How to Paint Aluminum Siding

Aluminum siding can be  painted  easily if you have the right tools and knowledge. A house can be transformed in as little as one weekend by following the instructions below.

Type Of  Paint  To Purchase For Aluminum Siding

Always use a high quality acrylic  paint  for aluminum siding. Most acrylic exterior  paints  do not require a primer. The only time you may need a primer on your siding is if it had been  painted  previously with oil-based  paint . Depending on where you live, there are a variety of good exterior  paints  available to you. We recommend talking to a locally owned  paint  store and finding out what would be best for your project. Many  paint  manufacturers produce  paints  with a lifetime guarantee for exterior  paint .

Preparation for  painting  aluminum siding

Cleaning is the key. Aluminum siding seems to attract mold, mildew, dirt, insects, spider webs, etc. To achieve the best  paint  job you should thoroughly clean down the whole house. Usually we recommend TSP (tri sodium phosphate) as a cleaner for  paint  jobs. However, since you are working on the outside of the house where mold and mildew is typically present, we recommend using Jomax as a cleaner. Jomax is an exterior house wash that will kill mold. It is a concentrate that is mixed with soap and water and can be applied with a pump up garden type sprayer. Simply spray it on and rinse it off with water. There is no pressure washing equipment required.

Things to do before you  paint  your house

Caulking around doors and windows should always be replaced either before or after you  paint  your house, do not forget this step. Caulk is made to keep water and moisture out of window trim, door moldings, etc. Old caulk that has either shrank or fallen out needs to be replaced. Failing to do this will result in your  paint  peeling off. Without caulk to stop it, moisture will get into the wood trim of your house. The heat from the sun will draw the moisture out of the wood, popping your newly  painted  trim or siding. You can choose to caulk either before or after  painting . If you want your caulk to be the same color as your trim  paint , buy paintable caulk and simply  paint  over it when you are  painting  the trim. If you choose to caulk afterwards, there are a variety of different colors of caulk you can buy.

How To  Paint  Aluminum Siding

1. Clean and prepare the surface as mentioned above.
2. Whenever possible, it is best to  paint  two or three siding boards horizontally all the way across the house. This prevents lap marks from the  paint  drying too quickly if you are trying to  paint  the side of your house like you would  paint  a room (from top left to bottom right).
3.  Paint  window trim last, if you get any on the siding it can easily be wiped off or touched up later.

Other Tips

• Always  paint  in the shade. The  paint  will dry on contact if you attempt to  paint  hot siding. You should be able to work around the house so you can follow the shade and stay out of the sun.
• Use a good quality house  paint . There is no sense in going to the trouble of  painting  your whole house and trying to save ten dollars a gallon on  paint .
• There is no primer needed on aluminum siding as long as you are using a high quality acrylic  paint . Check the label or ask your local  paint  professional for a  paint  that can be applied directly on aluminum.