# Colored EMT



## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I have painted EMT and RMC flat black with spray paint, it's very easy and has held up great. I did it in place after it was installed but I didn't have to deal with overspray, the wall was flat black anyway. 

If you do it in the shop I don't see how you're going to avoid scraping paint in the field for the compression fittings. You could mask off the ends but where you cut you'll have to scrape. I also skeptical you can bend it without messing up the finish. And painting comrpession fittings in advance without gumming up the contact surfaces might be very difficult. 

I will say Rustoleum is flexible and durable but takes forever to dry, Krylon dries fast but I don't think it's as durable. If I did it in the shop I'd use Rustoleum, in the field Krylon. 

If it's got to look good it's likely the Atkote colored EMT is worth what it costs.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

It doesn’t even need to be painted just thought it would look nice and make for great portfolio photos. I have room in the accepted bid to take the extra step and still be very profitable. 

It would def get scratched from installation that’s why I was figuring a second spray coat after installation. Ordering the preprinted stuff is decently priced at $100 for 100’. but shipping works out to $150 per 100’ I need like 300’ 


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

I believe ordering colored emt is less than an extra $1 per 10ft stick. Could be wrong, but my understanding is it's really cheap.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I think I'd offer them the colored EMT for a straight reimbursement on the extra cost, or they can paint it themselves in place, leave the painting to a painter. 



WronGun said:


> It doesn’t even need to be painted just thought it would look nice and make for great portfolio photos. I have room in the accepted bid to take the extra step and still be very profitable.
> 
> It would def get scratched from installation that’s why I was figuring a second spray coat after installation. Ordering the preprinted stuff is decently priced at $100 for 100’. but shipping works out to $150 per 100’ I need like 300’
> 
> ...


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## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

When we did this type of work, everything was bent in advance, then we sent it to an auto shop to get blasted then painted. We got sample sizes of the colours that we used for touch-up during assembly. After years later, the only thing that is "worn" is the screws that are holding on the straps. Used stainless screws, but the touch-up paint did not adhere like the rest of the couplings, straps, boxes, etc.

Cheers
John


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

WronGun said:


> Do you guys order it or paint it yourself ? I need to run 150’ of emt.
> 
> It’s for a long brick building storefront/sidewalk area (7 shops/restaurants) very industrial/city area we are using 16” black gooseneck fixtures to light up entrance and sidewalks Using 200 watt equivalent decorator clear LED lamps
> 
> ...


Our supply house carries several colors.
I had to install some surface mounted EMT on a freshly painted white wall. I used white EMT and just painted the couplings in the parking lot. 
BTW. The painted pipe is the same price as regular pipe. It had a pretty tough finish almost like it was powder coated.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

Southeast Power said:


> Our supply house carries several colors.
> I had to install some surface mounted EMT on a freshly painted white wall. I used white EMT and just painted the couplings in the parking lot.
> BTW. The painted pipe is the same price as regular pipe. It had a pretty tough finish almost like it was powder coated.


Cost isn’t bad at all for the pipe, shipping kills it. Shipping is $450 for 300’ of 1/2”

Total for 300’ 1/2” black emt $800 with tax 


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## Yankee77 (Oct 5, 2020)

Coloring conduit is ridiculous, and I wonder if it effects conductor heat dissipation


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## Yankee77 (Oct 5, 2020)

Southeast Power said:


> Our supply house carries several colors.
> I had to install some surface mounted EMT on a freshly painted white wall. I used white EMT and just painted the couplings in the parking lot.
> BTW. *The painted pipe is the same price as regular pipe.* It had a pretty tough finish almost like it was powder coated.


.....until it’s a code requirement, than the price goes way up


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

WronGun said:


> Cost isn’t bad at all for the pipe, shipping kills it. Shipping is $450 for 300’ of 1/2”
> 
> Total for 300’ 1/2” black emt $800 with tax
> 
> ...


Your supply house can't get from their supplier, or is it the supply house ripping you off.?


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

Maybe the 1/2” is the problem. I would avoid 1/2” anyhow. To wavy. Did you ask about 3/4”. White and red 3/4” is almost as common as unpainted. For some colors though there might be a minimum order size.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

We keep 1/2 EMT for stakes.
We will use it if we have to.


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## The_Modifier (Oct 24, 2009)

WronGun said:


> Total for 300’ 1/2” black emt $800 with tax


Stop being so cheap! #BlackConduitMatters.


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

The_Modifier said:


> Stop being so cheap! #BlackConduitMatters.


Too soon...


