5 Steps For Painting Your Vinyl-Sided Building

Repainting your business's exterior provides an eye-catching facelift that can help bring in new customers and improve first impressions. This can be a challenge if your commercial building is clad in vinyl siding, though. The good news is that there are new paints on the market that work well on vinyl, so you aren't as limited by the siding type that's on your building.

1. Paint Selection 

Only specific paint types will adhere properly to vinyl, as the material has a high expansion and contraction rate in relation to temperature changes. Your painters will use a urethane resin paint, which is more forgiving than traditional latex or oil-based exterior paints. The paint will need to be applied in two coats to ensure both durability and even coverage.

2. Color Options

Although you can find siding paint in a large range of colors, it's best to opt for a lighter color of paint. Dark colors will absorb more heat from the sun, which can lead to further contraction of the flexible vinyl siding materials. This increases the chances that the paint may peel up or bubble on the siding. Light colors, when used with a primer, can cover vinyl siding even if it was originally quite dark in color. 

3. Prep Work

Your painting crew will need to spend some time prepping the siding to ensure a durable paint job. This begins with cleaning the siding with thorough scrubbing and mild detergent. The goal is to remove all surface grime, including graffiti, dirt, and mold stains. Otherwise, the paint may not adhere as well to the siding, as all of these residues can affect the final paint. 

4. Weather Conditions

Painting is best scheduled at some time from late spring through early fall. A series of dry days are necessary, and you may need at least a week of dry weather if you are having a larger building painted. Any moisture on the siding surface or in the air can prevent the paint from adhering properly to the vinyl, thus resulting in peeling. Overcast days are also ideal since direct sunlight can cause paint to dry too quickly and peel. 

5. Graffiti Coatings

For commercial buildings, an extra coating at the end can be useful. Newly painted walls can be tempting to vandals with spray paint cans, which covering will build up paint layers and make peeling more likely. To prevent damage, your painters can apply a clear anti-graffiti coating over the paint. The coating prevents graffiti from sticking, so it can quickly be cleaned off.

Contact a commercial painting contractor to learn more. 

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