Can you paint vinyl siding, or should you replace it?
Yes, you can usually paint vinyl siding if the panels are solid and just faded, as long as you use a paint made for vinyl and pick a color about the same as the original or lighter. Go much darker and the panels can soak up enough sun to warp. If the siding is cracked, loose, wavy or letting water behind it, paint won't fix that: repairs typically run $350 to $3,000 and a full re-side $7,500 to $25,000.
By Jim Armstrong, owner of Armstrong Roofing LLC. Updated .
When painting vinyl works, and when it is a waste of money
Vinyl siding gets its color all the way through the plastic, which is why it never needed painting in the first place. After enough years in the sun the surface fades and chalks, especially on the south and west walls. If that's the only thing wrong, paint is a fair way to freshen it up for a lot less than new siding.
Three things decide whether paint will hold up:
- The paint. Most big paint makers sell exterior paints labeled for vinyl, usually with a list of vinyl-safe colors. Ordinary exterior paint may not flex with the plastic and can peel.
- The color. Vinyl expands and shrinks a lot with temperature. A color much darker than the original absorbs more heat, and on a sunny wall the panels can bow and buckle. Staying at the same shade or lighter is the usual rule, and the vinyl-safe color lists exist for exactly this reason.
- The warranty. Painting may affect the siding manufacturer's warranty. If your siding is still under one, read it or call the manufacturer before you buy paint.
Paint is a coating. It doesn't make a cracked panel whole, it doesn't stop a loose one from blowing off, and it does nothing for water getting behind the siding. Painting over those problems just means paying twice.
If you paint, prep is most of the job: Wash the siding first with a soft brush and a siding cleaner, rinse, and let it dry completely. Green mildew on north walls and under trees has to come off, or the paint will lift with it. Do a small test patch on a back wall and look at it after a few hot days before you commit to the whole house.
Paint, repair or replace: what to look for on your walls
Walk around the house on a sunny afternoon and look along each wall at a low angle. Press on a few panels with your hand.
- Faded or chalky, but flat and tight to the wall: a paint candidate
- Uneven fading, one side lighter than the others: cosmetic, a paint candidate
- A few cracked or broken panels low on the wall or where hail hit: a repair, then paint if you still want to
- Wavy or buckled panels: usually nailed too tight or melted by heat, and painting will not flatten them
- Panels that rattle, flap or came off in wind: a repair first
- Stains or peeling paint on inside walls under windows, or soft trim: water is getting behind the siding, so find the leak before anything else
- Damage on several walls, or brittle panels that crack when you press: probably time to replace
What we see on siding in Willow Grove and Horsham
A lot of the post-war Capes, ranchers and split-levels in Willow Grove and Horsham have had the same vinyl on them for a long time. Old vinyl gets brittle, and in our freeze-thaw winters a brittle panel cracks when a mower kicks up a stone or a branch hits it in a January wind. Cracks low on the wall like that are a repair, not a reason to re-side.
Under the mature oaks and maples on Willow Grove's older streets, the north and shaded walls grow green mildew while the sunny walls fade. People often think the whole house needs new siding when it really needs a good wash. Clean it first and then decide.
The problems we take more seriously are the ones behind the siding. As roofers, we see water stains below the spot where a lower roof meets a wall, from missing kick-out flashing, and walls soaked by gutters that overflow every storm. Paint can't fix either. If your gutters spill onto the siding, gutter repair might save the wall.
Do we paint siding ourselves? (Question for Jim: does Armstrong paint vinyl siding, or refer homeowners to a painter? If you refer, is there a painter you are comfortable naming?)
(Question for Jim: how often can you find a matching panel for a repair on older vinyl, and what you do when the color is discontinued or faded too far to match)
A siding job where the answer was not paint
(Question for Jim: one recent siding repair or re-side you are comfortable publishing: town (Willow Grove or Horsham if possible), house type, what the owner thought was wrong, what you found (cracks, wavy panels, water behind the siding, rotted sheathing), whether it was a repair or a full re-side, and the price or a price range)
The photo at the top of this page is from a siding repair and replacement job of ours in Willow Grove.
What to do next
- Wash one wall. A lot of tired-looking siding is just dirty. See what you have before you spend anything.
- Do the walk-around above. Faded but solid points to paint. Cracked, loose or wavy points to repair. Water inside points to flashing or gutters first.
- Find your warranty. If the siding is still under a manufacturer warranty, check what painting does to it.
- If you paint, pick from the vinyl-safe list. Same shade as the original or lighter, and test a patch first.
- If it needs repair or replacement, get a written estimate. Repairs typically run $350 to $3,000. A full re-side typically runs $7,500 to $25,000. See our siding page for how we do it, and we will tell you on the visit if paint would do.
When you don't need us
If your vinyl is flat, tight and dry and only the color has gone, you don't need a siding contractor. Wash it, and if it still looks tired, paint it with a vinyl-safe paint in the same shade or lighter, yourself or with a painter. Same goes for a single cracked panel on the back of the house: if you have a spare piece in the garage, a siding zip tool from the hardware store and a few minutes of video will get you through it.
Related questions
Can you paint vinyl siding?
Yes, usually, if the panels are solid and just faded. Use an exterior paint made for vinyl, pick a color the same as the original or lighter so the panels do not overheat and warp, and wash the siding well first. Check your siding warranty before you start, since painting may affect it.
What happens if you paint vinyl siding a dark color?
The panels can warp. A much darker color absorbs more heat, and vinyl already moves a lot with temperature, so sunny walls can bow and buckle. That is why paint makers usually publish a list of vinyl-safe colors.
How much does vinyl siding cost per square foot?
We price siding by the whole job rather than by the square foot, because trim, windows, height and any rotted sheathing change the number. A full vinyl siding job typically runs $7,500 to $25,000. (Question for Jim: a per-square-foot range for installed vinyl siding we can publish, if any)
How much does vinyl siding installation cost in Willow Grove?
A full vinyl siding job on a Willow Grove house typically runs $7,500 to $25,000. A one-story rancher sits toward the low end; a two-story house with lots of windows and trim sits higher. You get a free, written, line-item estimate before any work starts.
How much does vinyl siding repair cost in Willow Grove, PA?
Siding repairs typically run $350 to $3,000. A few cracked or blown-off panels sit at the low end, as long as matching pieces can be found. Water damage behind the siding or several damaged walls push it higher.