Repainting Electrical Panels

Q. We have been asked to recondition and repaint electrical panels. Can you provide the right paint type and specifications for this job? R. E.

A. Because of the nature of the products and the level of protection required of the finish system, there are specification for painting many types of electrical panels. Since electrical components are mounted on and enclosed by these products, it is important that they don’t rust in half posing a safety hazard to structures and humans. The National Electrical Equipment Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) have published safety standards for finishing electrical equipment. Furthermore, requirements are different for indoor and outdoor equipment. I suggest you choose a finishing system that meets these standards.

While I don’t have these documents in hand, I did have projects involving compliance with both UL and NEMA standards. I just found the web sites for NEMA and UL on the internet where they show catalogs and listings of their standards. I didn’t take the time to find individual standards, because I don’t know exactly what type electrical panels you want to repaint. After you decide what you need, search both the UL and NEMA web sites.