You showed the easy part that is "Spray Paint". You did not showed how to remove the old tick paint and also rusted areas from this old vent. Normally old vents has rust and sometimes too much paint from previous painted houses. Can you show the removal process?
Next time it comes up we will. If there's a lot of rust I would use an electric palm sander to smooth it down, then spray primer on the vents, then spray paint. If the rust doe snot sand down gracefully enough to be camouflaged by the white paint then I would replace the vents.
@@jeffostroff That's the point, though. Anybody can respray a nice clean vent. It's getting off the eight layers of badly applied paint that previous users put on there. It is a nightmare job, especially since chemical paint strippers have gone eco, are now water-based,... and cause rust if you leave them on long enough to loosen the paint.
@@effyleven that's why I don't waste any time working on stripping and sanding vents, way too much labor for no return on it. I Only wash them, scrubbing with a ScotchBrite sponge, and if that does not clean it off, it ain't coming off! So what. I spray primer, then spray paint on it, spray the screws, and no matter what gook was on there before, the lipstick on a pig still looks better than what we started with, and everything is nice and bright white. From a distance you don't notice the flaws on the vent when it's all white. If a vent is in super bad shape and does not look better after painting, then you can buy a new one, but so far I have not had to buy a new vent cover since we adopted these methods years ago.
Me too ..I am in need of getting off layers of old paint from my registers .. as I can’t replace them they actually don’t sell our size anywhere, honest 😯 .. painting once clean be easy or buying new even easier .. that would be a dream. Help anyone
Common sense if it's too rusty, or clumped with paint, replace. If it's an off color, or nicotene stained like the vents in the old house I bought, paint. No brainer. If you want to spend your time sanding and stripping get after it. This video was about painting, not sanding old vents. It doesn't say how to sand and strip old vents. It says how to paint them.
*Solid, **Fastly.Cool** and gets the job done. For rooms where window-mounted air conditioning is not an option, this works very well. Easy set up, rapid cooling, and great design.*
What a cool UA-cam video. I'm about spent out with this remodel project and I really get tired of so many people and big box stores giving the impression we have to go out and buy new all the time. The other registers are in great condition, they just need a bit of cleaning and fresh paint. Another plus is when I go back to reinstall the registers they fit better, because the registers and screws go right back in the same holes. To restore 3 - 12" X 12" registers saved me nearly $100. Thanks Jeff!
Glad I could help Kimberly! I stopped buying new registers years ago! Also a lot of older registers are crazy sizes no longer made that you can't even find!
Thinned Kilz primer first pushed through a $10 horrible freight hvlp gun, then thined wall or ceiling paint through the same gun. You have to look to find my vents and returns. Nothing worse than an ugly white vent on a dark ceiling.
My air return grilles previously painted by home owners. Couldn't find my size in stores, so bought a can of spray paint. Didnt get primer, so hopefully this works! Thanks for reminding me about the screws!
i like to use rustoluem epoxy spray paint. its self leveling and leaves it looking brandnew.. also for the last coat close the vents for full coverage.
I did this today... just now watching your video. I did this for some commerical drop ceiling registers....new 2x2 would have been $60. I used the same spray paint, however I ran into some issues with solvent boil and then after I sanded the bubbles out and sprayed them again, the spray paint acted like paint stripper. I used the exact same 2x Rust-Oleum and it has always been good to me... All that being said, it was 87% humidity out when I sprayed them the first time, then I did it inside with a respirator mask and came out alot better but still had the above mentioned "paint stripping" look. This is after I bleached them, pressure washed them...wiped them down...
Holy cow 87% humidity must be unbearable. When I was filming in the back yard some tool review videos this week, it was 95 and 65% humidity, they say anything over 50% is uncomfortable.
First coat is always a dust coat so the paint doesn't lift. Second coat 20 minutes later a little heavier. 30 minutes or so later last coat "Hose it on, but not so much it runs. Auto body trick.
