# Painting Galvanized EMT Conduit



## Lakesidex (Oct 9, 2011)

Ok guys. I have a Post and Beam contemporary house where they have run cat5 wiring on the walls. Also there is some exposed Romex in a few places on the ceiling. 
Homeowner wants to encapsulate both these types of wires in Galvanized EMT Conduit and have the conduit painted a bronzed type color to match the barn-board walls. They also want to install this conduit as curtain rods to match and paint the same color. 
I'm worried about the curtain rods chipping since they will be used on large windows with heavy drapes and with some kind of metal clips, and opened and closed every day. 
I'm thinking about washing with vinegar, sanding with 220, then washing with vinegar again. At this point can I go with an oil-base metal paint or should I use some sort of etching primer. Everything is interior and will only be exposed to strong sunlight. 
Any biters


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## PRC (Aug 28, 2014)

Oil primer won't hold to galvanized for long. Use stix or some other WB primer. I'd be leary of the curtain rods seems like it's bound to fail at some point.


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

If the conduit is a galvanized metal, I would think it appropriate to use a DTM acrylic as a primer. I'm not sure an oil is necessary. Then again, I've never dealt with this exact situation before. I understand your concerns for durability.


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## JourneymanBrian (Mar 16, 2015)

alkyd wont hold. Wash it with ammonia first


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

SemiproJohn said:


> If the conduit is a galvanized metal, I would think it appropriate to use a DTM acrylic as a primer. I'm not sure an oil is necessary. Then again, I've never dealt with this exact situation before. I understand your concerns for durability.


I was checking out a site that references the NEC recommendation for corrosion control on EMT, and they describe using acrylic paint but never oil or alkyd.

Now the OP has a couple of things going on here.

1. He needs to match the aesthetic decor of the room. Simple solution would be to apply a couple of coats of a DTM as Semiprojohn suggested. Prep should be no more then a mild degreaser given that there is unlikely any passification.

2. The OP also needs a coating that will hold up to the friction caused by curtain hooks sliding from one end to the other. Depending on the frequency of sliding, a powder coating might be the best abrasive resistant coating for this application. You'd be surprised just how affordable powder coating is.


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## Tundra02 (Oct 22, 2014)

What about a water born pre cat epoxie


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

CApainter said:


> I was checking out a site that references the NEC recommendation for corrosion control on EMT, and they describe using acrylic paint but never oil or alkyd.
> 
> Now the OP has a couple of things going on here.
> 
> ...


*
*
I never thought of powder coating as an option. That does seem to be an excellent suggestion, as it should hold up better than any type of paint.


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## Lakesidex (Oct 9, 2011)

CApainter said:


> I was checking out a site that references the NEC recommendation for corrosion control on EMT, and they describe using acrylic paint but never oil or alkyd.
> 
> Now the OP has a couple of things going on here.
> 
> ...


I will take a look at the powder coating. 
Too bad the conduit isn't just plain steel on the outside. would probably make painting easier.


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## Ohio Painter (Dec 22, 2014)

Avoid the oil primer and oil finish as it will react to the galvanize metal and peel. Prep with vinegar and use a water based metal primer such as Procryl. Finish with Shurcryl or DTM.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Saponification is the word of the day.


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## riskend (Jan 25, 2015)

Degreaser essential, acrylic/latex straight over the cable conduit because it's a frilly ornament.
Curtain rails acrylic primer tie-coat then 2pot epoxy for the wear factor. You guys must have this inversion of the old school rule.
Save the powder coating for someone who wants a cheap thrill. Awful development although useful, if you are overloaded with the real deal.
Saponification indeed, y'all cheer me up, thanks


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

riskend said:


> Degreaser essential, acrylic/latex straight over the cable conduit because it's a frilly ornament.
> Curtain rails acrylic primer tie-coat then 2pot epoxy for the wear factor. You guys must have this inversion of the old school rule.
> Save the powder coating for someone who wants a cheap thrill. Awful development although useful, if you are overloaded with the real deal.
> Saponification indeed, y'all cheer me up, thanks


 I try!


