Thinking of painting some of my components white, what paint should I use?

[Besty007]

I'm looking into getting a NZXT Switch 810 and I would want to go with a white theme if I did purchase this. I would mainly want to paint the motherboard I have (Asus M5A97 LE R2.0) and my RAM (8Gb G-Skill Ripjaws). I'm not sure what kind of paint I would need however, so I'd like to ask for some help. Thanks!

 

[Ubrales]

Get a spray can of automotive flat or semi-gloss paint. The texture (flat, semi-gloss) depends on your personal preference.

Flat textures are more forgiving and easier to work with, whereas high gloss will show every bit of over-spray and 'orange peel'. Acrylic air-drying (does not require an oven cure) paint will work well.

These are for case only; not the components.

 

[dwatterworth]

You'll want something non-conductive such as a high-heat ceramic enamel paint. You can find that at an automotive parts store, lowes/home depot or other general building supply store etc. I would not recommend painting any part of the motherboard other than perhaps heatsinks and the plastic components of slots and ports. Most paints depend on a acidic reaction to bind to whatever surface they are adhering to, and I am not sure at all how the coatings on a PCB would react to that, along with any painting of any component will immediately void any warranty.

I would steer well clear of spray paints unless you are extremely handy with tape or vinyl to mask off any and all cracks, threaded bits, ports and slots. You can achieve a uniform finish with multiple thin coats applied by hand with a near dry-brush approach.

 

[Besty007]

You'll want something non-conductive such as a high-heat ceramic enamel paint. You can find that at an automotive parts store, lowes/home depot or other general building supply store etc. I would not recommend painting any part of the motherboard other than perhaps heatsinks and the plastic components of slots and ports. Most paints depend on a acidic reaction to bind to whatever surface they are adhering to, and I am not sure at all how the coatings on a PCB would react to that, along with any painting of any component will immediately void any warranty.

I would steer well clear of spray paints unless you are extremely handy with tape or vinyl to mask off any and all cracks, threaded bits, ports and slots. You can achieve a uniform finish with multiple thin coats applied by hand with a near dry-brush approach.

Thanks, found this paint on Ebay, would I need to add a pre-coat of something? For the plastic bits and heatsinks.
I read somewhere that someone had sanded some of their parts before applying any paint, would like to know if that's really needed.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HUMBROL-Enamel-Paint-50ml-Choose-Colour-/251430167587

 

[Executeorder66]

Hey that's my case lol, just so you know she's a biggun lol.

 

[dwatterworth]

I think that paint would work well without too much prep work.

With any paint, it's best to try a sample spot on a place you won't see, the backside of the motherboard tray or something of the sort. It seems like it should go on the case easily, you might need to slightly scuff the surface with a finer ~200-~300 grit sandpaper for the more glossy surfaces.

Also, the darker the surface you are trying to paint, the more coats it will take to fully cover well. It will take time, but more coats will look so much better than one thick coat, especially on the glossy plastic surfaces. A small foam sanding pad can help you rough up the more curved and irregular shaped parts. It's probably safest if you remove heatsinks and other large intricate parts and paint them separately. Definitely don't paint any of the points of contact between heatsink and component/chip. A think coat on the heatsink surfaces would be best with the paint you linked, since it doesn't list any heat conductive/resistant properties. A thick coat on a component that changes temperature to a high degree would result in a lot of hairline cracking and potential flaking.

 

[Besty007]

Here's the motherboard. https://www.asus.com/media/global/products/j02VBoX5bQJxJu1B/uk5uOonv073sQVMN_500.jpg
I would be painting the large blue heatsink above the PCIe and below the CPU sockets, and the blue heatsink with the Asus logo on it.

This is the RAM. http://storage.hw-lab.com/ddr/gs/f3-12800cl9f-8gbxl/3q.jpg
I would paint most of the heat speaders on these.

Thanks for your help, I know what I'm doing now I think! 😀

 

[Besty007]

Hey that's my case lol, just so you know she's a biggun lol.

I know, that's why I want it

 

[dwatterworth]

Great! That will look super clean, take your time and you'll love the result!