Painting Stainless Chimney Black

[Nate R]

Getting closer to my wood stove and chimney install this fall, new construction. Starting to buy the individual parts to figure things out.

I'm doing Selkirk's DVL double wall Stove pipe out of my stove, and into a cathedral ceiling box with Supervent for the chimney. Using the "standard" (vs "deluxe") rain cap with spark arrestor so I can keep birds out. I'd like to paint the stainless chimney, galvanized support arm, and flashing/storm collar black.

I read through some old threads, but some details have made me pause.....I see that Homesaver makes a black paint for stainless, but then found it is supposedly "Not rated for extended exposure to sun." Has anyone used this on an exterior portion of stainless? Any idea how it holds up? I only saw that warning on one seller's site, not anywhere else.....

Should I use the Homesaver Stainless Black on the portion of the chimney below the chimney support (visible inside portion), and then use Stove Bright hi temp above it with a vinegar and/or acetone prep and sanding?
Any experience or opinions here on paint prep and brands for the exterior?

 

[Prof]

I have used it on 2 exterior chimneys 5yrs ago. One has some paint missing in one area, but is mostly still black. Not sure if there was residue on the pipe that kept the paint from sticking in that area or if it is critter-related. The other is holding up fine.

 

[begreen]

I put a stainless steel flashing skirt on our house where it meets the patio. There is about 5" exposed and I didn't want to see the shiny steel there so I painted it with a Rustoleum satin black metal paint. It faces south, so lots of sun exposure as well as rain. That was 15 yrs ago. It still looks good and there has been no flaking or peeling.

 

[Rob_Red]

I can say from my experience with Autobody, painting galvanized steel and or stainless is tricky, not impossible but tricky. Getting the paint to stick can be a gamble even if you do everything right.

The key will be getting a good scuff on the part and wiping it down with a good solvent based degreaser. Depending on the product a primer may be needed to adhere to the metal, if this is the case don’t skip this part.

I have had good luck with SEM products. If you have an autobody supply place near by, it wouldn’t hurt to swing in there and see what they have in a spray can that they recommend.

 

[begreen]

Good tips. I scuffed up the stainless with a hand sander and something like 220 grit I think. Then wiped it down with alcohol before painting. The Rustoleum didn't need a primer. Quite honestly, by now I expected to be repainting it, but it's still fine.

 

[Nate R]

Thanks for the tips! I think I'm going to give the special stainless paint a shot for the chimney, but likely rustoleum or something specialized for galvanized for the roof flashing and the chimney support arm. I'll post how it all turns out.

 

[Jp.sherer11]

Getting closer to my wood stove and chimney install this fall, new construction. Starting to buy the individual parts to figure things out.

I'm doing Selkirk's DVL double wall Stove pipe out of my stove, and into a cathedral ceiling box with Supervent for the chimney. Using the "standard" (vs "deluxe") rain cap with spark arrestor so I can keep birds out. I'd like to paint the stainless chimney, galvanized support arm, and flashing/storm collar black.

I read through some old threads, but some details have made me pause.....I see that Homesaver makes a black paint for stainless, but then found it is supposedly "Not rated for extended exposure to sun." Has anyone used this on an exterior portion of stainless? Any idea how it holds up? I only saw that warning on one seller's site, not anywhere else.....

Should I use the Homesaver Stainless Black on the portion of the chimney below the chimney support (visible inside portion), and then use Stove Bright hi temp above it with a vinegar and/or acetone prep and sanding?
Any experience or opinions here on paint prep and brands for the exterior?

How’s the black paint holding up? In the same boat with a new jotul f500 install. Wife wants the stainless pipe painted black..

 

[Nate R]

How’s the black paint holding up? In the same boat with a new jotul f500 install. Wife wants the stainless pipe painted black..

I found the paint didn't adhere very well, at least the way I prepped, etc. It easily scratched off of both the stainless and the flashing paint off of the galvy flashing and support arms.

More pics/info here: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/jotul-f100-install-with-selkirk-dsp-and-supervent.188119/

I ended up touching it up with more spray once it was in place to go over scratches. Haven't noticed any flaking or anything since. Galvy flashing paint in Charcoal color is more gray than the stainless black paint. But, in the air, you don't notice the difference. Wife gave it the seal of approval.

Let us know how it goes for you, or what you use!