Painting plates

I have a customer that wants to paint the switch/receptacle electrical plates (hopefully not the devices. ). The ones I plan to install are the unbreakable nylon kind. They have a kind of matte finish on them. Will these take paint very well and will it be very durable as it will get touched quite a bit. What would be the best way to paint these?

I also saw some powder coated painted plates. Would these take paint better?

 

I suppose talking the customer out of painting the plates isn't an option

Probably the best bet would be to use a paint formulated for plastic like those krylon spray cans..... but that would limit your color selection. Latex paint should adhere ok especially if you add some emulsa bond to the paint. I would think a light sanding with some fine sandpaper would also help. Be sure to use a quality latex enamel, they both wear and bond better than their cheaper counterpart.

I'm not familiar with the powder coated plates but generally powder coats dry so hard it's difficult to get a good bond when repainting.

 

I've always been skeptical of how this kind of work would hold up - a lot of dirty fingers touch these things

 

Well...I painted some plastic (not sure if they were nylon) plates when I couldn't get a 4 gang in the same type of stainless finish as the rest of the house.

I experimented a bit and used an automotive touch up paint that was a very close match, cleaned the plates well, wipe down with alcohol, 2 coats of paint, then a clear topcoat. It has no chips or scratches and they clean up just fine. These are the plates at the front and back doors so they get a fair amount of use. Don't know whether something like a bathroom would work differently.

I actually did the same thing the ugly gold framed sliding mirror closet doors that were here. Bit of work and quite a few cans of paint...but they turned out very nice and waay cheaper than new doors.

You definitely have to follow the recoating directions and let the paint fully cure...seems to stay kinda soft for a while.

 

I painted all mine with latex wall paint....they look good and have lasted very well!! Just rough them up with some sand paper and they are good to go!!

 

Thanks for the replies I would like to talk her out of painting the plates as it is a pet peeve of mine. Worse yet is painting the devices!

 

What about suggesting clear faced plates that you put a swatch of wall paper in,

thinned paint to create any color stain on wooden plates that could be finished,

Ceramic plates can be painted with ceramic paint and then turned in to be glazed. UL listed? uhh .... They sell 'em at ceramics shops.

This brain storm brought to you by a shared aversion to painted switch covers and doorknobs.

hey what about these... they're not too tacky are they?

 

Hmmm, I dont think they are "tacky", no. :P :P :P (lolololol)