5 Tips For Painting Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is a preferred house siding for many homeowners because it is durable and low maintenance. Unfortunately, the color of the siding can become dated over time. The good news is that is possible to paint your vinyl-sided home exterior to give it a facelift. A new paint job, when done correctly, is much more cost-effective than putting on new siding.
1. Make Repairs First
Although durable, vinyl siding isn't immune to damage and this damage needs to be repaired before any paint is applied. Your painting crew will make sure that both the trim and siding panels are properly affixed. Any broken siding clips will need to be replaced, and any cracks or punctures in the siding will require patching with a new length of siding prior to paint application.
2. Clean the Surface
Paint won't adhere well to a dirty surface. Fortunately, vinyl is easy to clean. A quick hose down and scrub with a deck brush is usually sufficient to get off surface debris. Power washing or heavier scrubbing may be necessary if there are mildew or algae stains, or if there is residue from bird droppings. After cleaning, the siding needs to dry completely before painting begins.
3. Choose the Right Paint
Not all paint is suitable for painting vinyl. For example, the paints used for standard wood-sided homes won't adhere properly to vinyl, so they will eventually begin to peel and blister. Skip the water-based latex paints that are used for painting other types of siding. For vinyl, you will need to choose an acrylic urethane exterior paint that is formulated for use on vinyl siding materials.
4. Prime When Needed
Many paints made for vinyl siding are considered all-in-one paints, which means primer is not necessary. There is one exception, though. If your home has older siding that has some pitting in it, which is usually caused by sandblasting due to windy weather, then priming with a vinyl siding primer is needed. The primer fills in and smooths the pits and scratches so that the final paint coats can adhere better.
5. Watch the Weather
Like any exterior painting project, the right weather is necessary. A warm, dry day is best. Overcast days are good, as long as they are dry because the siding should be cool to the touch when the paint is applied. For this reason, many house painters try to get the paint on in the morning before temperatures rise and the sun is too high in the sky.
Contact a local house painting service, such as YU1 Painting Co., to learn more.