Rutland Products - 81V Premium 1400 Degree F Hi-Temp Brush-On Paint, 16 fl oz, Black

We bought this to paint the inside of our fireplace black. Great coverage, we did two coats. It’s a matte black.

Was looking for a high heat paint that you could BRUSH on to a metal exhaust system. Yeah, I know, this stuff is for fireplaces, I get it. BUT...If you read the can, it can be applied on steel or stainless steel. Ah ha moment ! I found something ! Did some homework on Rutland's website, and yes it can be brushed onto exhaust systems. Rutland always made fantastic / versatile products. So, I followed the directions, blah,blah, and began brushing it on the exhaust system. First off, the fumes this paint gives off will give you brain damage ( just kidding...but they are BAD ). Make sure you are applying it in a well ventilated area. It dries super fast to a matte black. 2 or more coatings will require you to " bake" the paint for better adhesion. ( That's easy with an exhaust, just start the car and let it run a few minutes). Very thin paint, so it glides right on. A little goes far. Now, the can says it can tolerate up to 1400 degrees of heat. So, after all said and done, took car for a ride on the highway to get exhaust good and hot. Peeling began at the manifold down to the 1st catalytic converter. Everything after that was PERFECT ! Going to have to use 2,000 degree ceramic spray paint where the peeling occurred. All in all, it's a GREAT product

After reading other reviews, I was nervous about my ability to paint the firebox using this paint. Would the paint be too sticky, not cover well, or give me permanent brain damage from toxicity? I arranged to have my dog stay offsite during the day so he wouldn’t be exposed to the fumes. Before starting to paint, I dressed in old clothes and donned a KN95 mask, latex gloves and onion goggles. I closed doors to other rooms, turned on overhead fans, opened windows and set up a box fan to create maximum air circulation. Prepping the firebox was completed the previous day. Finally I was ready to remove the lid of the paint. Well, yes, it had a strong odor, but luckily for me, it wasn’t overpowering. After stirring it, I began to apply the paint. First I tried a small natural bristle brush, but it didn’t spread well. Next I tried a foam brush, and that worked very well (thanks to the reviewer who suggested this). The paint spread across the bricks quite easily, but I had to paint the mortar and textured indentations separately with the side of a smaller foam brush, pushing the paint into cracks, crevices and corners. The foam brushes disintegrate quickly and I went through all 9 that were in the assorted set purchased at big box store for less than $10. The entire paint job took just over 1 hour. It took about 2/3 of the can. The can is very small and only narrow brushes can be used if applying the paint straight out of the can (which I did). After cleanup, I began airing out the house. I sprayed Febreze throughout the house and moved the fan around to blow through each of the closed off rooms (which still got the odor in them). It took 7 hours from the time I started painting until the air was sufficiently clear to bring my dog home. Overall, it was a very satisfactory experience, and I am happy with the results (see before and after photos; don’t worry, I’m replacing those ugly logs that look like reptiles—that’s the reason I painted the firebox in the first place). Note: I have not lit the fireplace since painting, so I don’t know if it will produce strong fumes. I’ll update the review once I know more.

Great coverage with one coat over red bricks. Holding up good so far. Holy he!! it stinks though. Wear a good mask and open windows or enjoy the headache.

I used this paint to refinish my 22 year old gas fireplace, which was in our house when we bought it, and was essentially neglected for a long time. In this process I learned that gas fireplaces rust on the inside as a result of the combustion products from natural gas, so they should be cleaned and repainted often. This paint produces a solid, flat black finish on the metal surface that looks great, but the application process is tricky. I found that the paint was like trying to paint with glue or honey - it was thick and sticky and did not easily brush out on the surface. It also dried very quickly, even though it was in the 60s when I painted, making it impossible to smooth out brush marks. After it dried, it did level out somewhat, but it certainly isn't a dead smooth finish. I also found that a second coat seems to dissolve the first coat - a bit like shellac does, but without the nice smooth result. That's acceptable for the inside of a fireplace I guess, but probably not the outside. As a result I used almost the whole can to get adequate coverage - but perhaps that's the point. If you were using normal paint it would take perhaps half the can to get good coverage. So it did work for its intended purpose, but it wasn't an easy task. My advice is to do one thick, wet coat, as fast as you can. I found the smell OK, as long as the windows were open. Now a little about the price. One gallon of this stuff would cost $376(!), so it better work. I imagine we are paying such a high price for a paint that will cope with 1400 degrees. A new gas fireplace starts around $3500 (ridiculous for a sheet metal box, but that's another story) so this is way cheaper than that. In summary, I had to adjust my expectations a bit and be prepared to use a different approach to applying the paint. But it did get the job done. I wouldn't recommend it for a sooth surface that you want to get a perfect finish on, that's where you should use the aerosol version. You can save some money using the 1200 degree version of this paint, but the reviews aren't as good. I would buy this paint again, despite the issues - but at least I know how it works now and what to expect.