Tip on Painting PVC

Interest Groups Projects
#1

Hey all!

I’ve been working with some PVC pipe for my latest controller. I’m wanting to paint it but have some questions.

-What is the best way to get an even coat on PVC without it looking awful?
-How do a get a nice paint job without a significant odor from the paint afterwards?
-Should I lacquer PVC after it is painted?

Thanks!

#2

Main concern is make sure paint will adhere to PVC without a primer.

I painted some PVS pipe in the past a metallic copper>

  • Make sure surface is clean and smooth as some paints will highlight every flaw
  • I made a holder that gripped the inside of tube and allowed it to hang. In then sprayed up and down starting off the tube and ending off the tube, then rotated it and made next pass.

It came out pretty well. The last was better than the first but after 15 of them my spray technique was better. But getting a surface paint will stick to on plastic is a biggie.

#4

I used to buy spray paint at Lowes and Home Depot that was specifically formulated for PVC and other plastics. It worked pretty well.

#5

Seconded. Paints specifically for plastics work great.

#6

It sounds like an interesting project. I hope to see pictures of it on Show and Tell when it’s done (with a write-up about what you learned … we all learn from those things).

Not meaning to be a wet blanket, but please remember that we don’t spray paint things here at DMS. Never inside … Not in front of the building … If you do it outside in the rear, make sure you use plenty of drop cloths/cover, don’t get it on any walls or pavement or nearby cars or anything else, and clean up after yourself.

I know these things sound like common sense but sadly there are documented instances of when common sense wasn’t so common.