I have several cosmetically damaged rads only enamel? chipped and old and dirty. Is there any place I can get the refurbed to look like new.
Painting them is not an option as it stinks for a bit and never looks that great. :)
Thanks
In message , Stephen writes
Dry powder coating ?
I had one done, it cost £30
Actually I think the radiator I can see from here looks pretty good!
Painted using a small roller. And emulsion paint.
Virtually no smell - even when first applied. Looks good - gentle matt. Has lasted with virtually no colour change, chipping or other deterioration. Cheap.
Admittedly this is a house occupied by two adults - the imposition of children and dogs might have been too much.
Stephen wibbled on Thursday 18 March 2010 21:52
You could treat it like a car paint job and spray it with a suitable paint.
By "car" I mean the prep - wet+dry used wet, filler/primer spray, more wet+dry used wet (finally with a bar of soap) [repeat this if required until chips are no longer seen] then spray the finish coat.
Outside job really - probably take a day, but if you are steady with the spray, you *can* get a very good finish with a can. I managed a factory equiv finish[1] patching up my old Maestro door in cellulose paint doing this. Obviously the profile makes the sanding a bit more of a pain, but the spraying will go fine.
[1] OK Leyland equiv, but you really couldn't see the difference.
Whatever you do don't bother to try stripping them yourself: new ones are much cheaper than all the wire brushes, stripper and electricity you will use. If someone near you has a caustic stripper tank and you have some unusual rads it might be worth doing it that way, or you can get them blasted. Actual repainting is easy enough once you are back to a good surface.
FYI Yes I did once try to refurb old rads by hand. What a noise! Never again. And I wasted ages buffing up all the old brass valves only to find I could not get the washers any more, and new valves were a few quid the bagful at Wickes!
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