Vinyl Siding

To Be Painted

a. Surface Preparation:

• treat any mildew with a 3:1 water:household bleach mixture, leaving it on for 20 minutes and adding more as it dries; wear eye and skin protection; rinse thoroughly
  
• remove dirt, chalk, treated mildew, etc. by scrubbing with detergent and water, and rinse thoroughly; or power wash carefully with plain wate

b. Priming:

• priming generally is not necessary if mildew, dirt and chalk are all removed as part of surface preparation

c. Painting:

• use top-of-the-line exterior 100% acrylic latex house paint in flat or satin finish, depending on appearance desired
  
• apply only a very light color: white, off-white or light pastel; a rule of thumb is to not paint the vinyl siding any darker than its original color
  
• applying a darker color may cause irreversible warping ("oil canning") of the siding, because of the heat absorbed from sunshine by darker colors
  
• a flat finish will be much less revealing of variations and irregularities in the siding than will a glossier finish
  
• for best results, apply by spray