Painting Aluminum Siding

Painting aluminum siding is a common decision that many homeowners make when their siding begins to show wear and tear and needs a face lift.

Many people do not realize that it is possible to paint aluminum siding and have it look ok. If the aluminum siding is in need of a fresh look, painting it is a great way to revamp it. If you plan on painting the aluminum siding on your house, follow these three easy tips for best results.

Prep Your Aluminum Siding Before Painting

As with any painting job, the preparation that you do before you paint will drastically affect the outcome of your paint job.  Painting aluminum siding is no different when it comes to this rule.

One of the problems that homeowners in the past have constantly encountered was getting the paint to stick to the aluminum siding. Aluminum does not hold paint well. There are two things you can do about this.

1) Several of the major paint companies make special paints especially blended for aluminum siding. If possible, use one of these paints for better results.

2) Prepare your aluminum siding for painting by power washing it thoroughly with a high powered pressure washer. . This will remove the paint chalk from previously painted siding. If you don't do this step, your new coats of paint will not adhere as well as it should.

Pressure washers can be purchased or even rented at a local home improvement store. It isn't necessary to wash your aluminum siding with anything other than water, although you can use a mild detergent if you are so inclined. It is important to wash your aluminum siding before you paint because this allows the paint to adhere better and also gets rid of any dirt that you wouldn't want to paint over.

Prime The Aluminum

When you set out to paint anything the primer you use will make a big difference in the finished product. When you paint aluminum siding, always use a primer that contains a bonding additive. This can be added to a basic primer that you purchase at a local hardware store or you can buy primers that already contain bonding additives.

Priming your aluminum siding with a primer that contains a bonding additive will help the final coat of paint adhere to your siding much better.  Your local home improvement or hardware store can give you many recommendations for a good bonding primer.

Use A Sprayer To Paint

Some people have been known to paint their aluminum siding using a brush and while this technique does work, it isn't optimal. When you use a brush, you will often leave brush marks in the paint.  It is much better to ensure an even application of paint by using a paint sprayer when you paint aluminum siding. You can buy a home grade paint sprayer for a relatively inexpensive price, or you can easily rent a professional grade sprayer for an afternoon. Not only will the paint job look better, it will go on much quicker and the time you save will more than make up for the rental fee.

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