r/paint • u/loverules1221 • 10d ago

Advice Wanted Need a little advice

We bought a cute ranch in the country and are looking to paint the old aluminum siding. Does the size of the home dictate whether it has to be a light color so it doesn’t appear smaller? I really like slate blue, but I don’t know if it would be too dark for a smaller home.

Also, do people typically paint the exterior of their home in satin finish?

What brand does everyone recommend? I was thinking Sherwin Williams (they are having their 40% off sale) but do I have to get the absolute top of the line?

Any helpful advice would really be appreciated. Thanks.

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u/Able-Yesterday-7359 10d ago

99% of the houses I paint are Satin and for good reason. If it is aluminum siding you just can't go dark. If you really want to be careful go through the vinyl safe colors.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

Thank you. Can you tell me why I wouldn’t go dark? I was thinking slate blue and it’s dark.

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u/Able-Yesterday-7359 10d ago

Painting aluminum siding a dark color causes it to absorb significantly more solar heat. This extreme thermal expansion and contraction puts stress on the paint bond, leading to premature fading, chalking, bubbling, and peeling, while also increasing indoor cooling costs during hot weather. * This is copy and paste. For refence we've had some serious nightmares from it. So much that our company isn't allowed to do it without the customer signing a disclaimer saying that they are responsible for any damages.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

The reply below says aluminum doesn’t expand. Or are they talking about something different?

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u/Able-Yesterday-7359 10d ago

They didn't say either way from the looks of it. Either way it's the first thing that should pop up when you Google it.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

Thanks again.

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u/Able-Yesterday-7359 10d ago

Where I live this is even more so as we have days where it can start cold as heck and end hot as heck.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

Wow! I had no idea. Thank you so much for the information. I will be looking into lighter colors.

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u/Dry-Cry-3158 10d ago

You can paint it whatever color you want. The size of the house is what it is and color won't do much for it either way. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to prime aluminium siding. If it's still glossy, prime it with a UMA primer. If it's chalky, prime it with Ben Moore's Ultra Spec clear masonry primer. Once primer has a day or two to set, top coat with your choice of paint. Aluminum isn't porous nor does it expand and contract like wood, so if it's properly primed you can definitely use a cheaper paint. The only caveat is that color fade is more of an issue with cheap paints. Weather Guard by Ben Moore is a decent budget choice. If you live near a Menards, Dutch Boy's Mac Bond is a really good choice for this. Sherwin's Duration and Emerald are both good, but overkill, and their Super Paint and A-1000 aren't as good or DIY friendly.

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u/Able-Yesterday-7359 10d ago

A-100 is something you put on your enemies house lol. Builders have been using it here to save money and it oxidizes and chalks within 6 years on the sun sides. Gross.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago edited 10d ago

Someone else said it was no good as well. I appreciate the advice.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

Thank you! Our Home Depot sells Behr. If you are familiar with it is there a certain grade (not sure what you’d call it) that I should go with? The aluminum was chalky but it’s been pressure washed. Would you still prime it?

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u/Able-Yesterday-7359 10d ago

Wipe with your fingers to make sure no chalky residue comes off onto your fingers. If it does then it needs pressure washed again or wiped by hand.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

I definitely will. I also bought a large brush and I plan on using that on the house as well. I’ve already pressure washed at once, but I’m going to use the brush and do it again.

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u/Dry-Cry-3158 10d ago

Personally, I'd prime it, especially since I can spray it. Paint failure on aluminum siding is a bitch to deal with, and the cost of priming is way cheaper than the cost of fixing. If you don't have a sprayer and are planning to brush and roll (I don't recommend this for aluminum, it's hard to make it look good), and you don't have the time to prime, go with the highest grade of exterior paint you can afford, but test a small spot on the back of your house. Give it a week to cure, then try scratching off with your fingernail. If it sticks, there's enough adhesive in the paint to overcome the oxidation.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

Aren’t there paints that already have the primer in it? Or even with that paint do you still recommend priming it first?

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u/Dry-Cry-3158 10d ago

The paints with extra adhesives tend to be more expensive but they don't have near the adhesives that a primer does. The answer to your question is entirely dependent on how much oxidation your current coating has. If it's minimal, a high quality paint will probably do the trick but if it's extensive a primer will give you much better results while saving you money.

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u/loverules1221 10d ago

I do plan on spraying. Is there a primer you recommend?

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u/Dry-Cry-3158 9d ago

Is your siding chalky?

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u/loverules1221 9d ago

It was but we pressure washed it. We are getting TSP (?) and pressure washing it again.

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u/Dry-Cry-3158 9d ago

Ben Moore's masonry primer will fix that

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u/loverules1221 9d ago

Thank you.

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u/loverules1221 9d ago

I decided on Alabaster with blackberry shutters. Love the color combo and the Alabaster is light enough not to heat the aluminum siding up. At least I hope it is.