Painting aluminum siding


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Old 09-18-17, 06:57 AM
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Painting aluminum siding

Kind of an odd question, I suppose: How would one spot paint aluminum siding? I realize just asking that question is probably generating eye rolls, but please hear me out:

Our aluminum siding is grey. In terms of appearance and coverage, it ranges from good to very good over almost the entire house (second story), except for the bottom front panel of the front of the house. For unknown reasons, which may have to do with relatively recent roofing work, parts of the bottom painting have worn through to the metal -- which is silver. Because it's grey over silver, a casual viewer cannot see this unless the light hits it just right, when it obviously reflects the metal. It does not appear that the other panels are about to wear through like this -- just that one.

Ultimately, I suspect it will all need repainting, but for now (for the winter anyway), it would be nice touch this up a bit -- just to make the bleed through (reflection) less apparent from the road. Any ideas on how to do this simply without making it worse?
 
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Old 09-18-17, 07:54 AM
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Find a piece of siding you can remove from the top row, maybe from a gable end. Take it to SW or similar reputable paint store. Have them color match it and pick a similar sheen. Even then your paint touch ups will likely stand out like spots. Might look ok from the road though.
 
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Old 09-18-17, 08:15 AM
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Good thoughts, thanks. My neighbor tried something similar with white, and it looks awful, My goal is to just mute the effect, just improve it somewhat. Worst case, I just have it repainted.
 
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Old 09-18-17, 08:32 AM
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Be sure that the chalk is washed off first! Latex paint won't adhere well to chalk. When you can't remove all the chalk, add Flood's EmulsaBond to the paint to make it adhere. I'd probably doctor up the paint onsite to get a close match. I normally spray satin latex on aluminum siding but for touch up you might be better off with flat ...... hard to say sight unseen.
 
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Old 05-23-18, 05:22 AM
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Update: Okay, I botched this -- just a very small area, but it's clear I lack the skill/talent for this work. About how much is a fair amount to repaint aluminum siding? Web estimates are all over the map. The siding is in good shape -- roughly 900 square feet, all second floor. It seemed to require minimal cleaning, though I realize that will be required. No big complications -- fake shutters will need to unscrewed (I painted these, successfully, last yet), and two downspouts will need to be removed.
 
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Old 05-23-18, 05:38 AM
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No way can anyone give you an accurate estimate of what it will cost without walking around your house or know the prevailing rate in your area. It's best to 3 or more onsite estimates. be sure to check references before hiring.
 
 

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