Your recommendation for paint

[Lorne]

What is your best suggestion for an Exterior Vinyl Siding Paint?

So far I have read about Kilz Exterior and Valspar Duramax, the later of which says it covers in one coat with no primer.

I understand that cheap is out and I expect to pay the price for quality.

I know about the pre-cleaning bit.

[Yanita]

Hi,

I honestly could not recommend a paint for vinyl. Have never done it.

I would assume that you would have to look for something that was designed for a vinyl/plastic coverage.

~Yanita~

[JD]

I have never painted vinyl siding, but I know what you would need is a high quality acrylic latex. If it were me, I would use Sherwin Williams - Duration. A primer is not absolutely necessary, but a good latex primer will stick to vinyl better than a top coat paint and the top coat will stick better to a primer.

The important thing is to stay with a like color and only change towards a lighter shade. Darker colors will absorb more heat. Dark colors can ruin vinyl siding with warping.

As you said, cleaning the surface is very important. Hand wash the vinyl with a mixture of 1/3 C std laundry soap, 2/3 Spic & Span, 1 C bleach, 1 gallon water and lot's of elbow grease. I would not recommend a pressure washer on vinyl siding ever.

Just my thoughts on it.

JD

[PennylessZ28]

Not a fan of Sherwin Williams paint, but since they bought Duron their products may have improved some.

I'd recommend pressure washing the vinyl siding before painting. I've never painted vinyl yet, but I've done aluminum siding before. Vynyl has a tendency to chalk though(rub your hand over it, do you get white stuff on your hand?), so a good cleaning is a must before painting.

[Yanita]

Pressure washing a mobile home can cause damage to the home.

Alot of mobiles do not have sheathing.

Yes, I have pressure washed mine, but I also know how to use the pressure washer it self, and I know that my home has sheathing and the vinyl itself has the insulation built right to it.

~Yanita~

[PennylessZ28]

TSP and a bucket and hose?

[JD]

Mike, you probably shouldn't pressure wash or recommend that people pressure wash vinyl siding. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, water will blow right through the siding. Water from a pressure washer can easily get in behind vinyl siding from all four sides. The clips are very loose to allow movement.

I have installed many miles of vinyl siding, and painted a lot of homes. I use my pressure washer whenever I can, mostly because it is efficient and fun to work with. We have painted 2 mobile homes in the last 2 weeks (still painting the second one right now), both are aluminum siding and were pressure washed to remove the oxidation. I would not use a pressure washer on vinyl siding even though I would certainly like to.

JMO

JD

[Brenda (OH)]

I cleaned up some vinyl skirting for reuse. I had to soak it in detergent and tsp, hand scrub, and then power wash. I was fighting especially bad red clay stains.

The skirting was not installed, and I was able to lay it on the driveway.

it looked very, very good, and I have been able to use it for some repairs.

so maybe if the vinyl skirting is very dirty, the power washer may let you save time for that part of the job.

Brenda

[Guest]

Benjamin Moore paints are great. Well worth the premium price and I have friends who wouldn't use anything else. Me, I think any premium paint would give similar results, but for the same price I'll pick BM from now on.

[PennylessZ28]

As for the above post, Benjamin Moore paints are by far the best. But they are pricey, but there is a reason.

[Robert]

Mike,

A garden hose is one thing, a pressure washer is something different.

ANY home not well constructed can/will suffer damage from a pressure washer.

The only time it is safe, would be a well constructed home, a person doing it with pressure washer experience and a very low pressure.


You have no way of knowing the experience level or home construction of anothers home and also did not mention a low pressure.


There is a lot of years of experience here on this board from people on each coast and all points in between.


If you choose to ignore good advice, that's your choice. To try and insinuate that it is wrong and basicly downplay it is not your choice.


This forum does not advise using a pressure washer on any manufactured home and that will remain and be followed.


You cannot generalize a manufactured home period.

I removed that suggestion from your post, please adhere to this in the future.


Too many risks to do otherwise.


Thank you.


Take care and best wishes,
Robert

[troyster]

JD & Robert are correct under no circumstances should a pressure washer be used on a mobile home period.

[Lorne]

For me, the preasure washer is a definite no-no, because there is no sheathing under the siding. That would seep into the insulation.

As for Sherwin Williams, I was most impressed by their descriptions of the paint they recommend for Vinyl. Others are good I guess as well.

I won't be painting until latter in the season. I love colder weather.
No Seat you might say. Also the humidity might be lower in Sept or Oct here in the South Carolina area.

pressure washers of large size could cut right through siding if in the hands of a dummy.
Thanks all for the input.

[JD]

Well Lorne,

I hope the above posts have offered you sound advice for your project. As far as the paint you should use, I would imagine you could have as many brand recommendations as posted replies. The important thing is to use what you feel is the highest quality latex paint and not to go darker on the shade of color. All paint companies, regardless whether sold out of a home store or proprietary paint store, will have different quality levels of paint. For most home exterior painting jobs, I use Kelly Moore Acry-Shield. But if I was going for all out flexibility, I would use Sherwin Williams - Duration latex paint. If you use a primer, you would also want a high quality latex primer to handle the expansion and contraction of the vinyl. I would stay with the brand of top coat used.

When I wash a home, I use a 10' step ladder to insure that I am always able to put a downward angle on the water stream, pressure washer or hose.

I hope this helps.

JD

[Yanita]

Hi folks,

Me again. I will be locking this thread as it appears this has been answered repeatedly.

If anyone has further questions regarding pressure washer use or painting vinyl siding please start a new thread.
Thanks everyone.

Yanita