Siding Articles

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Whether you have vinyl or aluminum siding, taking a little care will prolong its life and keep it looking its best. To prevent the need to repaint your siding, clean it regularly. You use slightly different approaches depending on whether your siding is vinyl or aluminum. Cleaning vinyl siding Vinyl siding is a great-looking product. It doesn't warp, split, or buckle, and, according to several manufacturers, you never need to paint it. This fact wouldn't be important except that, like all types of exterior siding, vinyl does have its shortcomings. The surface of vinyl siding etches in time. As the surface deteriorates, the pitting causes the material to become dull and prone to stain. Several brands of exterior paint are now available that are designed for use on vinyl siding. Check with your local paint shop or hardware store for the lowdown. Cleaning twice a year is good — once in the spring and then again in the fall. Use a pressure washer with laundry detergent to get the surface sparkling clean. Most pressure washers have a plastic dip tube that you can use to blend in agents like detergents. Keeping the surface of the vinyl clean won't prevent it from oxidizing, but it will prevent corrosive chemicals in the air from attacking the surface, slowing the process of deterioration. Maintaining aluminum siding Aluminum is a beautiful siding that man has created in an attempt to outdo nature. They said it wouldn't rust like steel, that it would never have to be painted, and that it would simply last forever. Well, the truth is that it probably will last forever. But by then, it won't look new at all. Think of aluminum siding in the same way that you think about a car body. It's a smooth metal surface covered with paint that needs to be cleaned, polished, and waxed regularly. Think about it: Aluminum siding is metal that's formed, polished, and given a factory paint job just like a car body. What automobile paint job do you know of that lasts forever? If you want to see a good case of chalked (oxidized) paint, look closely at a 20-year-old home sided with aluminum that's never been cleaned or painted. So how do you prevent chalking? You don't prevent it (in fact, chalking is the paint's way of self-cleaning), but you can make light work of getting it to disappear. All you have to do is attend to your siding. Pressure wash once or twice a year, making sure to fill the plastic dip tube on the pressure washer with laundry detergent. Your aluminum siding will remain bright and shiny for years, and the task won't seem overwhelming. When the time comes to paint your aluminum siding, keep these tips in mind: Never scrape aluminum siding. Aluminum has a smooth surface; sand it with 400- to 600-grit sandpaper. A zinc oxide primer (metal primer) is best for bare aluminum. Because an aluminum surface is smooth, spray-paint it for best results. Always patch an aluminum surface with a filler made especially for metal — like Bondo, used for cars.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

To prevent rot and prolong the life of your wood siding, you can treat it with oil, stain, or paint. These materials act as a barrier, preventing water from coming into direct contact with the wood. Which finish you choose is mostly an aesthetic choice: Oil, a clear finish, is absorbed into the wood, filling all pores and voids, thereby displacing water that otherwise would be absorbed. Oil stain is the same as oil except that a pigment is mixed into the oil. Paint penetrates and protects in the same way that oil does. Additionally, paint coats the surface of the wood with a thin, durable, waterproof hide. Oil is easier to apply than paint is, and if the oil is clear (or almost clear), mistakes are nearly impossible to detect. If the oil contains stain, the added pigment makes application slightly more difficult, as mistakes show up more readily. But the added pigment helps filter out more of the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. Unfortunately, oil has a tendency to evaporate and doesn't last as long as paint. However, unlike paint, oil and oil stain don't split, chip, or blister. Everything's a trade-off. With oil, you never have to sand, scrape, or chisel the surface to prepare it for another application. But be ready to apply a new coat every several years. With an oil stain, expect three to five years of lasting quality. A good grade of paint, applied to a properly cleaned surface, lasts seven to ten years or more. Painted surfaces Prepare for repainting by ensuring that all old loose paint has been removed. A new coat of paint won't stick any better than the old paint below it. Whether you hand scrape or pressure wash, be sure to sand spots where a painted surface meets a bare spot. Feathering these transition points makes them less visible and guarantees a nicer-looking finished product. Prime all bare spots with a high-grade oil-based primer. Then caulk all joints with a high-grade 50-year, paintable silicone or polyurethane product to prevent water from getting behind the siding. Caulk any joint that allows this to happen. Tinting a standard white primer a shade or two lighter than the finish coat improves coverage. For example, a light brown finish coat covers a beige primer more effectively than it covers a white primer. Oiled surfaces With an oiled surface, clean the wood with a pressure washer, apply a coat of wood bleach, let it stand (per the manufacturer's instructions), and pressure wash again. At this point, you can apply a fresh coat of oil or oil stain. Your oiled siding will look so good that you won't believe you did it yourself.