How to Paint Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding is a very common exterior finish for its inexpensive price point and durable nature.

While most other exterior materials wear out or become damaged, vinyl siding color may fade after years of sun but it requires almost no maintenance. If that’s your situation, or you are just tired of the color, vinyl siding can be painted so you can change the color and make that outside look new again. If you’ve painted before, you can probably handle this project.

In this article, we cover some commonly asked questions along with a few valuable tips to help you learn how to paint vinyl siding.

How hard is it to paint vinyl siding?

The great thing about this project is that painting vinyl siding is fairly easy, although it is time consuming. There is little surface prep but you do need to give it a good cleaning so the paint will stick well. Because of the various steps, it’s probably more of a multi weekend job since it will take many days to get it all done.

How do you know when it’s time to repaint vinyl siding?

Is the color fading and not the same as it used to be? Do you have mildew or other grime starting to show up? Are you looking to increase curb appeal with a new, trendy color? It might be time get that project started.

How big of a job is repainting my house?

It’s a pretty big one. Exterior painting is often done by professional painters because of its magnitude and sometimes the need for some special equipment. If you are planning on tackling it, gather 2-4 people to help out.

How to paint vinyl siding

Like every other home improvement project, repainting your vinyl siding requires time, hard work, and the right supplies. Ensure you inspect the job first and create a plan to get it done right.

Step 1: Choose your paint color

While this is a pretty obvious task, it can be overwhelming. Even if you are simply repainting with a similar color, there are so many options and it can be stressful. Take the time to check our your options, don’t rush it.

Start by narrowing down your goal. Are you repainting your vinyl siding the same color? Even if you are bit off in your color, it won’t matter too much on the final project. When changing the color, are you looking to be bold, trendy, or classic? Take a look online and see what you like. Notice the color of other people’s houses as you go by. Major paint makers have an exterior line with a number of colors that go together. Don’t forget if you live in a neighborhood, check to make sure you don’t have color restrictions.

Darker colors do have a tendency to increase the heat in your home. Although your roof has a larger impact, the darker the color the warmer your interior could be. This increase is minimal but something to consider if that’s an issue or just another helpful tip to help narrow down your color choice.

Step 2: Clean the exterior of your home

Before you repaint the vinyl siding, it needs cleaned or the paint won’t adhere correctly. You are getting dirt and other debris off the siding as well as any mildew other grime that’s started to grow. Do you have bushes leading to this mildew growth? Consider removing them or at least thinning them out.

Cleaning your siding needs done right, not just spraying the garden hose sort of all over. You can hand wash it or rent a pressure washer with a cleaning solution. Once the cleaning is done, go over it again with water to rinse everything off. Let the siding dry completely before moving on.

Step 3: Priming and Painting vinyl siding

Before you start priming and painting, you’ll need to gather a few supplies:

Paint brushes for edge work
Paint rollers or a paint sprayer
Drop cloths
Ladder or scaffolding
Exterior paint/primer

Check the weather! You’ll need a few days of dry weather to make sure your paint is fully dry before rain hits it. There should be 24 hours of dry weather after the final coat of paint.

If your siding is in good shape with the color fairly uniform, you might not need a primer. If your color is uneven, the siding has never been repainted, or you are drastically changing colors, than use a primer.

Go through and prime/paint the corners and edges with a paint brush since you won’t be able to get those areas with a roller. Apply the primer/paint in the direction of the siding, typically side to side but sometimes it does run vertically. As you work, watch for paint drips and go back to clean them up before drying. This will be harder on hotter days since the primer/paint will dry faster.

Plan on applying 2 coats of paint. The paint can will tell you how long to wait before a second coat can be applied. On a smaller home with lots of helpers, you might be able to get both coats done in 1 day.

How to keep your vinyl siding looking great

Depending how much dirt comes from traffic or general dust, siding does need cleaned. After putting all that work into this great project, add a quick cleaning to your yearly to do list. This will help keep your vinyl siding looking great for many years.

How can Heiler Painting can help?

As professional residential siding painting experts, we know how to get the job done and are excited to add value to your home. How can we help you with this project?

Big project: painting an entire home is a big task. It demands purchasing a large amount of paint and supplies, using ladders and perhaps scaffolding, and you can’t just stop working on it part way through.
Time consuming: painting aluminum siding is typically a multi-day project. It begins with prepping the exterior and allowing multiple coats of primer and paint to dry.
Curb appeal: you want to get this right! Everyone looks at the outside of your home.
Moving or just moved in: often people consider repainting during a moving process. Whether you are moving out or moving in, repainting your siding is a just one more task to add to an endless list.