Aluminum siding on the house's exterior was installed in 1981. It's now fading somewhat but it still has held up well.Rather than completing renovating the exterior with new siding or a facade, I'm thinking of power/pressure washing the siding and then painting it.Can aluminum siding be painted and is there a special type of paint to use?Thanks.
pressure washing is a great idea but don't stand too close i would let it dry and primer it first some the paint would last longer...stay on surface relax vote for a best answer.
Yes, you can paint aluminum siding. I painted an entire single wide trailer once with exterior paint and it turned out very nice.
You could, but I don't recommend it. Aluminum siding is pretty close to a no-maintenance material. Add paint to it and you're going to have to paint it again in the future. Consider adding spray-on car wax, and apply it with a hose-end siphon-feed sprayer. That should bring back some of the original clarity to the color.
Some much disinfo here. I know it's a shock, but people who work do it to make a living, and they need to be paid. $4,000 is not unreasonable to expect for a contractor to clean and put good paint on an average sized house. Care has to be taken not to dent the siding working on it. That take effort that takes longer, and there is still a liability if damage occurs by accident. Only 8 inch white siding is available since most is obsolete, and nearly impossible to match in size. I knew some painters so the labor was free Gee, I wish I knew doctors, lawyers, bankers, dentists, I could hustle them and save a bunch. Vinyl siding is noisy in the wind? Is it installed properly, or attached to the spokes on your bike? Good vinyl siding does not fade. Most vinyl sidings are very durable, don't fade, and don't dent easily. Which is why people switched to vinyl over aluminum.
Your comment of pressure washing the siding is a absolute must do before painting. Do do pressure wash it so had that it removes the baked on paint that is already on it and pressure wash it to bare aluminum. Also do not use a harsh chemical to pressure wash it. I would recommend dawn dish detergent as it will remove not only the dirt and dust but it will also remove any grime that accumulated on it over the years and only use a light pressure and possibly a soft cloth on spots that are stubborn. A couple things you may want to consider before painting depending on how badly it has faded is after cleaning the aluminum siding it to take some household dusting pledge and test a small area. The pledge will sometimes bring out 90% of it natural color, Just like waxing a car but with less elbow grease. The other thing you may want to consider is buying some Aluminum Cleaner (one Brand is called Shelco-Shine) this may also bring out close to it original color. If you have to resort to painting make sure you buy a good Rust-oleum paint that is made for metal or aluminum. I would recommend using a 000 fine steel wool to slightly rough up the surface so the paint will stick to and then using a roller brush instead of a paint bristle brush as it will leave lines from the paint brush. Of course the best, but more costly would be to buy a good sprayer like a Wagner paint sprayer. If you try the shelco shine or pledge be sure to test it on a small section to see that it is to your satisfaction. Also keep in mind once the siding is painted it will require maintenance here on out as the siding will have to be painted again in the future, just as a Masonite siding requires regular paint. I hope you find this helpful.
