Painting Vinyl and Aluminum Outside

A great many San Diego homes have parts on the outside that are neither stucco nor wood. Many of the 1960s and 70s tracts across the South Bay and East County were built with aluminum slider windows, and many have since had vinyl replacements. There are aluminum patio covers, vinyl fences and gates, metal garage doors and, on some older homes, aluminum siding. All of it can usually be painted. None of it should be painted the same way as the wall next to it.

Can vinyl and aluminum be painted at all?

Yes, with the right preparation, the right product and some limits on color. The difference from stucco is that these materials are non-porous, so paint cannot soak in and has to grip the surface. Vinyl also expands and contracts far more than other materials. Get the preparation or the color wrong and the paint peels, or the material itself is damaged.

Before you decide: check the paperwork

With vinyl windows, doors and some fencing, the first step is not in the paint store. Read the maker’s documentation or contact them. Many have terms about painting or altering their products, and you should know what painting would mean for your coverage before it is done. If the paperwork is long gone, a label etched in the glass or on the frame often names the maker.

This is your decision, and Ebenezer will not make it for you, but he will make sure you have asked it.

Vinyl: heat is the whole issue

Vinyl is formulated to tolerate the heat that its own factory color absorbs. White and light vinyl stays relatively cool. Paint it a dark color and the surface absorbs much more sunlight and runs hotter, sometimes hot enough to soften and distort. Frames bow, fence boards wave and siding panels buckle between their fastenings.

That makes color the key decision:

• Lighter than or similar to the original is generally safe.
• Much darker is where the risk lies, especially on south and west faces inland, in places like El Cajon.
• Vinyl-safe colors are published by paint makers; Sherwin-Williams, for one, offers a VinylSafe collection. These are formulated to reflect more heat than a standard tint of similar appearance, and they are the starting point if you want a deeper look.

Look at the light reflectance value (LRV) that paint makers list for each color. The lower it is, the more heat it takes on. Our article on dark exterior colors and heat explains how to read it.

How vinyl is prepared and painted

1. Clean thoroughly to remove dirt, chalk, pollen and any film from sprinkler water or salt air.
2. Rinse and let it dry completely.
3. Scuff lightly, if the coating’s instructions call for it, to give the paint some tooth.
4. Prime if the product requires it, using a primer suited to vinyl.
5. Apply a coating rated for vinyl, in thin, even coats rather than one heavy one.
6. Leave moving parts and seals unpainted.

Aluminum: oxidation comes off first

Bare or factory-finished aluminum weathers differently. In sun and coastal air, its surface oxidises into a dull, chalky film that comes off on your hand. Old factory paint on aluminum patio covers and siding chalks the same way. Paint applied over either will not hold.

Aluminum is prepared like this:

1. Clean off oxidation and chalk with a cleaner suited to aluminum, scrubbing where needed.
2. Rinse and dry.
3. Scuff any glossy factory finish so the primer has something to hold.
4. Prime bare metal with a primer made to bond to aluminum. Ordinary wall primer is not enough.
5. Finish with a quality exterior acrylic from Dunn-Edwards or Sherwin-Williams, brushed or sprayed depending on the surface.

Aluminum does not rust the way steel does, but any steel fasteners, brackets or hinges attached to it can, and they are spot-primed with a rust-inhibiting primer.

Aluminum windows: paint the frame, not the mechanism

Original aluminum sliders are common across Chula Vista and the older inland tracts. Painting their frames to match new trim can make a real difference to how a house looks. The care is in what is not painted:

• Tracks and rollers, which must stay clean and smooth.
• Weatherstripping and pile seals, which stop sealing if painted.
• The faces where the sash slides past the frame, which will stick.
• Weep holes at the bottom of the frame, which let water drain out.

These are masked and protected, the frame faces are primed and painted, and every window is opened and checked before the job is called finished.

Patio covers, garage doors and fences

Aluminum patio covers are often a long expanse of oxidised factory finish that looks tired long before it fails. Cleaning and priming them properly is most of the work, and the underside, which is seen from the patio, matters as much as the top.

Metal garage doors are usually steel with a factory finish, or sometimes aluminum. They are cleaned, deglossed, spot-primed where the finish is broken and painted, with the same caution about very dark colors in full sun.

Vinyl fencing and gates follow the vinyl rules above, with the added consideration that a long run in full sun shows any distortion clearly.

What to discuss at the estimate

When you ask for a free estimate, say which vinyl and metal parts you want included. Each one is a separate line in a precise scope, because each has its own preparation. Ebenezer will tell you plainly which parts are good candidates for paint, which color range is safe on each, and where he thinks paint is not the right answer.

To find out what your windows, cover or fence can take, request a free estimate. More on the exterior painting service, or on the housing in Spring Valley.