Advice and Opinions for Pipe Colour Wanted

[MrsT]

Hello again everyone,

We have a small house we are going to rent out to a relative and want to make the outside look as presentable as possible before they move in . We had all new pipework fitted when we renewed the bathroom about 8 years ago but this has faded and looks grubby so is in need of painting. The walls are rendered with the standard colour Canterbury spar and we can't for the life of us decide which colour paint to use on the pipes. we have considerred both black and white (gutters are black and facer boards are white) but are not sure if either would make the pipes stand out too much against the render., We are leaning towards white at the moment as it would match the windows and door better.

What we would like to ask you for is your opinions on whetehr to use black or white or, if from personal experience any of you have used or seen a colour that helps blend the pipes into the sparred background a bit better?I have tried to add a photo of the wall colour to help you help us, but I don't know if it will show as it took me ages to load it. Also after reading another topic, would bedec paint be a good choice for these plastic pipes which don't have to have a shiny finish?

Thank you
Maggie

Untitled

• MrsT
• 24 Jun 2014
• 1

 

[Nige F]

You`ve got several shades of grey there - if you paint that lot you`ll forever need to re paint it try wiping it with WD40

 

[MrsT]

Yes, I agree about the different shades of grey - if I had a few more I could be an author. LOL It's annoying because all the soil pipe was the same colour when new and looked quite acceptable but it's now pretty drab looking although the joints are still pretty much the same colour as they were when new. Would WD40 get it all back to the same colour or just clean and shine it up? If we tried it and it didn't work would that then cause problems with paint sticking to it?
As the bath and basin waste pipes are white, we thought painting all the same colour might be the way to go but ubderstand that once painted it 'll be an ongoing job. I don't think the picture does the walls justice - they are actually nice and clean and have that pinky-peach beige colour. I just thought that as that kind of spar is pretty common that there might be a colour that people use to make pipes, windowsills, etc, blend in, although I must admit I can't really see anything locally that has been used.
Any more help/advice appreciated.

Thank you
Maggie

 

[TheVictorian]

I really wouldn't paint them, once you've done it you will be forever doing it again as it peels off.

I would try WD40 and if you dont like the results then replace all the pipes with new black ones, it would cost up front but would be the best solution long term for a rental place as you want low maintenance.

 

[MrsT]

I understand your point regarding low maintenance but I think replacing perfectly serviceable pipes would be a bit OTT, expensive, and fiddly, because the bottom of the pipe has a bend that is partially concreted into the ground. We have always painted the PVC pipes on our own house pipes without any peeling problems so I don't see why it would be different in this case - I suppose peeling depends on the pipes' original condition, how well they are prepared and the use of the right type of paint?
My hubby will try the WD40 in the morning to see how it looks but I suspect we will still go with painting them so they are all the same colour.

Thanks for the replies so far.
Maggie

 

[sparkwright]

I would leave them. The whole point of those pipes is they don't require painting.

However, if you must paint them, I would go for black. The guttering is black, and I assume their corresponding down pipes are black too?

 

[sparkwright]

Best to avoid painting things that don't require painting - low maintenance is the best thing for houses.

 

[Bosswhite]

If you like the "Three Tone " colours of the waste pipes then leave them,

I would have thought the Plumber who plumbed the waste for the hand basin and bath would have used matching grey pipe for the outside instead of the white.

The reason the pipework has faded is the the pipe is different quality Pvc to the fittings, get enough sun`s UV rays on the pipework and it will go to quite a pretty pink colour next.

I normally recommend to customers to have the pipework painted when it gets to this stage, when the rest of the property has been painted outside IMO leaving the pipework spoils the end result,
Matching grey gloss would smarten it up and blend in pipework and fittings.

 

[Robbie uk]

A nice thinned coat of black gloss after wiping the pipes down with white spirits is all that's needed. It will flow out nice and shiny and wont come off. Never had a problem in the past. Better looking than three shades of grey !!!!

 

[MrsT]

I think it's probably a good idea to go with black as it would match the downpipe from the gutter and that is still shiny. That is tucked away around the corner but from one angle both pipes are visible so it makes sense to have them matching and I suppose balck will show the dirt less in future.
Thanks for all the comments so far and we see your point that low maintenance is better but we really do think painting them in this case would be better because all the different shades make it look ugly. (Probably doesn't look so bad in the picture as it does in real life)
My husband has always cleaned the pipes up and rubbed down with one of those fine nylon scotch pad things at our house before painting without any comeback so I suppose he'll try that on these, unless you think they don't need that?

Thanks
Maggie

 

[MrsT]

Oh, and the WD40 has just been tried but just makes a smudge on the light grey stuff so that doesn't seem to work.

 

[Bosswhite]

The choice of colour on the pipework is up to you, black seems the sensible choice if your guttering down pipes are black, (match it all in).

The bathroom window may be a problem when painting the vent pipe above gutter level. an extension pole with paint brush attached or small radiator roller should get over that problem
Good luck

 

[misterhelpful]

I don't know if you've already decided, or even done the painting, but it may be worth opening that picture of the pipes with Microsoft Paint (or a similar program) on your computer and colouring the pipes with black/white/grey to give you an idea of what looks best. I know it's a bit of a crude way to do it but I used to do that for window frames/doors a few years ago just to get a general impression with basic colours...and it's simple to do. I tend to agree with Bosswhite that grey would be a better colour than black or white.

I suppose there are apps on phones and tablets to do a better job of it, but I've always liked colouring in. After all, even though there is a lot more to it, painting is basically colouring in for big boys and girls, and I've never been a snob about seeing myself as doing that for a living!

 

[MrsT]

HAHA - we may get the grandkids to try that for us tonight as we haven't really decided on the colour yet and we wouldn't know how to do it. I suppose grey might be a good choice because at least we already know how that looks and if it does peel at some stage then it may not show up as much because it will be grey underneath, if this is what you both mean?

Thanks again
Maggie

 

[Bosswhite]

As you say by painting the down pipes grey, if it does chip or flake off in time it would not be noticeable, but if the work is prepared properly, vleaned off, undercoat gloss, the paint should last years.