Mr. Jeff: I had an Evaporator Coil Cleaning done 10/21. I was actually going out of my mind with a stench odor in my room. I tried everything, and spraying the house after a while didn't get any better. Then I went, and took down my A/C Vent. These Units don't look dirty, but they actually collect particulars of dirt from the entire Duct Unit. I took CLR, sprayed two shots on my Vent. I actually was afraid to put this Unit directly in water. I took a damp toweling, and toothbrush, and went along the entire Units. It was dirty. Now, after drying the Vent, I replaced back in area, and would you believe no more stench smells? You have to be your own Mechanic.
What if I wanted to paint the register the same color as my wall? Start with primmer? Roller or brush? Do I do a light sandpaper to get it ready to paint (to take the paint)? Thank you so much! First timer, Jennifer :)
You can send it if you want to rough it up a little bit and then apply the primer and then the paint. I would not recommend a paintbrush I would either use a roller or spray it on.
Try soaking the Vents in HOT water, to get the old paint off. You might have to empty the bucket a couple of times but the paint pretty well peals off when soaked in hot water for an hour. Just scraps right off.
I understand this is 2 years old, but I just found you and subscribed. Can you share what white you're using? I know a lot of people think white is white...but no no no. Not the case at all.
I need to put a vent in the toe kick of my painted vanity. So I need it to match the vanity so I doubt I will be able to find a spray paint that closely matches and I don't have a sprayer. Is there a type of paint that would be good for brushing on?
I would not brush on I would roll it on with small rollers. Brushes will leave lines. If you can get a sample of the colored material to home depot, the size of a quarter is all they need to color match it with their optical scanning.
Nope, don't waste the time sanding or wire brushing. Sometimes if there is gunk on the AC vents, or huge amounts of dust, I'll vacuum off the vents off first, and if they need cleaning, run them under the sink and dry them off first. Depending on our logistics with the paint sprayer and if we are priming walls that day also, we will spray prime them first. Then when we switch to painting baseboards and doors, we spray with the white paint. If you are using spray paint cans from Home Depot, get one can of metal primer and one can of glossy white paint. Then you spray prime first, wait on hour or 2, and spray paint the AC vents.
Hornygundam agree ours has layers of flaky paint can’t replace no one sells our size anymore.. need to know how to get years of paint off ..if we use today’s store sizes we will need to redo our molding and drywall.. 🤦♀️
Not concerned baout spending all that time to get the white paint off. The idea is to do better than driving to the store to spend $25 on a new vent. So quick and dirty and no one can tell the difference. Once you spray prime and paint this vent, it looks brand new.
If the Metal Grates were already hit with Paint but have Dust, Dirt and Grime Stuck to them, should you just Paint over all of it or should you Clean that stuff off first, (but if so what Solution should you use and what sort of Cleaning Utensil)
Yes any particles that are sticking up you want to try to sand down first, otherwise there's been a few cases where I just prime and painted right over it because you know it's not going to come off and you don't wanna spend all day sending it either for a $20 AC vent. For that matter you might as well just buy a new one but I find that once they are painted and they look better than they did before.
Mine was from a house from 1971 and the dimensions are no longer available. I had all old paint removed with paint stripper and the after cleaned completely I apply a coat of primer and then paint. It got like new.
Neither do I , but normal house owners know someone with a sprayer, or you do it with cans of spray paint. We have done both methods, and both are quite effective.
great for 4 months then turns to crap. cant clean. orange peel/ dirt drips/ sags- never looks good again have them powder coated. before u put on paint! which cant be powdered now. primer is a must 1st
Those air vents were unpainted brand new otherwise there would have been some sort of sanding involved. I'm guessing it's not worth the time to sand and repaint the old ones. This video is kinda click bait.😔
This is how we do it to all register vents painted or not so there's nothing clickbait about it this is our standard procedure no we don't bother sanding which is a joke and a waste of time all we do is vacuum off and wash the registers first to make sure they're clean and then we primed them and paint them and that's all there is to it then they come out looking very nice
@@jeffostroff the only reason I say click bait is because you restored nothing. The vents I'm dealing with were painted horribly. It's so bad the excess paint makes it look like the vents are bent and no where near straight. Without removing that paint somehow I fear lipstick will not help this pig. Thankyou for responding. I like your videos and 2 seconds from now I will be a subscriber.
