Can I paint cooktop with BBQ paint? Or perhaps enamel paint?

[urbex]

I recently picked up a 1970-something SixPac truck camper that obviously has been sitting unused for quite some time. Decent shape, but in desperate need of a good cleaning, and I got it for a song.

I started going through it this past weekend, and it appears that the cooktop hasn't been cleaned in a LONG time...we're likely talking years here, lol. Baked on crud and all...

It's an old style 2 burner drop in, appears to be made of all galvanized steel, and has some corrosion as well. But it IS functional. Amazingly, there was still some propane in the cylinder, and the burners both light up.

I was thinking of giving it a good soaking with oven cleaner, which I expect will have a negative effect on the galvanizing, followed by a couple good coats of BBQ paint or maybe the enamel spray paint.

I know I can get replacement drop in cooktops for around $100, and I don't expect this to be a factory quality finish or a long term solution. I picked up this camper much on impulse as it was a fairly lightweight shortbed camper that would work on my 1/2 ton, but I'm not 100% sure this is the way I want to go long term, so I'm hesitant to start throwing a bunch of money into it only to find out after a few trips that I want to go in a different direction. So for now, this is largely an inexpensive way to dip my foot into the water, so to speak.

[CT_WANDERER]

If the steel stove top is galvanized, I thought that it would give off poison fumes. I know one time at work we were making cookout grills for a company party and the health & safety department made us replace the galvanized top. I could be wrong on this

[nineoaks2004]

If you need to paint it, auto shops have a heat resistant spray paint used on exhaust pipes. You might try this after a good cleaning first.

[newman_fulltime]

i used high heat gloss black paint

[azrving]

Our 3 burner cook top was an off white color and the lower oven part was black. I figured they ran out of bright gold hardware and cheesy wood grain ideas in 2000 so someone came up with the idea of putting the white top on the black stove and the black top on the white stove.

I just used Rustoleum gloss black to paint the top. We have been using it every day for 7 months and it's burned off a little around one burner. No big deal. I'll clean it up and spray it again this summer.

[azrving]

Our 3 burner cook top was an off white color and the lower oven part was black. I figured they ran out of bright gold hardware and cheesy wood grain ideas in 2000 so someone came up with the idea of putting the white top on the black stove and the black top on the white stove.

I just used Rustoleum gloss black to paint the top. We have been using it every day for 7 months and it's burned off a little around one burner. No big deal. I'll clean it up and spray it again this summer.

[NEOK]

You might try using a Magic Eraser. We've have good luck as lot if surfaces with those erasers.

[westend]

Try genuine stove paint, the stuff used to paint wood stoves. The BBQ paint sold at the hardware store won't last very long. If the steel stove top is galvanized, I'd suggest to have a fabricator make e new one. Stainless steel would be my choice. The cost of primer and paint, along with etching the galvanized surface is probably going to be more than fabrication.

FWIW, when I painted mine, I used the texture spray in a can. It still looks good but I haven't used the stove much. I'm pretty sure once I set a big pot on there with full heat, the paint will blister right off.

[Oasisbob]

Try a few treatments of oven cleaner. You might be surprised. Let it sit over night. Worst case you end up painting. However, if you use high temp paint I doube it will last when cleaned.