Paint PVC Pipe

One of the most important steps to Painting is the correct preparation of the surface. This is especially important when working with PVC Pipe and PVC Pipe Fittings. Although this is a critical step, it is often overlooked and causes the final project to suffer.

The first step you want to take when preparing your PVC Pipe and PVC Pipe Fittings is to ensure that the surface is clean and dry. It should be free from any oil or grease also.

Next, you will want to take some sandpaper (use a fine grit paper for this) and lightly scuff up the outside surface of the pipe you want to paint. Because PVC Pipe and PVC Pipe Fittings are so smooth, it is hard to make paint adhere to it without taking this step.

Finally, you may want to consider using a coat of primer to ensure a better final coat. PVC Pipes usually come with manufacturers labels on them, so the primer will also help to cover these marks.

So you've gone ahead and prepped all of your PVC Pipes and PVC Pipe Fittings and your thinking, "Great, it's time to start painting!" Well, normally that would be the case, if this were as predictable of a surface as say a wood board, or the walls of a house.

With PVC, you will usually want to paint a test patch to make sure that the paint will adhere properly. You could waste a lot of time painting everything only to find that it is going to peel right off as soon as you pick it up.

Once you have painted the test patch and see that there is a consistent adhesion to the pipe, you are free to start painting everything. The employees at the local hardware store can assist you in buying specialty paints for use on PVC Pipe and PVC Pipe Fittings.

We suggest using spray paint or a paint sprayer to get a smoother more even coat on the PVC. It can sometimes help to make a jig to hold the pipes vertically while you paint them so you can cover the entire surface at one time.