I looked at buying black oxided replacement screws from McMaster Carr, but they had a higher hardness than the silver screws that are installed by Stern. I didn't want to risk a chance of the harder screws putting nicks and scratches in the balls, so I left the factory silver screws in. I think they accentuate the black border nice after looking at it for a while. I don't think black paint would hold up too well, and would wear off quickly with the ball traveling over them all the time.