Easy tips to paint your aluminum and vinyl siding

When it comes to exterior siding, there really is no such thing as maintenance-free. Just like any other outdoor surface, the sun will eventually fade vinyl and aluminum siding. The good news: prep work for vinyl or aluminum is usually easier than it is for wood.

With wood, you have to consider many factors that don't apply to vinyl or aluminum, like the dryness of the wood, how weathered it is, and if you might be better with a stain over paint. With aluminum and vinyl the main thing is to make sure the surface is completely clean before you paint it. Use a scrub brush with laundry detergent mixed with water.

Or if the surface is very dirty and you want to save some elbow grease, rent a power washer. If you do power-wash, be careful to moderate the settings so that you don't damage the siding or blast good paint off aluminum siding.

• New vinyl siding has colour throughout, so there is no paint to blast off. This means you don't need to prime vinyl siding unless it is pitted or porous. In that case, use a latex primer. Once it is clean, you can give it two coats of latex house paint. Don't use alkyd primer or paint — vinyl expands and contracts with temperature changes. Alkyd is much less flexible than latex and might crack and peel.
• Aluminum siding is painted at the factory. If the original paint is in good shape, you can clean it and then use two coats of latex paint. Otherwise scrape off any loose paint, and spot-prime the bare metal with latex primer before painting.

Never paint vinyl siding a colour that is darker than the original colour. The darker colour will absorb more heat, and this may cause the siding to buckle.