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

WronGun said:


> Cost isn’t bad at all for the pipe, shipping kills it. Shipping is $450 for 300’ of 1/2”
> 
> Total for 300’ 1/2” black emt $800 with tax
> 
> ...


Colored pipe is so common theses days, they need to be re-thinking that. Black, white and red are almost everywhere now, green in hospitals. 
Getting the black would save you a bunch of time and its all listed and labelled and all that bs.
BTW what the hell happened to your avatar? haha


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## The_Modifier (Oct 24, 2009)

WannabeTesla said:


> Too soon...


What's wrong with calling people out as cheap?


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

Outdoors run aluminum and paint with oil or acrylic. 


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## Yankee77 (Oct 5, 2020)

Signal1 said:


> Colored pipe is so common theses days, they need to be re-thinking that. Black, white and red are almost everywhere now, green in hospitals.
> Getting the black would save you a bunch of time and its all listed and labelled and all that bs.
> BTW what the hell happened to your avatar? haha


It is not common, red every 10’ for FA is the only colored conduit that is common. Stop letting the manufactures dictate code, colored conduit is ridiculous


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

Yankee77 said:


> It is not common, red every 10’ for FA is the only colored conduit that is common. Stop letting the manufactures dictate code, colored conduit is ridiculous


Red every 10’? I thought the code was to identify all junction boxes. Most of the time it’s by painting the plate red, but just writing “F/A” on the cover should suffice. Anything more than that seems to be a job spec.

We always do the fire alarm in red conduit. The last job it was in the specs like usual. I kept telling the painter not to spray it white, but he said his contract was to white everything out. Seems his contract excluded everything. I’m surprised it didn’t exclude painting.
In the end when the CM engineers did their walk through, they picked up on it. At first they put it on us. But we did our part and it was on the painter to go back and paint. Since the guy was a douch, I wasn’t going back to show him what was F/A and what wasn’t, “That’s not in my contract”. The job was all exposed ceilings, so everything was in conduit.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

There's not much colored conduit around here. The really super spiff places like the one pharmaceutical plant uses it but there isn't a toy they don't


VELOCI3 said:


> Outdoors run aluminum and paint with oil or acrylic.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That's interesting - does aluminum take paint better than galvanized?


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## CTshockhazard (Aug 28, 2009)

splatz said:


> That's interesting - does aluminum take paint better than galvanized?


I'm interested too. I'm no painter, but I thought unless it's anodized, aluminum requires an etching primer which would double the work.


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

Yankee77 said:


> It is not common, red every 10’ for FA is the only colored conduit that is common. Stop letting the manufactures dictate code, colored conduit is ridiculous


I used 20,000 feet of white in a shopping mall with open truss ceilings. spec by the architect. (not the code). That was over ten years ago. Many hospitals in my area spec green for hospital grade circuits and red for fire alarm. this is usually in the plans. Sometime the blueprints are even drawn in color now , so I don't know where the hell you've been.
In the 80's I used to paint all the couplings and j-box covers to be marked every 10' , I haven't done that in 25 years because its easier the just buy the pipe.

If you think it's ridiculous then don't use it, who cares, I do what my client asks for.


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

splatz said:


> There's not much colored conduit around here. The really super spiff places like the one pharmaceutical plant uses it but there isn't a toy they don't
> 
> That's interesting - does aluminum take paint better than galvanized?


Aluminum takes the paint. I love aluminum in cooling tower areas. After 20 years with no coating it still looks brand new. Galvanized starts to breakdown in areas that were poorly manufactured. 


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## Yankee77 (Oct 5, 2020)

Signal1 said:


> I used 20,000 feet of white in a shopping mall with open truss ceilings. spec by the architect. (not the code). That was over ten years ago. Many hospitals in my area spec green for hospital grade circuits and red for fire alarm. this is usually in the plans. Sometime the blueprints are even drawn in color now , so I don't know where the hell you've been.
> In the 80's I used to paint all the couplings and j-box covers to be marked every 10' , I haven't done that in 25 years because its easier the just buy the pipe.
> 
> If you think it's ridiculous then don't use it, who cares, I do what my client asks for.


It’s your client wants it and pays the extra cost, no issue with me, as long as the coat of paint doesn’t effect the conductors heat dissipation.


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

The_Modifier said:


> What's wrong with calling people out as cheap?


Heh heh heh!


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

Yankee77 said:


> It’s your client wants it and pays the extra cost, no issue with me, as long as the coat of paint doesn’t effect the conductors heat dissipation.


It's listed and labelled for use, which is why I think it's a better option than painting it in the field. 
In reality there's probably millions of miles of conduit that's been painted in place over and over again and it's fine.


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