Well, hurray! The house is painted. And it looks so much better. It really looks like a different house now that that ugly yellow/peach color is gone. It’s about time the outside looks as great as the inside. (I painted the porch, too, as you see.)
Painting has definitely improved curb appeal. Before, I was a little embarrassed. But no more.
I’m seriously loving it.
I know that several readers are considering painting aluminum siding because you’ve told me. It’s a great deal of work, but I think you’ll agree it’s worth the effort when you see how great it can turn out. After completing the project, Ryan and I are thrilled with the way it looks. Because we spent lots of time prepping the siding, the finish is really nice. It looks just like the factory finish. I don’t think you’re able to even tell it was painted unless we tell you. (Which we are doing.)
While I cannot say how it will wear yet, I feel confident in the durability. Everything I’m reading says the finish should last another 15-20 years. And the past peachy/yellow finish was likely 30-40 years old. It was certainly time for an update.
Here are a few notes about the process as we completed it.
Supplies
For the project, first you’ll need to find a high-quality exterior acrylic latex paint.
While there are lots of exterior paints on the market, I think this is a project where you don’t want to skimp on quality paint and supplies. Exterior paints take a beating all year round. Get good paint.
We went with Sherwin Williams SuperPaint Exterior Acrylic Latex. This is a high-end exterior paint recommended for painting aluminum siding. (There’s is an even higher-end paint – Duration – which is not recommended for aluminum.) You can choose your sheen on this paint. We went with flat, which helps hide imperfections. It also best mimics the factory finish of aluminum siding.
Painting with a sprayer does use a lot more paint. The coats go on thicker and you lose quite a bit of paint in the machine. When we did the math with our gal at Sherwin Williams, we figured 10 gallons. When all is said and done, we used around 16.5 gallons. Buy 5 gallon buckets, if possible.
(A color note – we had the color matched to a piece of siding from the garage. Sherwin Williams did an excellent job.)
We also used EB Emulsabond on the first coat of paint. This is an additive for the paint that helps it stick to siding better. It helped us avoid the priming step, which wasn’t recommended for SuperPaint anyhow. (Some experts do require priming, but after consulting with our gal at Sherwin Williams, we decided to got with Emulsabond instead and we are happy we did. It seemed to bond really well.)
The Emulsabond went into the paint about 1 gallon/4 gallons of paint. We had to mix it really well ourselves before spraying. And, it wasn’t needed for the second coat.
You’ll also need an airless sprayer. We rented ours from Home Depot for two days (one day each weekend). We ended up spending around $110 total. (We received a discount each day because we brought it back super clean and apparently the employees were pleased with us.)
Ryan hadn’t used an airless sprayer before, but he got the hang of it quickly. Our friend Dave also came over to help and he had used a sprayer before. It is helpful to have two people, but not imperative. They spent some time practicing the spray before getting started, so they could ensure the PSI was correct and the finish was smooth.
Other supplies we purchased included –
- Small foam rollers (to fix any runs or splatters, foam rollers do a better job than brushes or other rollers)
- Painters tape (to tape off windows)
- Plastic (to cover windows and other fixtures)
First, you’ll need to replace any damaged pieces. Luckily for us, there were not many damaged areas so we got up early. But if there are broken, missing, dented or damaged areas, replace them now.
Then, the siding has to be really clean and free of chalk and dirt to ensure the paint will adhere well. (Aluminum siding builds a heavy chalk layer over the years. If you touch old siding, you’ll have chalky residue on your hands. If you don’t remove this, the paint will peel right off.)
Oh yeah, my infamous befores and afters.
Feeling more like home by the day.
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Nicole says
Hi Kim,
I just discovered your blog and love reading about your DIY adventures! I am wanting to paint our aluminum siding; its original finish (we assume from 1949 when the house was built) is coming off – feels like chalk – and showing bare aluminum underneath. I went to Sherman Williams and they said I needed to use a metal primer under my paint to get it to adhere. I asked about the Emulsabond but they said it was only for previously painted aluminum. So my question is: was your aluminum previously painted? Or does the baked on paint factory finish count as “previously-painted”? Thanks!
