Painting Exterior Aluminum Siding

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Rosemary
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Is there any paint that would cover my light colored aluminum siding with one coat? Thanks, Rosemary
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flcruising
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Depends on how long you want it to last. The prep work ALWAYS determines the quality of the job.

At minimum you need to clean the oxidation off and recaulk before doing any painting. A good coat of primer is then needed. Then topcoat with the color paint of your choice.
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JD
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flcruising wrote:Depends on how long you want it to last.
Excellent answer. Even if you were happy with one coat, 2 coats greatly extends the life of the paint job. Even then, it is very hard to get a good finish with one coat on aluminum. Using a brush and roller, I doubt that Sherwin-Williams Duration would really look that good with one coat. A spray rig might get you a good finish with a high quality latex paint.

Provided the existing paint has not worn too thin, A good paint will adhere well to the existing paint. Removing oxidation is a must. Caulk windows, doors, protrusions like lights, exterior outlets, vents, and any holes you might find. Do not caulk aluminum siding edges whether vertical panels or lap siding unless it is the only way to seal a separation. Even then, it may not last long. Aluminum siding expands and contracts a lot.

JD
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Rosemary
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My SW has the original baked on painted verticle aluminum siding from the factory. When I run my hand or a rag across it, there is no chalky oxidation at all. If it looked nice I wouldn't bother at all with painting but it is really ugly. It looks like they tried to make it look like wood grain or something. Just streaky brownish white. If its not chalky, do I still have to scrub it down? I dont want to power wash it because of potential leaking. A salesman at Sherwin Williams said that I shouldn't have to prime it if I use a high quality exterior paint. I am not sure which paint to choose though. One guy told me to use oil based only. So many different answers and the ultra premium paint is around $50.00 per gallon.
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JD
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The Sherwin-Williams guy is correct to a point. If your paint is in good, albeit old, condition, a paint like S-W Duration has a chance at a good coverage in one coat, especially with a similar color. But primer will always give you a better paint job. Primer is better at penetrating and sticking to the old paint and your new paint will stick better to primer. I have used a lot of Duration paint. I particularly like it on aluminum siding because of its flexible nature and coverage. But when fully cured, it does have a rubber skin effect and I found that it can scratch off of aluminum pretty easy without primer.

I would always recommend scrubbing down the siding. Using just a cheap scrub brush with a long handle and a TSP solution will do a good job. It is important to remove oxidation, but dust, dirt and oil and bad air residue should also be removed to get the longest lasting paint job. When you rinse, you should hold the hose horizontal to a downward direction. Pointing the hose up near trim, windows and joints can get water into the wall.

Hope this helps,
JD
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
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Greg S
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From personal experience you can do one coat with any good quality paint.
However if you want it to look good and last it will require far more effort and time.
It all depends on what your end goal is. Quick and easy or quality and durability.
The last one I did which was only a 10 X 50 with all proper prep, tinted primer, trim and two top coats took 32 hours.
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Dean3
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I used Sherwin williams Superpaint 3 years ago,,only prep done was powerwashing then let it dry a couple days..Some of the original paint just disappeared when washing,no big deal and no prob for the superpaint. I just cut n rolled,,no primer,,still looks fine. SW Superpaint has a low temp application too so if you get a night down to 40F after painting it won't hurt it.. I love SW.

Dean
DigitalDreams

Painted ours which had original paint job and was two tone you know the 70's look, and all we did was power wash and used a good grade of house paint with a air sprayer.Seems to be holding up well
I think spraying bonds better than any other method.
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Dean3
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I agree DigDreams,spraying is a good way to go. I just wasn't confident enough to handle the sprayer with all the channels and such,figured I'd get too many runs,,plus I wanted to keep the skirting the tan color and paint the home's trim to match. Didn't want paint drifting to the neighbor's stuff either.

Also to note; The guy at Sherwin Williams said to use a gloss/semi-gloss cause it repels rain better,,makes sense cause I paint gloss in many bathrooms and kitchens where steam and splashing goes on.

Dean
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TonyPa
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I would only use Sherwin Williams. According to my father, a 40 year painter, he swears by them. When I painted my house 4 years ago, which has aluminum siding. I used 2 coats, of "whatever" they sold me, and it worked great. I go to them, because I know they can always answer my questions, and the paint is always quality.
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Yanita
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Hi,

Am moving this this to decorating/landscaping...please follow there.
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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Dean3
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Forgot to mention I used only 1 coat of the Superpaint on the aluminum siding,,,the trim got a secod coat cause I changed My mind after seeing the whole place all white..3 years or so and not any problems on any of it..

The Superpaint comes with some mold n mildew inhibitor in it and they told Me not to add more than one little pack per gallon($3 each added per gal)so that's what I did..Have one tree that overhangs on the north side and if mold was gonna grow,that's where it would try..Seems odd to use the best they had on this old place but I don't regret it one bit,,only took a few gallons of white and one gal of trim color anyway..

Whatever Ya do,,go good and go gloss,,flat finish is a big NO NO outdoors.

Dean
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Dean3
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Forgot to mention,,,an ancient old white haired painter told Me that Iowa Paint Co used to make the paint for Sherwin Williams,,maybe,,just maybe,,You could get comparable product for less if there is an outlet nearby for it..I dunno if what the old guy said is 100% correct or not,,,,just sayin..

Dean
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JD
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You can't go wrong with top of the line Sherwin-Williams, but I believe there are other excellent paints as well, Kelly Moore, Valspar, etc. Seems all of the paint companies have grades of paint quality. It is the labor that is the main cost/contribution to a paint job. Quality paint can outlast cheap paint by 2-3 times and can give you years over middle of the road paint. I always tell the customers that quality paints will get better coverage and last longer without an increase in labor cost. The small difference in a contracted price is left on your wall. I don't take the extra cost home with me. :)

JD
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
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Dean3
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Agreed 100%,I tell customers the same things in My own way..

Another thing that everybody prolly knows but I'll mention anyway(as usual)is that white paint outdoors will last longer than most any other color if paint style/quality is equal,,it reflects the sun so less damage..That's the reason Ya saw/see soooo many white houses.

Dean
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