@@CasaBonitaSucks If the paint on the original registers is that bad then it needs to be removed and sanding I don't think will work you'll have to use that orange paint removing gel that they sell down the paint tile at Home Depot which I've done before on a fuse panel and it strips all the old paint off and you just basically scrape it off with a paint scraper after you let it soak for a while then you have almost bare metal essentially and you just spray paint right back up over that
You showed the easy part that is "Spray Paint". You did not showed how to remove the old tick paint and also rusted areas from this old vent. Normally old vents has rust and sometimes too much paint from previous painted houses. Can you show the removal process?
Next time it comes up we will. If there's a lot of rust I would use an electric palm sander to smooth it down, then spray primer on the vents, then spray paint. If the rust doe snot sand down gracefully enough to be camouflaged by the white paint then I would replace the vents.
@@jeffostroff That's the point, though. Anybody can respray a nice clean vent.
It's getting off the eight layers of badly applied paint that previous users put on there. It is a nightmare job, especially since chemical paint strippers have gone eco, are now water-based,... and cause rust if you leave them on long enough to loosen the paint.
@@effyleven that's why I don't waste any time working on stripping and sanding vents, way too much labor for no return on it. I Only wash them, scrubbing with a ScotchBrite sponge, and if that does not clean it off, it ain't coming off! So what. I spray primer, then spray paint on it, spray the screws, and no matter what gook was on there before, the lipstick on a pig still looks better than what we started with, and everything is nice and bright white. From a distance you don't notice the flaws on the vent when it's all white. If a vent is in super bad shape and does not look better after painting, then you can buy a new one, but so far I have not had to buy a new vent cover since we adopted these methods years ago.
Me too ..I am in need of getting off layers of old paint from my registers .. as I can’t replace them they actually don’t sell our size anywhere, honest 😯 .. painting once clean be easy or buying new even easier .. that would be a dream. Help anyone
Common sense if it's too rusty, or clumped with paint, replace. If it's an off color, or nicotene stained like the vents in the old house I bought, paint. No brainer. If you want to spend your time sanding and stripping get after it. This video was about painting, not sanding old vents. It doesn't say how to sand and strip old vents. It says how to paint them.
*Solid, **Fastly.Cool** and gets the job done. For rooms where window-mounted air conditioning is not an option, this works very well. Easy set up, rapid cooling, and great design.*
What a cool UA-cam video. I'm about spent out with this remodel project and I really get tired of so many people and big box stores giving the impression we have to go out and buy new all the time. The other registers are in great condition, they just need a bit of cleaning and fresh paint. Another plus is when I go back to reinstall the registers they fit better, because the registers and screws go right back in the same holes. To restore 3 - 12" X 12" registers saved me nearly $100. Thanks Jeff!
Thank you! You just saved me a ton of money! I couldn't believe the price on these registers. Thank you for sharing!
Glad I could help Kimberly! I stopped buying new registers years ago! Also a lot of older registers are crazy sizes no longer made that you can't even find!
What tricks do you use when painting AC registers? Let us know in the comments below.
Thinned Kilz primer first pushed through a $10 horrible freight hvlp gun, then thined wall or ceiling paint through the same gun. You have to look to find my vents and returns. Nothing worse than an ugly white vent on a dark ceiling.
@@jagboy69 To be clear, you paint the registers the same color as the wall, correct?
@@Methodical2 I paint them ceiling color, they disappear on darker colors this way.😉
Great. I was thinking about this and I think I will paint them the same color as the wall and/or ceiling.
@@Methodical2 The trick is to spray primer on them first. Don't get silly and go thick with primer or paint or you'll have trouble moving the louvers.
My air return grilles previously painted by home owners. Couldn't find my size in stores, so bought a can of spray paint. Didnt get primer, so hopefully this works! Thanks for reminding me about the screws!
