Painting Siding

Can Siding Be Painted?

Many homeowners have this question.  They want the paint to enhance their appearance, but are often concerned that the paint crick, not to mention that there is often concrete or brick nearby that is bound to invite dripping paint, which usually stays.  Unfortunately, in many circumstances, these fears are justified.  Fortunately, certain types of siding and paint will allow you to proceed with your painting project.  Here are some suggestions that will keep the paint from cracking and spreading into unwanted places:

Vinyl Siding
Our best piece of advice on painting vinyl siding is – don’t!  Vinyl expands and contracts easily in rough weather conditions, which will ultimately cause the paint to crack.  One of the benefits of vinyl siding is that it comes in a wide variety of colors, so you don’t even need to paint! 

Aluminum Siding
Before you paint aluminum siding, you need to make sure to sand it so as to make the surface smooth enough to welcome paint.  Next, you’ll want to prime it with a special etching primer, which was designed for aluminum siding.  It costs twice as much as traditional primer, but has twice the effect.  You’ll then need to paint the siding with premium acrylic house paint.  

With aluminum siding, painting will increase its appearance, and it can even extended its shelf life.  Aluminum siding is durable, but it can corrode and fade over time.  Rather than spending money for a siding replacement, painting over this type of siding can boost the appearance of your home’s exterior.  

Removing Paint from Bricks & Concrete
In the event that paint does drip onto brick, you can remove it.  You’ll first need to soak the bricks with a solvent: lacquer thinner works on lacquer-based paint, paint thinner will do the job for oil-based paint, and “Goof Off” takes off latex paint.  After the paint has softened, scrub it off with a stiff natural bristle brush.  Finally, wash the cleaned bricks with TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) dissolved in very hot water.  Make sure you wear goggles and gloves, because TSP will burn!

If you’re removing paint from concrete, instead of TSP, you’ll need to use muriatic acid, which is also used to clean pools.  Make sure you use eye hand and protection here as well, because muriatic acid will also burn.