or clothing. Gloves and a full suit will help prevent such consequences. Eyes are protected with special construction glasses. They will also protect against solid particles of the flying coating. After the cleaning procedure, the room is well ventilated, surfaces are wiped of dust, and the floor is vacuumed.

Removing old paint from a battery is not at all difficult if you have even a minimum of information and no skills. Having studied the technology a little and what means exist for this, you can clean the devices in one day and start transforming them.

Mechanical removal of old coating

The mechanical method of cleaning a heating structure from the old finish is considered the most labor-intensive, but also effective. Any hand or power tool will help. The most convenient one is an angle grinder, or grinder in other words. Instead of a disk, a wire brush is attached to it - a brush. You can replace the grinder with a screwdriver, drill or other strongly rotating tool. You will have to make an effort to carry out manual mechanical processing and get rid of dust, because there will be a lot of it, but after a couple of hours there will be no trace left of the old coating.

It is not always necessary to completely remove old paint from the heating system; sometimes it is enough to remove obvious “rags” with a spatula and sand them with sandpaper. It is impossible to achieve ideal smoothness of cast iron batteries; to do this, the surface must be well primed. Therefore, before choosing a cleaning method, you need to decide whether it will be carried out completely or partially.

How to remove?

Today, there are many ways to easily remove old paint from heating radiators.

The most effective ones include the following:

• chemical;
• mechanical;
• thermal.

Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this regard, before starting the procedure, you should familiarize yourself with all the methods.

Chemical removers

Using this method, old enamel is removed by exposure to a chemical composition. In hardware stores you can purchase a specialized composition and remover. It is available in the form of a spray and gel.

Gel

The most common type is gel washes. They consist of components whose action is aimed at destroying the facing layer.

After exposure to the gel, the process of peeling off the old layer of the paint surface occurs. As a result, the paint softens, becomes thin, peels off and is easily removed with a spatula. For work, it is better to use a gel remover that does not flow off a vertical surface.

When cleaning the old coating with a chemical composition in the form of a gel, it is difficult to treat the inside of the heating battery

The wash application procedure is carried out with care. The composition must be in a special container made of material characterized by increased strength. Instructions for cleaning a heating radiator using a chemical gel:

Instructions for cleaning a heating radiator using a chemical gel:

The chemical is applied to the product using a brush from the factory container. The battery is processed using broad strokes. The composition is applied to the radiator for 5-15 minutes. Contact time depends on the condition of the surface and the aggressiveness of the remover. The old coating layer is removed with a metal spatula or brush

It is important to ensure that the composition does not dry out. The heating battery is washed with soapy water and dried

If everything is done in accordance with the instructions for use, there will be no traces of old paint left on the product.

The cleaning procedure must be carried out with care. To avoid harm to health from chemicals, you should use safety glasses, gloves, and a respirator.

Aerosol

Aerosol removers are suitable for removing any paint coating and do not harm the product. This type of product must be used taking into account the following safety rules:

• cleaning is carried out in a well-ventilated area;
• flooring and furniture should be protected from aerosol;
• work is carried out in rubber gloves, sealed goggles, and a respirator.

Instructions for removing old paint from heating radiators using an aerosol:

1. Spray the product with an aerosol. One can is designed to treat a cast iron battery.
2. After 15-30 minutes, the old paint swells.
3. Further processing is carried out with a spatula.

It may not be possible to completely remove the old paint after the procedure. In this case, the treatment should be repeated after 2 hours.

The video will tell you how to remove old paint from a battery using a remover:

Mechanical method

The mechanical method is the most difficult, but does not require any money.

To work you will need the following set of tools:

• to eliminate large swellings, it is better to use a drill with a metal brush;
• You can use a grinder with a brush, a drill with an attachment, or a grinder with an abrasive wheel.

After processing, a small amount of paintwork remains. It can be easily removed with coarse sandpaper, a sharp spatula, a metal sponge, or a file.

How to remove thermally?

You can remove old paint from a cast iron battery using a thermal method. To carry out this procedure, you need to prepare the following set of devices:

• blowtorch or hair dryer;
• metal brush;
• putty knife;
• rags.

Before using a construction hairdryer, it is necessary to protect the walls with cardboard from thermal effects.

Before heat treatment, it is recommended to remove the heating batteries.

Instructions for removing paintwork:

1. Heat the surface to be treated until the old paint begins to peel off.
2. While the coating has not cooled down, it should be removed with a spatula and a damp cloth.
3. If a trace of paint remains on the radiator, the procedure should be repeated.

Please note that working with a blowtorch should be carried out outdoors.