# Painting vinyl siding



## workpot (Aug 27, 2008)

I painting vinyl siding. I'm using Benjamin Moore products, Moorgard, and I have fresh start primers, oil and latex. I know it's clean, I did it by hand with sponges, brushes and rags by hand myself with tsp and properly rinsed. Squeeky clean when wet. The weather has been good, sunny dry here in northeast PA. The paint color is lighter than the original siding colors. The vinyl is a vertical type with a wood grain look and is about 15 years old. 

My BM retailer recommended using latex 100% acrilyc primer so I primed and painted a dormer and 10 days later I can fairly easily scrape it off with a fingernail. When I asked about emulsabond they said that the primer is a bonding primer and I should not use a bonding additive. Over the last 10 days I have tried a number of paint primer configurations. including paint without primer, oil primer and using emulsabond with latex primer and using emulsabond with paint and no primer. Although the emulsabond test seem to do better than the others, it really changes the nature of the fingernail scrapings more than solving the bonding issue altogether. 

It should be noted that Flood recommends against using Emulsabond for vinyl, and that none of the newer test spots are on more than a 7 days or so.

I have not painted vinyl before so I really do not know what to expect. 


Am I expecting too much?

Is it just a matter of cure time? 

Is my vinyl different? 

Should I use Sherwin Williams Duration?

Thanks, Rob

[email protected]


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## Red Adobe (Jul 26, 2008)

You'll have hell with a latex getting any decent bond on vinyl.......i have used oil based enamel with a flex agent with some luck. You'll have to scuff with scotchbrite and use an abrasive cream prep (3m scuff-it) as well to open up the plastic. 
Siding is just like painting plastic, most people won't do it or warrenty it


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## Traditions2 (Jul 3, 2008)

I've painted vinyl a couple of times. I wash down real well and two coats of superpaint satin. I tried to talk the home owner out of it and explained there would be no warranty. However, I painted my garage with vinyl and have had no issues of paint failure. However, the expanding has caused problems. The garage was white. I painted it a dark grey. When the weather changes the siding expands showing white lines at the seams. Last time it expanded I went back with a brush and hit the seams. So far no other issues. That was three years ago.


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## capital city (Mar 29, 2008)

I think your expecting too much. I dont think these paints are supposed to bond well to vinyl they will however form a mold around it. It should hold up to rain, etc but it wont hold up to the fingernail test because its not absorbing into the vinyl. I would use Duration as it can be applied the thickest and will probably be the most flexible as would be needed for the expansion issues with vinyl. Charlie


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## ContractorQ (Mar 31, 2008)

Sorry I saw this so late. Sherwin Williams Super Paint and Duration can be used for vinyl siding but the colors available are limited.


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## capital city (Mar 29, 2008)

You are not limited to colors for Duration or SuperPaint. They both now are vinyl safe which means you can now go darker then the original vinyl color with no expansion problems. You can get any color you want. Charlie


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## ContractorQ (Mar 31, 2008)

Charlie there is absolutely a chart of reccommended colors at SW. I have no doubt that if you deviate from those colors that SW will not stand behind their product.


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## carolinaprowash (Dec 28, 2006)

So, painting vinyl siding CAN be done - is that with an agressive prep or just well cleaned?

I want my white areas to be a creamy color but don't want to replace the siding - but I also don't want peely paint in 6 months either! We're cleaners, not painters!

Celeste


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## VAinteriors (Mar 17, 2007)

You absolutely can paint vinyl, but you have to use certain colors. It has nothing to do with the paint, it has to do with the colorants. The use of certain colorants will cause the siding to warp. My guess is if you went to a BM store, then you got good advice. If you did this with Home Depot at the helm, then I'd say you have a problem.


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## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

I drove past a house that had a multi-color vinyl on it every day, then they painted it a butter yellow. It has been a couple years now and it looks good from the street. Up close may be another story.


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## chris n (Oct 14, 2003)

If you used Fresh Start acrylic primer it takes 30 days to cure hard.


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## WisePainter (Sep 16, 2008)

blah blah blah.

TSP wash down then Superpaint using the top three colors on any color strip (not the dark tones obviously).
No darker.

I have _extensive_ experience with the confounded vinyl siding, with not a failure yet.

:thumbup:

Enjoy!


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## ACSofMS (Oct 12, 2008)

It's been many years ago that I painted vinyl siding. It was a light blue (terribly faded and chalky). Washed the blame thing three times, thinking the chalking would wash off. It didn't! Finally ask my SW rep and he said to wash it well with TSP (brushing/scrubbing only required for the anal retentive type - which I fit into) and use EB with the paint.

Mixed a slightly higher ratio of Emulsion Bond to A100 - and it worked out beautifully.


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## WisePainter (Sep 16, 2008)

ACSofMS said:


> It's been many years ago that I painted vinyl siding. It was a light blue (terribly faded and chalky). Washed the blame thing three times, thinking the chalking would wash off. It didn't! Finally ask my SW rep and he said to wash it well with TSP (brushing/scrubbing only required for the anal retentive type - which I fit into) and use EB with the paint.
> 
> Mixed a slightly higher ratio of Emulsion Bond to A100 - and it worked out beautifully.


I had not considered EB, that sound like a solid plan to me.

:thumbsup:

A100 is the paint I _always_ use for residential exteriors, or Porter mastic where the budget allows.
I have 3 exteriors going right now and all of them are receiving the A100 treatment.


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## painterdude (Aug 4, 2008)

Never did much in the trailer dept. til I moved to central Fl. I can only go back 3 years but I pressure cleaned well, put on a tinted coat of 1-2-3 water based primer from Zinzer, let it sit a day and painted it with exterior latex satin. After 3 years it looks like I did it yesterday...florida weathering is a bear what with the heat, rain and way too much direct sun. pd


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## JMGP (Mar 29, 2005)

You DO NOT need any type of primers or bonding agents to paint vinyl siding... You only need to use a quality 100% acrilic paint... ( I recommend BM Moore Guard) As some have said... stay away from the darker colors (no matter what SW says there is no dark color out there that "blocks" the suns heat)... it may hold the color longer to fading but I doubt it prevents warping... 

You must allow the paint proper curing time before you do a finger nail test... (10 days is not long enough) 30 or more is long enough... It will bond like it came from factory... Also you should expect expanding lines to show at some point so I would let your customer know to keep an eye on that and to call you when it happens so you can go and touch up those lines... after that you should never have an issue...


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## kevinc (Nov 6, 2008)

I agree with JMGP.I always push for moorgaurd.i always wash well (the house).ive primed and i havent .the results have seemed to be the same.no problems.i did my lawyers crankout vinyl windows last fall,and believe me i was a lil bit nervous.turned out great .just joined this sight tonight and im already luvin it!


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## gideond (May 17, 2007)

We've had the best luck using Davis DTM on vinyl siding. A couple hours after it's on it's bonded so tight you can't scrape it off. It's done far better at this than any other paint I've seen. Regular exterior 100% acrylics all seem to be easily scratched off once cured. That's not saying they won't work. The one's I've seen have held up fine, just don't go TRYING to scratch it off.


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## Snow Man (Aug 18, 2008)

:thumbup:Oil primer and 2 coats of your favorite ext. latex finish.:thumbup:

Iv done it HUNNERDS of times with nothing but success and a long lasting , brilliant finish. 
Mostly spraying where I could.


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