How to Paint Vinyl Siding

Spray vinyl with diluted bleach to remove mildew before painting.
Spray vinyl with diluted bleach to remove mildew before painting.

I need to paint a few pieces of exterior vinyl siding. How do I prepare the siding so paint will adhere to it? -Verna

Verna,
Begin by cleaning the vinyl siding with detergent and water. If any mildew is present, spray it with a mixture of one part bleach to four parts water (a pump up garden sprayer works great for this). Let the bleach stay on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse it thoroughly and allow the siding to dry.

Paint vinyl siding with a high quality, exterior, acrylic latex paint. Do not paint it a darker color than the factory color, since it may cause it to absorb too much heat and warp.

Good luck with your project,

Danny

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13 COMMENTS

  1. Hurricane Ike partially destroyed my 10 X 12 wood framed storage building. I have successfully replaced the OSB panels on the lower portion of the building that were damaged by the high water. I now am ready to replace the vinyl siding that was blown away. I have never installed vinyl siding but believe that I can do it myself if I can get proper installation instructions. Can you help?

    • Hi Mike,
      I used to install vinyl siding, and it’s not that hard if you have basic carpentry skills. We don’t have detailed installation instruction on the website, but instructions often come with the siding.

  2. what kind of paint should i used for vinyl siding and what do i need to do before i paint it .

    thanks for the help
    david

  4. Hello,

    I have read on several sites including yours that I should not paint vinyl siding a darker color than the factory color, since it may cause it to absorb too much heat and warp. What do I do if my vinyl siding is white and I want to paint it a light shade of green or another color other than white? I do not want to repaint it another shade of white. What do you suggest? The location of the house is in the Catskill Mountains of NY. Thank you for your time and comments.

    • Hi Joe,
      While it’s generally recommended that you not paint vinyl siding darker than the original factory color, we haven’t field tested it to see if it would cause problems. The vinyl siding on my house here on the Alabama Gulf Coast was originally white but the previous owners spray painted it an almond color several years ago. The only problem I’ve noticed so far is that when the siding shrinks during cold weather, you can see a bit of white at the joints where it overlaps the still white piece underneath.

  5. I have vinyl siding on my home in a light gray color. We have a covered porch that faces west with three sides open and vinyl siding on the south side. I have been thinking of painting a mural on that wall, which would require darker colors that the siding. I’m concerned about the issue of buckling siding if I do paint the mural with the paint designed for vinyl siding. I do have Kool-A-Roo blinds that have spf factor & that keeps sunshine off the porch & cools at the same time during the Alabama Gulf Coast summers. Is this a feasible project or will the buckling issue make it a bad idea. Thank you for any advice and comments.

    • Hi Sue,
      Since those two colors are close to each other, you should be able to paint over the grey with olive with no problem.

  8. My question is the same as Joe’s question. My siding is white & gray. I want to paint it a very light yellow with green trim on the shutters & window awnings. The trim is currently burgandy. Is that too dark. I learned a lot from your information. Thank you.

  9. I need to fill some holes and small broken sections in vinyl siding. I will use caulk but will need a little touch up with paint to blend it in. I am also interested in painting the shutters and getting more. This was helpful. food for thought

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