Painting Romex?

philcav7

I am doing a small job in an older home with low (6' 8") ceilings in the basement. Due restricted height the client wants to simply paint the subfloor and joists, rather than installing a finished ceiling.

Is there any problem with painting over the romex wire? Or can you direct me to the section of the nec that covers this topic?

Thanks.

joelv1967

I assume you are talking about Romex(tm) that is running through the floor joists, and not romex that is....say.... stapled to the edge of the joists - (I hope). If this is the case, why not put up some 1/8" paneling or something in this price range. It would look much better for very little money/effort. As far as painting, I know there are codes about paint/texture/etc. inside of the boxes, but don't recall anything preventing you from spraying paint inside of the bays of the floor joist (resulting in painting the Romex).

480sparky

Do tell!

__________________
Site : the area or exact plot of ground on which anything is, has been, or is to be located.
Sight : The power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
Cite : To mention in support, proof, or confirmation; refer to as an example.

Magnettica

I had the same type job a few weeks ago. Owner wanted to "straighten out" an electrical mess left behind by her ex-husband. She thought it'd be a good idea to just paint the open floor joists. Not sure how all that worked out because I haven't been back since.

__________________
Electrician service in Rahway, Cranford, Clark, Westfield, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Roselle, Roselle Park, and New Jersey | Same day electrical service and repairs | Licensed and Insured Electrician in Rahway

joelv1967

Must be a local code...In vegas, you will fail if the inspector finds paint/texture/other building material inside boxes...plus you can only have 1/4" of insulating sleeve and/or paper in the box.

480sparky

Who fails (and who pays), the electrician, drywaller or the painter? What about other trades that use the wires to puncture their tubes of caulking? Does the trim carpenter get dinged for putting sawdust in the air and it settles in the boxes?

And if you can 'only have ¼" of sheath', and the NEC requires a minimum of ¼", then you must have exactly ¼". No more, no less. So you fail if you have .2499 or .2501 inches?

__________________
Site : the area or exact plot of ground on which anything is, has been, or is to be located.
Sight : The power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
Cite : To mention in support, proof, or confirmation; refer to as an example.

joelv1967

These idiots in Vegas fail anybody for anything. Of course they don't measure the sheath, but if it is over 1/2", I get failed.....So between 1/4 to 1/2 and your good. As for the dust, etc. When I make up my boxes, I have to stuff them with paper to keep all the wall mud, texture, etc. out....If not I will be vacuuming them out so I don't fail.

Static Design

I've seen it painted several times in basements with low ceiling height, they haven't burnt down yet.

JohnJ0906

That sounds like a very wide interpretation of 110.12(B)

__________________
John from Baltimore
"One Day at a Time"
All replies based on the 2008 NEC

philcav7

Yes. That is exactly what I was referring to...the wires in the bays between the joist. There are no wires on the bottom of the joist, they are stapled to the sides and ran through holes drilled through the joist.

I could have the wires and boxes taped off and leave them unpainted but would would look as appealing. I asked my electrician the other day...he was unaware of any local codes regarding it. I will make a call on Monday a see what they say.
I really want to used a dropped ceiling so I can insulate and use acoustical treatments above the ceiling tiles. This is an option. The only challenge will be the large steam heating lines that are located in three areas.

Thanks again guys.

pulpfiction32

we do work for an insurance contractor . Say for example a kitchen fire occurs and there is mostly smoke damage to the house. they pull all of the drywall out and spray the ceiling ,studs and sub floor with primer to lock out the smell and yes the inspectors have seen romex sprayed with primer and they have never said a word

ampman

ask the manufacturer

woodchuck2

I would talk them into a drop cieling myself. You can install that and take up only a few inches of space so you should still have 6'4"-6'6" of ceiling hight left. Its also a nice noise barrier, a far better look, and you could talk them into recessed lighting or fluorescent lights too.

GregS

Go over the face of the box with some wide tuck tape. I do this for my low-vo stuff with I rough-in and when I come back I just punch the tape out and everything is there, nice and clean with no mud, paint or sawdust on it.

Chris Johnson

Maybe I'm too far west...why is the romex exposed and accessable to human touch?

__________________
Chris

philcav7

^^^^
The basement is unfinished so the wiring that is running through the floor joist as it travels from one side of the house to the other is visible. Do you have some local code that prohibits ANY visible NM wiring?


At any rate, I was able to talk him into a dropped ceiling. That was truely the best case scenario. There will be one low spot where a soffit will be built around the steam heating lines.

Thanks for the insight!

Chris Johnson

Yea, we can not have any romex exposed to human touch here.

__________________
Chris