Painting Vinyl Siding

For some strange reason, many homeowners believe that vinyl siding never needs to be painted. Yes, this type of siding is exceptionally easy to maintain, and keep clean. That being said, it will fade in color over time, and there is no guarantee that the color you like now is the same one that you will like 10 years down the road. Luckily painting vinyl siding is not only possible, but a task that you can accomplish in a single weekend.

1. Clean your siding. As with anything that you are thinking of painting, make sure that you clean the siding as well as you possibly can. A very effective (and quick) method for cleaning vinyl siding is to simply rent a power sprayer, and use that to hose down the siding.
2. Prepare the area. Just as when you paint inside your home, you will need to prepare the exterior of your home as well for painting. This means that you should use some painters tape and newspaper to protect the windows, light fixtures, and so on. Furthermore, you will need to also lay out some drop cloths. The best locations to do this at are on any flowerbeds, grassy areas, or bushes that are near the areas you are painting. In addition, don't forget to place a drop cloth over any masonry that you could potentially drip some paint onto.
3. Get your paint. If you haven't already, go to your local home improvement store and purchase your desired paint. Choose a paint that contains both urethane and acrylic resins so that it will adhere to the vinyl better, without the need of any primer. In addition, choose a paint that you can live with for a while, so that you don't end up needing to repeat the painting process in just a few months or years.
4. Make the time. Considering that the project will take a decent amount of time, you may want to set aside a day or two to allow you to work uninterrupted. Ideally you will want to do the work during a time of year that isn't too hot or too cold, so go for the spring or fall for best possible results.
5. Use a sprayer. A really effective method for avoiding runs, and working quickly, is to use a paint sprayer. Be sure that you have familiarized yourself with the directions so that you know the proper way of hooking everything up, and so that you have the spray nozzle at the proper setting for the paint type.
6. Cut in. After you have painted the rest of the vinyl siding, you can use a regular paint brush to cut in around the delicate areas of the home. Such areas will include the windows, doors, masonry, and so on.
7. Dry and inspect. Allow the paint to dry, and then inspect the area to see how your work turned out. Make note of any areas that look like they need a touch up, and then work on those areas. It never hurts to apply two coats, and then doing your inspecting, but the choice is up to you.

Now that you have finished painting your vinyl siding, you just have to maintain the siding. Good thing that vinyl siding is perhaps the most easy to maintain of all the siding choices. Typically, all you will have to do is simply spray the siding with a bit of water. For particularly difficult stains, you really only need to use a sponge in addition with the water, and you will have a clean home exterior again.