I bought my bike used off craigslist and it had lime green wheels. I used Jasco paint stripper and removed the green....then built a wooden mount (that the axle could be threaded through) on an old camera tripod. I just spun the wheel and spray painted the rim....4-5 light coats. No runs, finish came out perfectly even, etc... That was 3-4 months ago and it's holding up fine still.

As for chains, I run a cheap Z410 but many like the K710SL.
components - chains | Retrogression