Letter 18080

Painting PVC Pipe [Florida] 

++ I build PVC kayak and canoe carts. It is virtually impossible to find the piping in different colors such as red or yellow or orange. What can I use to paint the PVC piping and make it last? Can I buy the materials at a retail outlet? Eric A [name deleted for privacy] - St Petersburg Beach, Florida ++ Hi Eric, You can buy red PVC pipe. It's made by Trovidur ... and probably only available from Germany. In ye olden days the French used to have blue PVC, the Italians white, the English green ... that was for sheets, am not sure about piping. To paint PVC ask yourself a question. How does one 'glue' it? What will make it adhere to itself? Well, as you know, PVC cements are made using Duponts THF ... an aromatic hydrocarbon. So the only paints you could use would be those that can 'attack' the PVC. And they are? Ah, lacquers ... and not the standard paints at all. OK? ... and to get a good bond, you MUST preclean very well. And to get a better bond even still, abrade with sandpaper to increase the surface area.. Heck .. an idea .. get some colourless THF and add (if it's miscible) some colourant to it. Stinks like hell. Dries very fast. Super bond. Expensive! Freeman Newton - White Rock, B.C. Canada ++ I can't help with your paint problem. But perhaps I can explain why PVC pipe is difficult to obtain in varied colours. In Britain it is colour coded, yellow for gas supply, green I think is water etc. It's important to use the correct sort, so the colour is important, hence the lack of choice. Maybe you should reconsider your choice of material. Ian Brooke - Scotland

I have painted 2" PVC pipe with Rust-Oleum (Gold Gloss) and it has worked well. The paint has come off only where it's been scraped up against something hard like when I've dropped it or was carrying it in the house and it scraped up against the bricks. I didn't use any primer or any preparation before painting so in a nut shell YES it can be painted. I'm currently working on a 16" Reflector telescope and making the "tube" out of PVC. I'm lightly sanding the PVC then I will primer it with an automotive primer then I'll let it cure for a week and paint it. The inside will be Flat Black and the outside will be Gloss Black and it will have graphic designs painted on it.

Cheers,

Brian G [name deleted for privacy]
- Clovis, New Mexico

First off, NOTHING ever really sticks to PVC except the glues/cements made to do so. Whatever you get to stick will ALWAYS come off if it's hit against or scraped upon by anything harder than itself, so when you slide the kayak on it, it'll probably scratch off.

But if you're determined, you could try this: Use a regular PVC Pipe Cleaner, followed by a plastic adhesion helper by the automotive paint co. PPG which comes RTS or "ready to spray". If you want to try a cheaper method, use the Purple Primer available from any hardware or plumbing supply. Then, try to paint it with something with a high amount of solvents (lacquer is good, but I think not durable enough for you...) preferably an automotive urethane type of paint which is harder to scratch off. Going cheap try rust-oleum enamels sprayed on and thinned with Acetone [link is to product info at Rockler] (by about 15%). Also, Krylon now makes a spray can formula for plastics called FUSION. Hope it helps, but like I said, ANYTHING scratches off if it's hit with something harder than itself. Martin C [name deleted for privacy] - Pompano Beach, FL USA

Funny i found this site.

I am going to use PVC pipe for table legs believe it or not.

I have the solution to your problem.

I am sanding the PVC, then layering an epoxy on it, then sanding again...then, you paint. the epoxy bonds to the PVC and you don't need to worry about paint sticking to the PVC because it will be coated on the epoxy.

If u want to make it so that your paint wont ever come off...layer another thin epoxy coating over the paint. :-)

Work yes, but your only solution.

Craig D [name deleted for privacy]
- Canada

I want to post a question on a different subject.

 

I want to answer or follow-up on this question publicly (in non-commercial fashion).

 

This letter is within a monitored forum, very much "alive" here in 2008. If you spot any broken links or obsolete info, please advise!