How to Clean & Paint Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding can become dull over time and a good coat of paint applied well is a quick and easy way to give a home’s exterior a quick face lift. While the visual pick me up is a great benefit, there are certain things to be aware of when painting vinyl siding in order to ensure good results.
1st tip for Painting Vinyl Siding – Choose the Right Type of Paint
The first consideration for painting vinyl siding is to choose a paint that will adhere and perform properly when applied to vinyl siding. When you are purchasing your paint, you will want to be sure to ask for a vinyl siding friendly color. In general, dark colors will not work well and can tend to warp but you can verify with the coating provider if they have dark colors available in the vinyl siding paint you choose. You will want to select a color that is no darker than the original siding color so that you can ensure that the paint doesn’t warp. Common paints that are popular to paint vinyl siding include Super Paint by Sherwin Williams, Duration by Sherwin Williams, and Wonder Shield exterior Latex by PPG.
Most of the time vinyl siding doesn’t need primed prior to applying paint, the one exception to this is if the siding is pitted or porous. If your vinyl siding seems pitted or porous you can use a primer like Extreme Bond or another primer recommended by the paint store for a vinyl safe paint.
2nd tip for Painting Vinyl Siding – Prep and Clean the Vinyl Siding properly
After having a paint picked out you can begin to properly prepare the vinyl siding surface to be painted. The proper preparation will depend on the current state of the siding.
Cleaning & preparation of vinyl siding
The first method of preparation for vinyl siding will apply to about any vinyl condition except mildew which will require a bit of extra treatment. If your vinyl siding has no mildew present, then you can get the vinyl ready for paint by cleaning it using a mixture of 1/3 of a cup of powdered laundry detergent and 2/3 of a cup of powdered household cleaner or use a premixed solution like TSP. If the vinyl siding has been previously painted then pressure washing may be required to remove any loose flaking paint from the siding. Pressure washing aluminum siding will require being careful with pressure settings to prevent damaging the homes siding. If the vinyl doesn’t have any loose flaking paint or has never been painted then the cleaning solution can be applied with a basic pump and soft brush to gently clean the siding. If the siding has mildew present you will want to mix bleach with your cleaning solution and follow the same steps as noted above. The bleach can be mixed into 1 gallon of warm water with the proper amount of TSP. adding about 1 quart of bleach in the gallon mixture and this creates a good solution to help with mildew that is present, a wire brush may also be needed to help remove the mildew. Please don’t forget to hire an accredited home care once you completed the painting to maintain your property
3rd Tip- Paint the Vinyl Siding
After choosing the right paint and prepping the vinyl siding, you can then consider applying the paint. In general you want to paint vinyl siding when the outdoor temperature is moderate, humidity is low, and sun is somewhat hidden. Painting outside of this weather can create issues with adhesion and paint performance. When it comes to how to apply the paint you can either spray or roll. Spraying is ideal for the appearance of the paint but you have to be sure that any potential overspray will not drift and land on neighboring structures or your own roof. If you spray all windows will need to be masked appropriately. Rolling will be easiest to control and prevent any overspray but in general can leave a final appearance that is less smooth compared to spraying. If you decide to spray be sure to read up on how to use an airless sprayer for best results.
Final thoughts
Painting Vinyl siding is a great way to give a home a quick face lift. By thoroughly considering your paint selection, preparing the vinyl siding correctly, and choosing the best way to spray your paint you can be sure to get great results painting vinyl siding.