Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


-----

Painting Aluminum Siding

 

I have a very small section of white aluminum siding on an otherwise brown house...it looks terrible but to have someone come in and change the white to brown is very costly. I have seen some postings that indicate that exterior latex paint applied to a cleaned surface should work o.k. My question: will sandpapering the surface improve adhesion or should I just wash and paint?

Lou Rishchynski
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada

---

I had the identical situation and I did exactly what you want to do. I simply washed the siding, and found that the adhesion was not perfect, but was good enough for a house. In other words, you could easily scrape the paint off with a coin if you tried, but there was no blistering. Sanding it is a lot of work and would seem to me to increase the susceptibility to corrosion.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
 

---

 

Lou,

I like your idea of sandpapering as it will increase the surface area to be painted and gives a rougher finish for the paint to 'glue' to. Consider, too, pressure washing if you have a pressure washer.

Ordinary (outdoor) latex? Why not. You can always repaint BUT adhesion is important.

Take a gander at the 'next' inquiry #10494.

CHEERS!

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).

---

What are the proper steps to paint an older home with aluminum siding? I also need to know the type of paint that should be used.

Dennis Beam
homeowner - Marion, North Carolina, America