Did you know that Yoder Smokers grills and smokers are painted instead of powder coated for a reason? That's because Yoder Smokers are built to last a lifetime. But even though Yoder Smokers are built to last a lifetime, the very best wet or dry coatings can't. Because Yoder Smokers are painted, you can touchup or repaint your grill as needed.
Dry coatings like powder coating won’t bond to wet or touch up paint, making touch ups or repainting cost prohibitive. Since rust can run under the coating, it's important to be able to properly treat it and apply protective paint. Following the instructions below, we’ll show you how to quickly bring your grill back to like-new condition.
When should you touch up your paint?
During a cooking session, grills are subjected to high heat and salts and acids in food. They also live outdoors. These are difficult environments for any metal surface. Due to expansion and contraction caused by temperature changes, surfaces are constantly moving, and any moisture introduced through humidity, rain, and snow can do serious damage over time. We recommend staying on top of your grill finish and touching up your grill paint as needed to keep your grill in top condition.
Materials Needed
Depending on the condition of the painted surfaces, you will need a couple of hours and a few simple tools. The goal is to remove all buildup from the surface including any rust spots, and then smooth out any rough surfaces to be painted. Preparing the surface properly will ensure good paint adhesion, which helps the paint last longer.
Scouring pads and sandpaper can be purchase at any hardware store. Your Yoder Smokers grill should have come with a can of Yoder Smokers Factory Matched Touch Up Paint, which is also available at ATBBQ.COM.
Note: When ordering Yoder Smokers Factory Matched Paint from ATBBQ, please have your grill build date handy to order the correct paint. Pre-2015 grills used a flat black paint and post-2015 grills use a satin black paint. The build date can be found on the metal plate on the front of the grill door where you find your grill's serial number.
Prepare The Surface for Paint
First, remove grease from the surface to be sanded and painted.
Once everything is degreased, take a good look at your grill and identify any edges or flat surfaces that have surface corrosion or rust on them. There is no need to tape them off because you want to blend the paint back onto your existing paint. Use a scouring pad to knock any loose particles off. If you notice any raised edges around the areas to be painted, smooth them down using 150 grit sandpaper.
Next, use the sandpaper to gently sand the entire surface to be painted. This gives your paint a rough surface to adhere to. Once you have sanded it smooth, you are ready to clean one more time and apply paint.
Clean One More Time
Use denatured alcohol, mineral spirits, or an all-purpose cleaner to remove any dust from the areas to be painted. Make sure the surface is completely dry and no residue remains. If you have removed enough paint that you see bare metal, make sure to work quickly so it doesn’t flash rust before you can get paint on it again.
Ready To Paint
Use only Factory Matched Paint from ATBBQ.
Hold the can about 8 inches away from the surface to be painted and use long, sweeping motions to apply the paint evenly. Try not to stop as the paint is applied and finish each stroke before you release the paint applicator button. This will prevent any uneven paint buildup and runs.
If you see a run of paint, wait until the paint is dry and sand it down, then paint again.
The key is to move quickly and paint evenly. Practice first on another surface if you need to. You just want to make sure you are applying evenly to achieve the best results. If you see any areas that you are not happy with, simply sand and paint again. Painting the entire panel will ensure that your finish looks smooth and does not have a spotty appearance.
Admire Your Work
Follow the instructions on the paint can and let the paint dry completely before reassembling your shelves and firing up the grill. Paint also should be dry before replacing the cover or applying any cleaners or polishes.
Your grill should now look as good as new and be ready for more years of service. This painting technique works for any Yoder Smokers pellet grill, offset smoker, and charcoal grill.
Later we'll discuss performing a deeper clean and more in-depth maintenance as well as how to perform a restoration on the smoker. All are important to preserving the quality and cooking enjoyment of your Yoder Smoker.
If you need to see the painting process in action, check out ATBBQ’s Cleaning the YS640 video. Chef Tom sands and paints the front of his Yoder Smokers pellet grill near the 10-minute mark in the video.
