Home Siding Options

It does not matter the reasons behind why you are repainting your home, be it to increase the curb appeal, to help increase it's market value, or just because you are tired of it and need change.  Before you start painting aluminium siding, you need to be prepared for the specific challenges that it presents.  You can not treat this like wood or masonry, as only the aluminum siding has the distinct problems of the paint chalking off when you put your hand to it.  So, to help you tackle this project, we'll cover the important steps you need to do to ensure the job you do doesn't result in the paint coming off in just a few short months time.

With some surfaces, you can get lucky and just cover up the old stuff with some commercial grade primer paint and then start painting.  But painting aluminum siding does not afford you that option.  There are two crucial steps to getting this job done the right way, and the first is preparing the surface.  It is vital that you get every trace of the old paint and any other contaminants, such as dirt build up or mold from the old siding.  This is most easily done with a high power pressure washer.  They are easy to find and rent, and should be at least 3000 psi to do the job right.

The second most important step to painting aluminum siding is the primer that goes onto the surface of the siding.  Because aluminium siding has different properties than wood, vinyl, or masonry, if you don't select the proper primer paint to go onto it first, your paint will not be able to cling to the surface.  And it is exactly this that causes the paint to get chalky and come off in a powder.  Since that is not what we want, I would recommend using an emulsa-bond paint for your first coat.  This is a special bonding paint that will allow the final coats of the color desired, to properly adhere to the siding.

Remember, patience is essential when it comes to painting of any kind.  But perhaps even more so when it comes to painting aluminum siding due to it's distinct properties.  Make sure you have several days of good weather ahead of you to ensure that after you clean it off the house can dry for a couple of days and you'll be able to start priming with no added complications.