Kim Woodward says
Hmmmmm…. I guess I always assumed that the factory finish would count as paint? It sounds like you have some areas without a finish due to wear to over time, but it’s hard to know. I do think that ours was painted before, but not 100 percent. Regardless, you could always try a little area without a primer and using emulsabond as a test and see how it covers and holds up. That’s probably what I’d do before I did an entire coat of primer. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Kim Woodward says
Also – I should mention that the chalky finish is totally normal – ours was like that, too.
Nicole says
Thanks! I appreciate it!
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Natalie says
Hello. Lovely renovation. Can you please let me know any information about the paint colour used to paint the siding. I know it was custom made but can you provide any of the paint codes from maybe the sticker on the can? Thank you.
Kim Woodward says
I’m afraid I don’t have anything to help you with this. It was a custom color match and I don’t have a can to check the code. Sorry!
Heather says
Hi, thanks for sharing your experience. I have an aluminum sided house that needs a face lift and your tips will help me a lot! The house looks excellent! I’m wondering how the paint is holding up now that it’s been a few years? Great job!
Kim Woodward says
It’s still as perfect as the day we painted. Seriously, it looks brand new several years in. We are so happy with the finish.
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Maria says
Thanks Kim, I greatly appreciate it. I just realized from your current post that you have been super busy. Keep up the good work & best of luck to you on selling your beautifully renovated house!
Kim Woodward says
Thanks! Best of luck painting!
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JOSH says
Funny, wondering the same thing. What colors were used for the exterior of the house. I think this would be helpful to readers. Don’t you just get frustrated when you see some nice color choices but have no idea what the homeowners used? Although, in this instance, I think Kim mentions the color being matched to the garage. So maybe she doesn’t have a name for it? The house looks like a taupe/gray & the porch a warm gray? See if the good folks at Sherwin can help. And keep a look out for ads in you mail for the 40% sales. Helpful prep tips here, though
Maria says
Hi Josh, thank you! I noticed she mentions the body color matching the garage but does not say what porch color was used. Such a bummer this gal is not responding. This post would have been perfect if it weren’t for the color discrepancies 🙂 I’m heading out to SW this weekend & it would have been nice to know the color to see if it’s a good match. Anyhow, I appreciate the help. Take care!
Kim says
The color is SW thunder gray on the porch. I actually have been traveling and getting our house ready to sell and couldn’t find the can until last week whn we were cleaning the garage. I’m just one person and I apologize for the delay. Best of luck.
Maria says
Hi, awesome looking homes, all of em! what initially brought me here was a pinterest pin regarding painting a concrete porch. Great info. Can you please provide the porch color used for this home? I only found info that it’s a Sherwin Williams paint but no name anywhere…please share! I am in the process of picking some colors for a 1920s bungalow & am going with a olive body color. My house has wood siding, brick path, a red door…I am thinking a dark grey would work great. I think this color or something similar would be perfect. If you could please provide the color, I would greatly appreciate. Thanks & take care!
wendy says
My husband and I painted our aluminum siding a couple years ago and loved the results. We did as much research as we could on the paint that was available at that time and though we knew everything we needed to know. What we did not expect was how different paints react differently to the wear and tear the sun would have on the color. Our beautifully painted light beige/tan color is now a creamy yellowish color due to the sun attacking it. Looks like we will need to repaint it, but will now know what to look for in a paint. The air compressor and the paint gun were life savers!!!!
Kim Woodward says
Thanks for the comment, Wendy. That’s something I’ve never heard of happening. I hope that buying the top of the line exterior paint would resist fading. I haven’t noticed any change in ours, but we have a pretty shady area, too.
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atisha says
Thanks for sharing. My house was built in 1955 and I was debating if I should repaint or replace. You have inspired me (to inspire my boyfriend) and DIY this job ourselves.
Anonymous says
Love what you did with the house! I was curious what color you used for the siding?
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Deb says
Gorgeous!!
Mrs.B says
Worth it! Looks great!
Lisa@CozyCondoLiving says
You know, I originally said that I liked the yellow, but now that I see what you’ve done it looks so much better. I love your red door too. Great job!
Jo says
Pulling out those two over grown boxwoods (yews?) in front was a smart move. Now we can appreciate the lines of that sweet, vintage porch.
Midwest Mrs says
Kim! You are ridiculous! This looks seriously amazing. LOVE the color, makes such a big difference from the first glance!
Leigh says
Holy crap! It looks amazing! When can I check in/ when can I pay you to come do my house?
