Does the direction you paint shutters in matter?

Ok this is probably a stupid question but I have never painted shutters nor used a paint sprayer.

My 10 year old burgundy shutters have faded and developed a whitish haze. I know I need to scrub them down, wipe them with alcohol, and prime before I paint but I have no clue if I should spray the paint on from side to side or top to bottom or if it even makes a difference. Does it make a difference?

Also is their a difference between acrylic and latex exterior paint? I was going to use latex but figured I would ask that here too.

Thank you in advance for any help. As I said I have never done this before.

 

IMHO, use a brush. Your shutters are viewed from a distance and you won't be looking at brush strokes. Plus brushing will not waste paint like spraying will. Use a latex, make life easy for yourself.

 

What are the shutters made of? wood or plastic?
I'd only consider spraying them if you take them off and have a good place to spray them - where the overspray won't affect anything.

btw - welcome to the forums!

 

Thanks a lot for the advice guys.

The shutters are either vinyl or plastic. Not sure which or how to tell the difference. Never thought to ask the guys when they built the house. Only reason I was gonna use a sprayer was my dad had hubby clean out his shed and gave us a brand new sprayer still in the box. Overspray not a problem as I have an empty small barn to work in. I just figured it would be quicker, but ya have a point that it would probably waste paint. Specially since I would need to practice a bit since I never used one. I will use a brush and save playing with my new sprayer for a larger project. Like maybe painting that old decrepit barn.

 

There is a bit of a learning curve for spraying so brushing might be better.

No primer is needed when painting vinyl shutters but they do need to be good and clean! If you can't remove all the oxidization, you should add Flood's EmulsaBond to the 1st coat of paint to guarantee adhesion.

 

You might look at advice for painting a wood door, just for the technique I mean, not prep or paint. Something like center of field, then rails, then stiles I think. It won't matter that much since the shutters won't be right in your face like a door would be.

 

When brushing shutters you always paint the slats or panels first and paint the 'frame' last.