Painting Manufactured Home Siding | TMH 018
In this post, I am going to talk about painting Manufactured Home siding - vinyl and aluminum. I’m excluding wood because that is fairly straight forward, and how you approach it will be very much dependent on its condition.
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I’m going to start with aluminum siding, as it a little more straightforward than vinyl.
The steps for painting aluminum siding are as follows:
Choose a paint color.
Wait for mild, dry temperature with an overcast sky if possible. This will allow the paint to adhere properly.
Repair any damage. This can take the form of filling dents, patching holes, or replacing elements. This will also be very much specific to your project.
Prep the surface by scraping off any flaking paint, debris, or old caulk. Then wash and allow the siding to thoroughly dry (3 to 4 days). A power washer can be used and is very much helpful, but you must make sure to aim the washer downwards (so water doesn’t go under the siding). Also, use a low pressure attachment.
Mask and protect areas not to be painted.
Prime with a galvanized etching metal primer.
Paint with exterior acrylic paint following the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, always paint in the direction of the siding - horizontal siding paint horizontal, and vertical siding paint vertical.
For a vinyl siding, the steps are about the same, but there are different considerations:
Choose a SAFE paint color. The paint color should be the same shade, or lighter than the existing vinyl side. If it is darker, heat absorption from the sun can cause damage, such as warping.
Wait for mild, dry temperature with an overcast sky if possible. This will allow the paint to adhere properly.
Damaged panels will most likely need to be replaced and not repaired due to the nature of vinyl.
Prep the surface by scraping off any flaking paint, debris, or old caulk. Then wash and allow the siding to thoroughly dry (3 to 4 days). A power washer can be used and is very much helpful, but you must make sure to aim the washer downwards (so water doesn’t go under the siding). Also, test out the appropriate pressure.
Mask and protect areas not to be painted.
Prime IF the original color has completely work away or if the surface pitted and porous. A standard exterior acrylic primer is fine.
Paint with exterior acrylic paint following the manufacturer’s instructions. You may wish to seek out a paint that is specifically designed for vinyl siding (if you are not priming). Also, always paint in the direction of the siding - horizontal siding paint horizontal, and vertical siding paint vertical.
Here is a little more information on choosing a new paint color for vinyl siding.
The first step is to choose your paint brand and get at least 20 swatches. Hold up the swatches to your siding on a sunny day, and take a picture (clearly showing the swatch information). Once you have all these swatches photographed, turn the pictures grey and see if the shade is the same as the existing siding.
If this narrowed down your options to around five, it is time to get some samples and see what works on a larger scale.
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