Awesome cat let us know how they turned out
i like to use rustoluem epoxy spray paint. its self leveling and leaves it looking brandnew.. also for the last coat close the vents for full coverage.
Great idea, thanks Ben!
I did this today... just now watching your video. I did this for some commerical drop ceiling registers....new 2x2 would have been $60. I used the same spray paint, however I ran into some issues with solvent boil and then after I sanded the bubbles out and sprayed them again, the spray paint acted like paint stripper. I used the exact same 2x Rust-Oleum and it has always been good to me...
All that being said, it was 87% humidity out when I sprayed them the first time, then I did it inside with a respirator mask and came out alot better but still had the above mentioned "paint stripping" look. This is after I bleached them, pressure washed them...wiped them down...
Holy cow 87% humidity must be unbearable. When I was filming in the back yard some tool review videos this week, it was 95 and 65% humidity, they say anything over 50% is uncomfortable.
@@jeffostroff when you live in Florida, you kind of become somewhat use to high humidity.
First coat is always a dust coat so the paint doesn't lift. Second coat 20 minutes later a little heavier. 30 minutes or so later last coat "Hose it on, but not so much it runs. Auto body trick.
Mr. Jeff: I had an Evaporator Coil Cleaning done 10/21. I was actually going out of my mind with a stench odor in my room. I tried everything, and spraying the house after a while didn't get any better. Then I went, and took down my A/C Vent. These Units don't look dirty, but they actually collect particulars of dirt from the entire Duct Unit. I took CLR, sprayed two shots on my Vent. I actually was afraid to put this Unit directly in water. I took a damp toweling, and toothbrush, and went along the entire Units. It was dirty. Now, after drying the Vent, I replaced back in area, and would you believe no more stench smells? You have to be your own Mechanic.
yes we often wash them in the sink in very sudsy Amway LOC cleaner, then dry them out in the sun
What if I wanted to paint the register the same color as my wall? Start with primmer? Roller or brush? Do I do a light sandpaper to get it ready to paint (to take the paint)? Thank you so much! First timer, Jennifer :)
You can send it if you want to rough it up a little bit and then apply the primer and then the paint. I would not recommend a paintbrush I would either use a roller or spray it on.
Try soaking the Vents in HOT water, to get the old paint off. You might have to empty the bucket a couple of times but the paint pretty well peals off when soaked in hot water for an hour. Just scraps right off.
I have also used paint gel to removing it, much more thorough
Well that's all well and good if you have a professional sprayer most people don't have one of those just laying around
I've done it with spray cans myself many times try that
I got the same spray paint can, rust-oleum, can't remember if paint & primer, hope it is!
I understand this is 2 years old, but I just found you and subscribed. Can you share what white you're using? I know a lot of people think white is white...but no no no. Not the case at all.
I need to put a vent in the toe kick of my painted vanity. So I need it to match the vanity so I doubt I will be able to find a spray paint that closely matches and I don't have a sprayer. Is there a type of paint that would be good for brushing on?
I would not brush on I would roll it on with small rollers. Brushes will leave lines. If you can get a sample of the colored material to home depot, the size of a quarter is all they need to color match it with their optical scanning.
Thank you!
you are welcome, hanks watching our video!
Should the vents be wire brushed and/or sanded first, and if so, using what?
Nope, don't waste the time sanding or wire brushing. Sometimes if there is gunk on the AC vents, or huge amounts of dust, I'll vacuum off the vents off first, and if they need cleaning, run them under the sink and dry them off first. Depending on our logistics with the paint sprayer and if we are priming walls that day also, we will spray prime them first. Then when we switch to painting baseboards and doors, we spray with the white paint. If you are using spray paint cans from Home Depot, get one can of metal primer and one can of glossy white paint. Then you spray prime first, wait on hour or 2, and spray paint the AC vents.
you should take steps to clean with abrasives at minimum or I guarantee you will see the paint start to flake off within a few years.
