Painting a door frame fitted with an intumescent seal

[Russell]

I need to put a coat of paint on a door frame betwixt house and attached garage.  It has an intumescent seal which I guess I shouldn't paint over.  Would the best thing be a strip of masking tape over it and cut down the length with a blade?

Ta.

[neilrj]

Painting an intumescent strip is OK but painting over a smoke seal isn't allowed. Though I do mask the strip and paint either side!

[Russell]

Painting an intumescent strip is OK but painting over a smoke seal isn't allowed. Though I do mask the strip and paint either side!

Ah, what is the difference, or rather, how do you tell the difference?

[Russell]

Mr Google image search appears to indicate that smoke seals look like draught excluder brush strips but intumescent seals are flat flush affairs.  In which case I have intumescent.

[Paul H]

Painting an intumescent strip is OK but painting over a smoke seal isn't allowed. Though I do mask the strip and paint either side!

Ah, what is the difference, or rather, how do you tell the difference?

Smoke is a brush type seal.
When I worked in an architectural ironmongers, some years ago, the make we stocked had a suggested lifespan of twenty years. I don't know if this applies to all manufacturers, but it's cheap enough that you might consider replacing if it's been there a while and you're expecting the painting to last years.

[Russell]

Good point, it's at least 30 years old but this is a 'quick' decorating job to sell so it can be someone else's problem.

Trouble is, I can't do anything quick!!