Summary for painting existing aluminum siding Discussion
painting existing aluminum siding is usually handled with a good high-quality 100% acrylic paint, according to Stephen Fuller of Fuller Enterprises. He says the siding should be thoroughly washed and cleaned first, and any bare spots where the metal shows through the old finish should be primed before repainting. The original question asked whether a specialty paint could survive extreme Canadian temperatures, from -40 °C winters to 35 °C summers, and what pretreatment would be needed. Fuller does not recommend a special climate-specific coating; instead, he points readers to local specialty paint shops for product specifications and notes that askthebuilder.com has a helpful DIY article. The practical takeaway is that proper surface preparation and a quality exterior acrylic are the key steps, rather than a special aluminum-only paint.
Q. Is there a specialty paint for aluminum siding that will withstand the rigors of the Canadian climate; i.e. winter lows of -40 °C and summer highs of 35 °C. If such a paint what pretreatment would the existing siding require before applying new paint?
Donald Wildsmith
Homeowner – Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
2004
A. The general suggestion for repainting old aluminum siding (no matter the climate) is to use a good high quality 100% acrylic paint after it is thoroughly washed and cleaned. Bare spots where the metal shows through the old finish should be primed. Any specialty paint shops in your area can give you the specs on how to go about it and tell you which of their paints is best to use. For a quick reference askthebuilder.com has an extremely helpful article for the do-it-yourselfer.
Stephen Fuller
Fuller Enterprises – Albany, New York
2005