Primer paint is also widely available in aerosol format. If that’s your tool of choice, you’ll want to pop on a mask and spray in upwards and downwards strokes at a distance of around 8in. Once fully coated, wait for the primer to dry completely. Radiators can bring down the look of your home if they are chipped or discoloured, particularly if you have redecorated the rest of the room they are in. Give them a clean, fresh lease of life with Radiator Paint from Hammerite. It is specially formulated to withstand the heat and reduce the possibility of discoloration. Follow the guide below if you want to know how to paint a radiator: Your primer not only creates a vital, stable base for your paint, it also ensures any rusted or exposed areas are protected. To apply, just use a simple paintbrush, making sure you cover every inch. If your radiator is of a more elaborate design, it will probably be worth investing in an angled brush to avoid missing areas too. That done, prepare your space by moving any nearby furniture out of the way and banishing cats and dogs from the area. Put down old newspaper or cardboard on the floor to protect it from any errant drips and – importantly – open all the windows you can to avoid inhaling fumes from your paint. Right, you’re almost ready to roll. Is there a specific rule on how to paint a radiator? Available in 13 subtle colours, your first – and possibly only – coat should be touch-dry within a couple of hours. If you judge a second coat necessary, leave at least three to four hours to ensure ideal conditions.

If your radiator looks almost beyond saving, if the stains on it are themselves heavily stained and if it would look much more at home in a skip than in your home, you need Zinsser 123 Bulls Eye. Okay, so you’re not that daft and you’ve let your radiators cool. Then, you’ve gone at it with a duster, removing as much dirt and dust as possible, and given it a good wipe down with a damp cloth to ensure every last dab of dirt and grease smear is removed. And just to be absolutely certain, you’ve dried it well and given it a good rub down with some sandpaper. One or two coats of Rust-Oleum will be ample to get your heat-throwers looking like new, and there’s no need to apply primer first as this paint has primer mixed in. This means you skip an entire stage of the painting process, but the trade-off is that it will take longer to dry. Depending on how much paint you use, the average job will be touch-dry in one to two hours and fully dry in eight. But if a second coat is required, you’ll need to wait a whole 16 hours before it’s ready. In total, then, Rust-Oleum recommends waiting seven days for true dryness. But, if you can wait, why not?To get the best finish, rub down the radiator with sandpaper and remove all dust and debris afterwards. Once ready to paint, apply as you would a top-coat, covering the sides and top before using overlapping strokes to work the primer across the face. Dry in 30 minutes, you can recoat in 60, or if you’re happy with your work and all stains are hidden, move straight to painting – radiator saved.

Depending on your preference, the radiator can be painted whilst on or off the wall. If it is being painted whilst on the wall, ensure that the wall behind and floor underneath are fully covered. If you want a smooth factory like finish for your radiators your best choice is to invest in a spray can like this offering from metal paint specialist Hammerite. This 400ml can offers around two square metres of coverage. That’s about enough for two coats on a large radiator.If you are going to paint a radiator you really need to be using a specialist radiator paint to get the best finish. But you are very much limited by what colour you can choose when dealing with specialist radiator paints. They typically come in white in satin or gloss finishes that mimic the factory finish you get on most modern radiators. There are other colours available but there is a good chance you won’t get the exact colour you want to complement your walls.

If satin is your finish of choice, than this specially formulated Hammerite Radiator Paint Satin is ideal for you. It provides a heat resistant brilliant white finish on water-filled household radiators and hot water pipes. If you’re the kind of person who a) doesn’t want to bother themselves with priming, and b) also has drying time in abundance, there’s a less labour-intensive route to radiator-painting perfection: Rust-Oleum’s Universal All Surface paint. Formulated to provide a heat-resistant brilliant white finish on radiators,Radiator Enamel prevents both yellowing and rust, and creates a tough, long-lasting finish. As it’s an aerosol, make sure ventilation is ample and, as there’s also a strong element of “spray ‘n’ pray”, ensure walls and floors are copiously covered in newspaper so that the fine mist of paint you’re generating doesn’t ruin your house and your day. Apply several thin coats. If applying to a smooth vertical metal surface, abrade the surface with a side to side action using a coarse sandpaper. How do I paint Hammerite onto a painted surface? Radiators need a hard-wearing, long-lasting finish, so they also need to be cleaned and prepped before you even start painting —i f you don’t do the prep you are more likely to get a poor quality finish that won’t look good for long.From Johnstone's Speciality range this paint has been specially formulated to work on all types of metal radiators — and metal hot water pipes. This means you can paint your pipes to match your radiator. Fed up with white radiators and fancy a cool contemporary colour instead? Then this Anthracite Grey enamel satin paint is a good choice to give your radiator a modern twist. It is a pure brilliant white that is non-yellowing unlike a lot of oil-based paints, but this does mean it's no good for touch-ups on old discoloured radiators. There comes a time in every adult life where you can no longer avoid those most mundane of tasks: painting something as fiddly as a radiator. But radiators need love too. After all, once your walls and door frames are looking bright from a recently applied coat or two, the radiators will look all the more shoddy and dilapidated by comparison.