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## CRS (Apr 13, 2013)

Can't beat the thermoset/cross linking coatings for wear on the rods.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

riskend said:


> Degreaser essential, acrylic/latex straight over the cable conduit because it's a frilly ornament.
> Curtain rails acrylic primer tie-coat then 2pot epoxy for the wear factor. You guys must have this inversion of the old school rule.
> Save the powder coating for someone who wants a cheap thrill. Awful development although useful, if you are overloaded with the real deal.
> Saponification indeed, y'all cheer me up, thanks


1. Did you mean aversion?

2. Powder coating is widely used in the coating industry. Particularly for performance in industrial settings. It has excellent chemical and abrasion resistance, and typically has a quick turnaround for items the size of the one discussed here.

3. By "the real deal" do you mean that powder coating would be better suited if you had many many items on a daily bases?

At the end of the day, a DTM like PPG Pitt Tech Plus or SW Procryl is all one needs for the item discussed in this thread. But you have to present the options.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

keep in mind that there is a range of quality in powder coatings very similar to what there is in paints. Also, there isn't nearly as much flexibility of color in powder coatings as there is with paint. You can get pretty much any color, but it can be very expensive to get a small quantity of powder made to a particular color spec.

The DTM product would be a good choice, but also keep in mind that they have that acrylic cure time issue. The longer they get to cure before being put in service the better. The "bronze" color may be an issue with the DTM products if it is a true metallic bronze that they want.


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

All that conduit you see on the front walls of your local Home Depot, and snaking everywhere, they're coated with an alkyd.
I know this because years ago when they were popping up everywhere, I applied DuLux/DeVoe alkyd to a few locations.
Two coats, and go.

The struggle is REAL.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

WisePainter said:


> All that conduit you see on the front walls of your local Home Depot, and snaking everywhere, they're coated with an alkyd.
> I know this because years ago when they were popping up everywhere, I applied DuLux/DeVoe alkyd to a few locations.
> Two coats, and go.
> 
> The struggle is REAL.


 Uh, why were they popping again? If they were painted to spec when that HD was built, the paint on that conduit would have lasted 20 years or more easy. I sold the paint for almost every Home Depot built in Southern California in the late 80's and 90's. The spec on that conduit was SW DTM, but is was twice as expensive than the Frazee alkyd industrial enamel, so that's what was used out there. Lasted no more than 5-6 years before it started peeling off. I am curious as to what was actually used on that conduit when it was initially painted. The GC's on those HD jobs were so overwhelmed most of the time the painters could have used horse manure to paint that conduit and they never would have known it.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

There's that word again! S a p o n I f I c a t I o n! Read it, learn it, live it!



http://www.paintinfo.com/cn/cnp-006.shtml


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

or here for you SW fans.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...eling-cracking/peeling-from-galvanized-metal/


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## Lakesidex (Oct 9, 2011)

Opti-Bond Alkyd Multi-Surface Coating looks interesting. With its portland base I wonder how chip resistant it would be?

http://protective.sherwin-williams.com/detail.jsp?A=sku-25951:product-6769


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## riskend (Jan 25, 2015)

CApainter said:


> 1. Did you mean aversion?
> 
> 2. Powder coating is widely used in the coating industry. Particularly for performance in industrial settings. It has excellent chemical and abrasion resistance, and typically has a quick turnaround for items the size of the one discussed here.
> 
> ...


 Took me a while to get back. Inversion as in no sovent over acrylic. This works in certain situations. I have reservations about the necessity but 
with the advent of SW polysiloxanes I am prepared for the worst.
The real deal means white blast, thermal arc, benched or site, and 
solvent-based two pots.
The fundamental principles don't change, industrial or domestic. If you can, do it right, if you can't , accept the karma.
PPG, I like it, certainly the isocyanates, now we're talking paint.:detective:


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

riskend said:


> Took me a while to get back. Inversion as in no sovent over acrylic. This works in certain situations. I have reservations about the necessity but
> with the advent of SW polysiloxanes I am prepared for the worst.
> The real deal means white blast, thermal arc, benched or site, and
> solvent-based two pots.
> ...


I've been experimenting with PPG 700SX Polysiloxane. It's a very promising replacement for polyurethanes because of the absence of isocyanates. But it's quite expensive. 

I still think two coats of waterborne acrylic DTM (PPG Pitt Tech Plus) would work fine. Plus, you can tint it to match everything else. I wouldn't use as it as an interior trim paint other than the rods.


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