Three Tips for Painting Your Aluminum Siding

Aluminum’s lightweight and flexible properties propelled it to the height of popularity as house siding in the 1940s. If you’re lucky enough to have aluminum siding on your home, you’ll know that it is very easy and low maintenance. It’s resistant to rot, water, corrosion, and handles exposure to the worst that weather can offer.  But to keep your looks up-to-date and fresh, it’s best to at least apply a little bit of maintenance to the paint on your aluminum siding.

It might take 15 years, but the paint on aluminum siding can fade down to the bare metal and become chalky. Rather the ripping all of the siding off and starting over, repainting is a simple and much more affordable option. These tips will have you painting like a pro, and before you know it, your house will transform back into that fresh construction feel it had a decade ago.

Clean the Surfaces

Your aluminum siding withstands rain, wind, hail, dirt, and much more. Before you paint, it’s crucial to clean all of the siding so you’re not painting on top of grime, grease, mildew, or bird droppings. While you can certainly take the measures to do this step yourself, it’s best to hire a professional pressure-washer who can use water heated up to 300 degrees under thousands of pounds of pressure. The water must hit the house in the direction of rain so that the siding isn’t dislodged or damaged.

Use Primer and Latex

If your aluminum siding looks and feels chalky even after being pressure-washed, it’s likely that new paint won’t fully stick to the aluminum when applied. Even if it looks like it’s settled well, in a few days the paint will already be chipping away. Try an oil-based additive to mix with water-based latex paint. The oil will absorb the chalky residue and adhere effectively to the aluminum to provide a reliable surface for the paint.

It’s important to note that latex paint is essential for this project! Latex can expand and contract as the temperature fluctuates, while oil paint would crack and tear.

Try a Spray Gun

There’s nothing wrong with painting the old-fashioned way, but spray-on paint designed for exterior aluminum surfaces ensures a smooth, even finish. You can try this at home on your own or hire an expert to take care of it for you. The experts might even have airless sprayers that are less likely to overspray and give you a patch of grass that matches your siding.