How To Paint EMT Conduit

[@BobZoom2U]

I used Rustoleum Camo paint on my garden trellis, installed four years ago. No issues at all. Out in the sun and rain, bird droppings, looks as good as the day I painted.

[@MakerPipe]

I like the idea of camo paint! What color(s) did you use?

[@BobZoom2U]

@@MakerPipe I used the tan. Looks nice in the garden.

[@brianhirak7034]

Thank you for your video it helped a lot and made our future sales better without more of the hassle and time consuming process

[@MickFutz]

Great video, thanks! One thing that would have been helpful is the durability of the shrink wrap.

[@johnkavanagh4429]

I, in addition to prepping with degreaser or sanding with 400 grit sandpaper (I tried both and I am not sure if one is better), used Rustoleum Self-Etching Primer. It has some acid in it that is supposed to improve adhesion.

[@MakerPipe]

That would be a great one to try. Thanks for the suggestion John!

[@SuperJellicoe]

I liked your approach and conclusions. Based on my experience with EMT (lots) I have found well weathered EMT with a degreaser prep and then Rustoleum or Plasticcote have worked very well. Just let the paint dry hard! Too many people want to keep working while the paint is soft. I also paint in light coats and let the previous one dry well before the next one. Warm weather helps too. New EMT gets a light sanding with 250 grit paper, degreased and the paint.

[@MakerPipe]

I never thought about Plasticcote. I bet that would be pretty cool. Thanks for your comment and feedback!

[@rachaelkirby1798]

I appreciate all the testing methods you did!

[@MakerPipe]

Thanks for watching Rachael!

[@kylehazachode]

I use a scotch brite pad soaked in lacquer thinner or pure acetone to clean the pipe. This also gets off those pesky barcode stickers and adhesives and roughens up the surface. I then use Adhesion Promoter instead of primer. Autozone sells Adhesion Promoter for dirt cheap. I can’t stand runny spray paint jobs, so I’ll do up to 6 thin coats of paint if it’s warm outside. I’ll add another coat of Adhesion Promoter after the first coat of paint.

[@MakerPipe]

That sounds like a good method! I'm glad you brought up the stickers because that's something I didn't mention in the video. Those can be pesky even if you're not painting the pipes.

[@Deaner3D]

spray on bedliner is excellent for permanent outdoor coating - harbor freight brand works, rustoleum also but slightly more expensive.

[@MakerPipe]

Nice! Thanks for the suggestion. We will have to give that a try.

[@johnwhan7288]

I was taught to take vinegar or acid to wipe the pipe. Later wash it off and let it dry. Then paint and it seems to adhere better?

[@dboyd8628]

Great info! Thank you!

[@MakerPipe]

Thanks for watching!

[@rondaroush]

Hi, I am attempting to paint on zinc organ pipes. The paint is not wanting to stick to the part that is zinc, even after degreasing and priming. The paint peels off. What am I doing wrong?

[@MakerPipe]

Hi ronda, sorry you’re having issues painting zinc pipes. One thing I read that helps is using white vinegar on the pipes. I tried and it didn’t show to improve the process very much but it may help your case if the paint is not sticking at all

[@jafruech]

Did you try using high heat engine enamel? You can use a heat gun to heat up the conduit, and then you have no air cure time needed

[@PNWLiving1725]

How many spray paint would it take to spray 10 pipes? At 10 ft each. 1 inch emt. So like 1 3/16 OD?

[@PNWLiving1725]

4, I found out that 3 was not enough.

[@rayndooma5624]

Yo Jake, thanks for another detailed video on how to customize our Maker Pipe builds. Testing all those different paint methods must have taken FOREVER. Are you guys going to offer more colors of the shrink wrap someday?

[@MakerPipe]

Thanks Ryan! Happy to help the community. It wasn’t too much time haha We will, but in the meantime you can get a ton of colors from this website. www.electriduct.com/

[@micro963]

Thank you for sharing👍👍👍

[@MakerPipe]

It's our pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@ramyakanlapuli3463]

Hi! How long do you let the primer dry before you go in with the spray paint for the best method?

