mobilehomerepair.com

We recently acquired a sad little trailer on an adjoining property. It's a 1976 Marshfield with metal siding.

What is the best way to paint it? We power washed the excess dirt and mold (yes you read that correctly) off of it.

I'm afraid regular paint and primer won't be enough. Any suggestions?

I would talk to a "paint professional" and let them make a recomendation. Personally I would go with a water based enamal. Greg

I would just use a quality primer and latex paint. You want the paint to be elastic enough to stretch as the metal expands and contracts.

My best choice would be Sherwin-Williams Pre-Rite primer and Sherwin-Williams Duration. The primer is ideal for aluminum and other gloss type finishes. Duration may be the stretchiest paint there is. This paint will cost more than home store paints.

I also think that Zinsser Bullseye 123 or Kilz Premium and Behr Premium Plus would do an acceptable job for more affordable paint. The 2 primers above work well on gloss surfaces.

JMO

JD,

the sherwin williams manager told me Duration was "self priming" and that it was primer and finish coat in one?

and that I could use it alone on the exterior if I had cleaned the metal siding before painting.

have they ever told you anything similar? I went ahead and used it alone, but it was a home i sold. I had to put the paint on in a heavy layer anyways, because I was going from cream white to medium sage green, and I had to roll a few times to get good coverage. I also was painting in 90+ heat, and the paint was getting a little thick at times.

it still looks great, but it has only been 1 year.

Brenda (OH)

I'd like it to look good for about seven years after that I don't really care :~) It'll be paid off by then and we'll stop renting it and sell it.

I read all kinds of articles about how to mix a oil based primer and DH said forget it, it can stay as is if he has to do anything special to the paint.

This is good news. We can see it from our kitchen table during the winter when the leaves are off the trees.

Hi Brenda. Yes, SW Duration paint is supposed to be that good that it does not need a primer on prepainted surfaces. If this is a normal repaint and the old paint is in OK condition, this would be fine. If the paint has washed down very thin or gone in areas, or if I wanted the best paint job possible, I would still use a primer made for gloss surfaces. While Duration paint is very durable and flexible, primers will still have a molecular structure that attaches better to bare metal and smooth surfaces. Primers will also do a better job of incorporating any oxidation that you didn't get washed off. Prep is still key to a good paint job no matter what paint you use.

JD