How To Paint Vinyl Siding

If you have vinyl siding that is 15 or more years old, you may be noticing some discoloration, fading, and possibly even some burning or warping from heat exposure. This process can happen even more quickly if the vinyl is of the less expensive, thinner variety. Even if the vinyl is in good condition, not fading, and not warped from heat or direct sunlight, perhaps you're just ready for a color change to freshen up the curb appeal of you home.

Well, you are in luck. As you may already know, you CAN paint your vinyl siding. But be careful, because using the wrong paint, improper primers, or failing to prep your vinyl correctly and be disastrous, requiring your siding to be replaced, which can cost between $3 and $8 or more per square foot.

I Want to Paint My Vinyl Siding, What Paint Do I Use?

Once you've decided to paint your vinyl siding, one of the biggest decisions you will have to make will be whether to use a primer and what paint to use.

I always recommend using a primer, beneath either 1 or 2 topcoats of paint, because primer is better than paint-and-primer-in-1 products at doing the job that primer is specifically designed to do. To help understand why primer is better as a first base coat than paint-and-primer-in-1 paints, take a few minutes to read this.

So my suggestion is that you prime first, but the choice of course is yours. Regardless of whether you choose a primer or no primer, you must use a vinyl safe product to paint your vinyl siding. I'll type that one more time--You Must Use A Vinyl Safe Product to Paint Your Vinyl Siding.

Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore make the best vinyl safe paint products on the market. When using a Benjamin Moore exterior product, to the best of my understanding, the new color must be lighter than the existing color, OR the color must be one of a 75 vinyl-specific colors. Other colors, and especially colors darker than your current siding color, will cause your siding to absorb heat and warp--eventually if not immediately.

Sherwin Williams has more color options as well as a range of paints at different price points with corresponding colorfastness and durability ratings. To give my customers the widest range of color and value options, Sherwin Williams makes the paint that I use most often on vinyl siding. To ensure that you have a vinyl-safe product, choose from the Exterior emerald, Duration, Resilience, or SuperPaint Families of products.

Whether you decide to use Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore paint, let the clerk at the store know that you are painting vinyl siding and ensure that any color formula and product combination is safe for use on vinyl.

For more on how to determine what products, sheens, finishes, etc. to use when selecting paint colors, check this out. The article is about interior colors, but the theories and information apply equally well to exterior colors.

Preparing Your Vinyl Siding For Paint

Now that you have your paint selected, you have to first prepare your siding for paint. The first step in preparing you siding for paint if to clean the surface of any dirt, grime, or mildew. To do that, you will want to pre-treat it with a non-toxic, plant-friendly cleaning solution. A product like Simple Green's House and Siding Cleaner is a good option, as is ZEP's similar product. First, remove any shutter, since a lot of dirt and debris will have collected behind them. And then work from top to bottom applying the cleaner with a pump sprayer or through a pressure washer attachment with a low pressure nozzle. after soaking the siding, allow the product to set for a few minutes and then rinse the vinyl siding with a pressure washer set to 3,200PSI and using a high pressure nozzle. Work slowly, ensuring that you remove all of the grime, mildew, and dirt, but be careful not to scar or damage the vinyl siding.

After the vinyl siding is clean, you will need to decide how you would like to paint the siding: with a brush and roller, or by spray application. There are drawbacks and benefits to both.

Painting Your Vinyl Siding With a Brush

If you are thinking of painting your vinyl siding as a DIY project, the brush and roller method is a much easier, although more time-consuming method. With a brush and roller, a ladder, a few gallons of paint or more depending on the size of your home, and a paint hook, you can paint your entire home's vinyl siding.

One drawback to this method is, you will almost certainly have to apply 2 coats to achieve a uniform color. And because of that you will have to go around the home 2 times with a brush and roller, painting your home, which is a herculean task if you have other day to day life responsibilities. Of course, if you have experience in this type of work, or just enjoy it (or have some friends who can help), it may not be as daunting of a task.

Another potential drawback--one that will depend upon your experience with painting--is the appearance of the finished paint. Applying paint with a brush and roller is as simple as it sounds, but also a challenging skill that can take years to learn to do it efficiently and artfully. I mention this because, if you decide to paint your home with a brush and roller, or you hire a painting contractor who will be using a brush and roller, you will very likely end up with vinyl siding that has brush strokes, roller stipple, and looks "painted." And, if you are like most homeowners seeking a color change or update to their vinyl siding, you want a new color, but you don't want your vinyl to look like it was painted on.

With those caveats and considerations behind us, should you decide to paint your vinyl siding with a brush and roller, work from top to bottom on the shady part of the home. To avoid lap lines, and minimize brush strokes and roller stipple. Work quickly keeping a wet edge and generously apply the paint from the dry areas back into the paint for the most uniform finish.

Painting Your Siding by Spray Application

The benefit to painting you home by spray application is that the final appearance is flawless and looks factory-finished. It's like residing your home but for a fraction of the cost.

The drawback to spraying the paint is that you will likely have to purchase a sprayer, perform a tremendous amount of site-protection to protect windows, fixtures, soffits, etc. from overspray, and there is a learning curve to applying paint by spray that you may or may not overcome by the time you finish with your home (I mention this from experience; it took me several homes under the instruction and supervision of a trained paint spray technician to learn how to professionally and proficiently paint a vinyl siding home).

That said, should you undertake the process on your own, the first thing to do is cover all of your windows, soffits, leaders, gutters, fixtures, doors, flowers, shrubs, trees, and ground along the home with paper, tape, drop cloths, or plastic (WARNING: do not cover you plants or lowers with clear plastic; it creates a greenhouse effect that will overheat and kill your vegetation!).

Once everything is covered, you can apply the paint by spray, overlapping slightly to achieve a uniform appearance. and repeat for each coat required. Once the paint has dried, you can remove the site-protection, revealing your newly painted vinyl siding.

Final Steps

Paint, if necessary, and reinstall your shutters, and then enjoy the fruits of your hard work!

To discuss your vinyl siding project, to talk about how we might be able to help you restore and transform your vinyl siding, or for an estimate, contact us to schedule an appointment today!

--Cliff

.