Painting a copper gas pipe

[stealthwolf]

I’ve recently painted the garage walls in brilliant white. I thought it would be nice to paint the gas copper pipes in a contrasting noticeable colour eg red or yellow.

Do I need to use a specific type of paint? Any prep work that’s needed?

 

[sparkwright]

Ideally you would use a primer first, such as a special metals primer.

Personally I would have a white satin or gloss finish - unless it's the main drainpipes on the outside of a house, it looks naff highlighting pipes

 

[stealthwolf]

Thanks. I was debating whether to use something like hammerite. I’d read about how some people used regular emulsion paint.

The reasoning for a contrasting colour was to avoid the pipes being damaged if they were more visible. Plus I have a black-and-red theme planned for the flooring.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I've been in a few places where the pipework was copper and the saddles were brass. Looked quite nice polished up and then clear lacquered. We have some visible water pipes which have been emulsioned a time or three

 

[JohnD]

Hammerite is heavily advertised, expensive, difficult to use, clean up, or overpaint.

Some people think it stops rust, but it just covers it up.

It is not actually a good paint.

If you want to identify gas pipes, use yellow gloss.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

If you want to identify gas pipes, use yellow gloss.

I found oil based gloss paint eventually peels off heating pipes (yes I know this is a gas pipe) and that the none yellowing, quick drying water based paints are have better staying power.

Hammerite is heavily advertised, expensive, difficult to use, clean up, or overpaint.

Some people think it stops rust, but it just covers it up.

It is not actually a good paint.

I found Lidl's offering for the same purpose, to be much better as an anti-rust paint. I did my drive and garden gates with it a couple of years ago, it was much easier to apply and a quite tough finish, apart from it having UV oxidised on the surface, it's fine.

 

[JohnD]

That's odd. Do you remember what primer you used?

Heating pipes benefit from a thin paint layer as it is more flexible during heat expansion

 

[Keithmac]

Are you better off using the plastic clip over pipe covers?.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That's odd. Do you remember what primer you used?

Heating pipes benefit from a thin paint layer as it is more flexible during heat expansion

There might have been the issue, I didn't use a primer, just the gloss oil paint.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I found oil based gloss paint eventually peels off heating pipes (yes I know this is a gas pipe) and that the none yellowing, quick drying water based paints are have better staying...

Ever tried Sperex exhaust paint? They use it on brake callipers, too. Seems to stick to anything

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Are you better off using the plastic clip over pipe covers?.

Or fibreboard or plywood? Like Talon or Pendock, the two most widely used systems

 

[opps]

I found oil based gloss paint eventually peels off heating pipes (yes I know this is a gas pipe) and that the none yellowing, quick drying water based paints are have better staying power.

Better staying power? Waterbased finishes become soft when used on hot rads or rad tails. In the past when customers have asked me to paint rads the same colour as the walls with WB paint, I warn them that they will no longer be able to hang wet clothes on them.

Personally, I never come across oil based paints peeling off because of the heat. Perhaps the ones you came across had not been applied properly.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Better staying power? Waterbased finishes become soft when used on hot rads or rad tails. In the past when customers have asked me to paint rads the same colour as the walls with WB paint, I warn them that they will no longer be able to hang wet clothes on them.

All I can say, is that I have used WB on many of the pipes and radiators two years ago which has been absolutely fine. I'm no decorator, so I am not even sure that is the correct name for the paint - I used the same white paint as I used on all of the doors and woodwork, the fast drying stuff, with minimal odour.