Avoiding Problems When Painting Aluminum and Vinyl Sidings

Anyone with older aluminium sidings will be well aware of the paint chalking problem

. Just rub your hand along the old sidings and you will find the chalky old paint will probably be all over the palm of your hand. Attempting to get paint to stick to this tends to be a genuine problem. It is as a result of oxidation of the paint. Siding manufacturers originally referred to this problem as being a "benefit". They called it, "self cleaning", because the paint literally washes away.Older vinyl sidings can also be a problem. UV light fades vinyl siding over time and so the siding becomes very unsightly. Many unlucky home owners and contractors have experienced this dismay when they repainted their homes, only to discover the new paint falling off a couple of months down the road. Both problems with older aluminium and vinyl sidings can be overcome with proper cleaning, surface preparation and re-painting.CleaningYou will need to rent a strong pressure washer with at least 3000 psi. You will need a pressure washer powerful enough to get rid of the majority of the old chalky paint from the aluminium siding and, to remove any dirt build up. Start from the top layer of siding and work your way downward. You will have to hold the pressure wand reasonably near to the siding surface to successfully take off the old paint. In some areas, you may find the paint comes off down to the bare metal. Be cautious near windows, corners, soffitts and doorways. The water under pressure, can be forced behind these areas causing a lot of damage. You can add TSP or other cleaning solutions to the reservoir for mildew, algae or other grime built up. You should allow your home to dry for several days in dry, sunny weather before proceeding with the painting process. If you are repainting vinyl siding or vinyl coated aluminium siding, you may need a surface de-glosser. This would be a solvent type product used to get rid of any shine on the surface and to help your first coat to adhere better.ApplicationI like to use a commercial type airless sprayer. It will draw the paint directly from your 5 gallon paint pails, through the hose and down to the spray gun. They are available to hire at many tool rental places and even some paint supply stores that supply contractors.PrimingThis step is equally as critical as the step above. Actually, the cleaning and surface preparation phases will make or break the outcome of the job. I prefer a latex paint additive called emulsa-bond for the first coat. Emulsa-bond is a bonding agent you will add to the first coat of paint or primer to help it to bond with the old siding. Buy the very best grade exterior latex paint that you can afford, rather than oil or other solvent based paint. Latex paint appears to hold up with expansion and contraction on the siding exceptionally well. The high quality latex paint I buy needs no primer. I add the bonding agent directly into the very first colour coat. Check with your paint supplier whether or not to use a primer. A rule of thumb is, when doubtful, use a primer. If you use a primer, add the bonding agent into it before applying. There's also bonding agents designed for oil or other solvent based paints. One type is named penetrol. These are likely to be obtainable from a painting contractor supply store. Where bare metal is exposed. I detest spot priming because it can lead to an uneven looking top coat. When I put a primer coat on, I prime the complete area. This provides a consistent surface finish later on.Finish CoatYour top coat will be colour only. Make sure you check with the paint manufacturer to determine if you need one or two top coats after the bottom coat. Like I discussed above, buy the highest quality exterior paint that you can afford.

Avoiding Problems When Painting Aluminum and Vinyl Sidings

By: Stephen Drummonsy

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