[@MakerPipe]

Hey there thanks for the question. Not very long to be honest. Maybe half an hour or so. I did let the paint dry for 24 hours before the scratch test

[@timinwsac]

I've had good results using an orbital sander with a 40 grit sanding disk before hand.

[@MakerPipe]

Nice, thanks for the tip!

[@cracker141]

You chose auto primer as your primer for painting galvanized metal? The instructions on the can of primer say NOT to use on galvanized metal...

[@Airpaycheck]

Have you tried Plastidip? I see somebody asked a while back.

[@medallapueblo9032]

is vinegar really helping to help the painting stick to calvanized iron

[@MakerPipe]

Hi there, thanks for the question. It's not really for the paint adhesion specifically. The white vinegar is slightly acidic and helps prepare the galvanized steel for painting.

[@hufenator8100]

Paint before or after installing the MakerPipe connectors?

[@MakerPipe]

Its up to you! You can paint the MP connectors at the same time if you want them to be the same color as the pipes. If not then I'd paint the pipes first and then make the connections.

[@supernova8962]

So cool.

[@aaemmitchell2364]

you list several different paints used. I'm guessing you didn't use all of them on the black coating that was most successful. Other than the degreaser and the auto primer, what was the paint product you used to finish the black one that was most successful??

[@MakerPipe]

Hi there, thanks for the question. I first cleaned the pipe with the degreaser, then primed, then spray painted with this Rustoleum paint. www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Stops-Rust-12-oz-Protective-Enamel-Gloss-Black-Spray-Paint-7779830/202315069

[@jeffreyau1286]

Do u think I can use the same method to paint my Galvanized trailer?

[@MakerPipe]

I don't want to say 100% yes because I haven't tried it. I would recommend trying it on an inconspicuous spot somewhere on the trailer and see how it sticks. I imagine it would work just fine. Hope this helps!

[@DaOriginalMurdah]

To paint galvanized metal make sure to sand it with 150 or 180 grit really good. Then wipe it down with acetone or laquer/thinner. The prime with a self etching primer if you can get them through gallon containers... if not then a small amount in soeay can can be the in between coat to a DTM primer. Then your final paint. I would recommend a car paint and sealer instead of your regular house paint.

[@bobmiccolis3311]

What about using gun bluing - only one dark color, but should work easily on zinc treated metal.

[@MakerPipe]

Neat idea! I bet it would look good on the connectors as well.

[@IcanCwhatUsay]

How well does plasti-dip hold up on EMT pipes?

[@MakerPipe]

We’ve never tested it, but I don’t think it would hold too well to be honest. We will have to test it and get back with you!

[@rocinblues]

If it's metal, including conduit, just clean it and paint with enamel spray. I've had great luck using rubbing alcohol and a paper towel over other cleaning products.

[@MakerPipe]

Nice! Thanks for the recommendation. I like to hear what other solutions that people have found to be successful!

[@mrdinky1253]

Wrong primer. The primer you recommend says "Suitable for use on a variety of materials except-galvanized metals" A better primer would be Zinsser 123.

[@MakerPipe]

Thanks for the recommendation 👍

[@guckertott]

No way of knowing if the "right" primer would hold up any better than the "wrong" primer. Not unless you tested it against each other.

[@aaemmitchell8468]

@@MakerPipe I noticed the primer says this too. Is this primer what you’ve always used and does it hold over time? I’m willing to still give it a go if the results prove otherwise.

[@MakerPipe]

To be honest I haven't used this specific primer in any long term applications. We've had people in the community say that they use self etching primer but that also says not suitable for anything besides aluminum. I would use the 2n1 paint and primer or a primer that is compatible with galvanized materials.

[@gunfighterdrummer]

Ive seen a couple areas at my job that were painted throughout our slower work weeks, by non professional painters. Btw if you want something painted right dont get a non-professional painter to paint it.

[@MakerPipe]

That's a good rule of thumb for most projects!