Hornygundam agree ours has layers of flaky paint can’t replace no one sells our size anymore.. need to know how to get years of paint off ..if we use today’s store sizes we will need to redo our molding and drywall.. 🤦♀️
@@kathbiddle-dutton7069 citrus strip gel will work. Messy but it will work. Then pressure wash it and wipe with mineral spirits.
Can this been done to the modern plastic ones? Or just Metal vents?
Yes you can do it to anything, The key is spraying the primer first.
Can you do a video where you restore the painted ones back to aluminum?
Probably will never do that, I usually paint them nice shiny white
Oh and add White Vinegar to the water and soak the a/c grill overnight. Use a toothbrush to get those hard to reach areas. Then sand any rusted areas.
Not concerned baout spending all that time to get the white paint off. The idea is to do better than driving to the store to spend $25 on a new vent. So quick and dirty and no one can tell the difference. Once you spray prime and paint this vent, it looks brand new.
Would you recommend two coats of paint & primer or applying paint separately from primer?
I prefer the primer first, dry for an hour, then paint, 2 coats if needed on the paint.
Mine are white and I want to paint them brown. Can these typically be taken apart so I can spray the fins?
No, you can spray the fins directly through the front openings, and flip over and spray from back
@@jeffostroff Thanks for answering. I haven't yet taken one down to have a look.
If the Metal Grates were already hit with Paint but have Dust, Dirt and Grime Stuck to them, should you just Paint over all of it or should you Clean that stuff off first, (but if so what Solution should you use and what sort of Cleaning Utensil)
Yes any particles that are sticking up you want to try to sand down first, otherwise there's been a few cases where I just prime and painted right over it because you know it's not going to come off and you don't wanna spend all day sending it either for a $20 AC vent. For that matter you might as well just buy a new one but I find that once they are painted and they look better than they did before.
What do you use to clean them before you paint?
I wash them in the sink soap and water. It mostly does not clean off so primer ad pant right over it.
@@jeffostroff Thanks
Mine was from a house from 1971 and the dimensions are no longer available. I had all old paint removed with paint stripper and the after cleaned completely I apply a coat of primer and then paint. It got like new.
Tet application of how the process should work. Good job!
Thanks
No problem
Normal house owners don’t have sprayers :-)
Neither do I , but normal house owners know someone with a sprayer, or you do it with cans of spray paint. We have done both methods, and both are quite effective.
Harbor freight has them for like 30 bucks lol
The special effects sounds are just way too loud and silly
silly?
great for 4 months then turns to crap. cant clean. orange peel/ dirt drips/ sags-
never looks good again have them powder coated. before u put on paint! which cant be powdered now. primer is a must 1st
We always primer first. Nobody else primes, that is key to getting the paint to last
Thank you for the help but please get a haircut that's not stuck in the 80's you can shave off five years with a new dew
I Love my hair!
Those air vents were unpainted brand new otherwise there would have been some sort of sanding involved. I'm guessing it's not worth the time to sand and repaint the old ones. This video is kinda click bait.😔
This is how we do it to all register vents painted or not so there's nothing clickbait about it this is our standard procedure no we don't bother sanding which is a joke and a waste of time all we do is vacuum off and wash the registers first to make sure they're clean and then we primed them and paint them and that's all there is to it then they come out looking very nice
@@jeffostroff the only reason I say click bait is because you restored nothing. The vents I'm dealing with were painted horribly. It's so bad the excess paint makes it look like the vents are bent and no where near straight. Without removing that paint somehow I fear lipstick will not help this pig. Thankyou for responding. I like your videos and 2 seconds from now I will be a subscriber.
@@CasaBonitaSucks If the paint on the original registers is that bad then it needs to be removed and sanding I don't think will work you'll have to use that orange paint removing gel that they sell down the paint tile at Home Depot which I've done before on a fuse panel and it strips all the old paint off and you just basically scrape it off with a paint scraper after you let it soak for a while then you have almost bare metal essentially and you just spray paint right back up over that
@@jeffostroff I use a small suction feed sand blaster with my air compressor. Then prime & paint and looks new.