Can you paint vinyl siding? Painting companies might say that you can. But as you can see from these photos, it could be a mistake that costs you thousands.
Despite the fact that your local paint supplier carries paint that is supposed to be “vinyl safe” - vinyl siding simply isn’t meant to be painted. Since we are a company that replaces old and damaged siding, we’re the ones who get the call when painting vinyl siding goes wrong. And unfortunately, we get a lot of those phone calls.
Vinyl siding is made from polyvinyl chloride, which is coloured with pigments added in the resin rather than a layer of paint on top. That PVC material will vary in thickness depending on the amount of pigment that is added. As a general rule, vinyl siding manufacturers will only offer their darkest colours in thicker gauge product lines. That isn’t a marketing gimmick - darker colours absorb more heat, and would cause thinner gauge siding to buckle and warp.
When you put a layer of paint on top of the existing vinyl, you’re changing the dynamic of the material itself. No longer a monolithic piece of material with pigment added in, it now has a layer of paint that changes how the product will perform - and the results can be dramatic.
A house-flipper painted white vinyl siding black, and ruined the siding in the process.
Above you’ll see the results of painting an older vinyl siding a darker colour. Even on the lower half of a bungalow with relatively minimal sun exposure, the product warped way beyond the point of repair in less than 3 years. Instead of saving money on siding replacement, the owner paid for the painting, and still needs new siding. (We took care of them with new Gentek vinyl siding in Iron Ore, which is about the darkest on the market.)
Even if you manage to avoid the extreme warping of an example like the project above, there are other factors that make vinyl very difficult to paint. As a PVC product, vinyl siding expands and contracts quite significantly throughout the year - which is why it is installed with an overlap at each joint. In warm weather (AKA when you can paint outside) the siding panels will have expanded to their maximum length and overlap. And since it’s practically impossible to paint underneath the overlap, when the material shrinks in the winter you’ll see stripes of the original colour:
Painted vinyl siding showing original colour at the overlap
The owners of this siding asked the painters for a solution to their stripes - the painters offered a can of touch up paint. But when the siding has contracted enough that the stripes are exposed, the weather is too cold for exterior painting! This solution just doesn’t make sense.
Finally, you’ve got the issue that comes with all exterior painting applications - it isn’t a permanent solution. Particularly with a PVC product that wasn’t built for a top coat of paint, issues like chipping and cracking will start within the first couple of years and only get worse over time.
It is important to note that these photos above were taken just 3 years after the application, done by a “professional” painting contractor with a paint product “made for PVC”. Despite the colour not being as dark as the more extreme examples above, the vinyl is now starting to show signs of warping as well:
In summary, painting vinyl siding is simply not a good idea. While it may seem like a cheap solution to extend the lifespan of your exterior, the high risk of future issues with the application should make you think twice. We’ve seen issues with warping happen within as little as 30 days.