Shannon says
It looks stunning. Really. A trillion and one times better. I love it so much. You guys are stupendous! And I love all your fairytale pumpkins too!
Hopefully there was no paint spray on the neighbor’s yard sale!
Jessica @ O. Alouette says
Wow I love your house! It looks like a perfect cottage – very warm and inviting! Beautiful job.
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Wendy says
Kim,
You and Ryan did an amazing job! Love the color!!
Wendy
A Vintage Green says
Looks great. Great savings doing it right yourself. Thanks for the clear photos and details on ‘how to’ do the entire job.
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lyndsay @ Mr and Mrs says
this looks AMAZING and i love, love, love the colors. you saved such an amazing amount of $$, DIY is crazy like that!
Good tip on the overspray, i can imagine how that could go horribly wrong.
Allison aka Half of VAMH says
Color me impressed! It looks amazing! We decided to go with new siding, in a few short days actually. Our siding wasn’t in the best condition and we are DIY-handicap. I’m slightly depressed after seeing your amazing transformation!
Will you put the shutters back up?
wearerandalls.com says
Looks great! I also notice you’ve put pumpkins/gourds out for the holidays. So if your awesome paint project didn’t already make me feel slack, the fact that you’ve seasonally decorated did. 🙂
Michael - Innkeeper says
wow! what a big project and as always you both handled it amazingly!
the transformation is beautiful. it seriously looks like you put up a new house. you must be so proud!
Jenn @ Handmade Homebody says
It’s just beautiful! Kudos to you & Ryan for taking on this huge project! I’m glad that the weather cooperated with you, too. Your house looks very loved now. 🙂
Jordan@the2seasons says
LOVE IT! It looks great you all did a wonderful job. Looks like you are not scared of heights! Now you can sit back and look at the great curb appeal you now have.
Kat says
Love it love it love it, Kim. You guys did an excellent job and the tips and breakdown are awesome. Mark and I are still renting, but you can believe I’m coming back to this post when we do purchase our first home! Thank you and it looks amazing! 🙂
Rebecca says
Well done Kim! It looks a thousand times better! I’m in the process of deciding on paint colours for the outside of our house, and I’m really loving the pale-ish grey with white trim. The red front door has definitely got me thinking, too!
Love,
Bec
http://www.pourameliorer.com
carrie @ brick city love says
HOLY CANNOLI that looks amazing!! I cannot imagine the amount of prep work that took before getting to paint but I applaud you. It’s spectacular. A completely different house. Bravo!
Melinda says
Wonderful job on the colors. I liked the blue porch but the gray porch and steps are better. You guys make it look seem so doable. Great job! Your neighbors must love the new look.
Mrs. Adventure says
HOLD THE PHONE……. Is that seriously the same house? Oh my what a difference paint can make. And I’ll agree the outside looks just as beautiful now as your cute cozy inside.
Awesome tutorial on the siding as well :o) awesome to know.
Mike @HA says
Thanks for the great tutorial! Our house is stucco but we’ve been debating changing out the aluminum sofits/fascia/window wraps but couldn’t believe how expensive it is. I hadn’t even thought to paint them until I saw your posts! It might be a way to extend their life fro a while.
DecorandtheDog says
I’m surprised at how much it changed the exterior of your house! It makes your red door even prettier…which I didn’t know was possible!
Leigh @ Kesler Expressler says
Looks awesome, Kim! You and Ryan did a great job. I love that color.
Emily says
Seriously, amazing. And your fall decorations look SO cute out front. You’ve done well, Miss Kim!
Mrs. Chic says
After I read your tweet last night I was looking forward to see your after!! The house looks so good and I love the dark color of the front porch it ties the lighter grey and front door together so nicely!!
Emily says
Ohhhhhh this looks so nice!! And I really love the new porch color. Gorgeous!! Will you guys come paint our house when we need to have it done?!? 🙂
daisy says
The transformation is nothing short of amazing! Y’all are some handy folks! Thanks for breaking it down for us.
What’s next?????
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
Oh, wow, Kim! It looks fantastic! I love your color choices. The pic with the pugs at the fence is so cute. This is a great tutorial. 🙂
*claire* says
it looks so good! the before and after is amazing.
and to think, it only took a little ladder fall to get it done 🙂