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Should I Paint Aluminium Patio Cover

2001

I recently had an aluminium cover installed over my patio, and I want to have the top cover painted in a chocolate or dark brown color -- currently it's a tan color. I have been advised by the manufacturer of the awning not have any painting done, as the paint will peel off due to the sun - is that true or do I have an option. If so, what do you suggest?

Thanks.

Denise Beidleman
- Germantown, Maryland

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2001

Although I'm supposedly a metal finishing "expert", some questions are best answered homeowner-to-homeowner :-)

My answer is that we had an addition put on our house with white aluminum siding because we couldn't find any new siding to match the brown aluminum siding on the house. The builder felt the white addition would look fine--which it most definitely did not.

So, after careful detergent and water washing, we just painted it with exterior brown latex paint. Yes, you can scrape this brown paint off the siding with the edge of a coin; it doesn't adhere as well as the factory baked paint. But as a practical matter, it just wasn't a problem.

I meant to tell you that your neighbors called about that TAN patio cover . . .

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