Should Steel Siding Be Painted

Follow this guide to learn how to properly paint siding made from steel and aluminum and give it a facelift.

Should steel siding be painted.

How to restore your metal siding without the problems of paint bring back the color and finish of old faded metal aluminum steel and mobile home siding and will protect it from the damage that the sun salt air acid rain moisture and other damaging elements can cause. Expect to pay the premium for good paint. Many paint manufacturers offer multi purpose enamel or a direct to metal paint. Check the label to be sure it s recommended for metal siding.

Determine if the siding has been previously painted and what kind of paint has been used. Give special attention to the parts where the primer layer still shows its color. Aluminum can be difficult to tell apart from vinyl if brand new. After the first coat of the paint dries start off with the second coat.

You should also shy away from dark colors which may create more maintenance problems. Over time your metal siding will turn dull and rust. You can spend a long time trying to remove the rust again and again or you can clean it once and paint over the metal to make it look new protect it and prevent as much rust from building up on the metal surface in the future. In other words painting vinyl siding requires a latex urethane paint formulated for exterior use.

Over time however even the best of maintenance can fail to prevent paint peeling from the siding. If you did not do a good job of scraping off the old paint or there is chalking that you can t get to come off then you should first paint with a primer. Galvanized steel should not be painted with oil based paint. Use the ladder for painting the steel siding on the top and using the roller paint in a horizontal direction.

Repeat the procedure until you cover all the steel siding. If painting light to moderately used indoor metal surfaces think wall sconces bed frames or guest room night tables go with water based acrylic paint a cheaper 15 to 40 per gallon. Step 4 retouch. Steel siding lasts for years with a minimal amount of maintenance required to preserve both the look and protective properties of the material.

The paint that you choose will depend somewhat on how well you prepared your metal siding to receive the paint and what the surface of it looks like.