Painting Exterior House Siding

• Exterior Painting Preparation
• Painting Exterior Trim
• Caulking Techniques
• Repairing Rotted Wood
• Kill Mildew Stains

When all the prep and priming is done it's time to apply the finish paint to the siding and trim. In most cases you will want to paint the siding on your house first and then paint the trim. After the siding is dry you can come back and paint windows, shutters and any corner moldings.

An exception to this would be the case of wide overhangs or soffits. These should be painted first and then the siding should be done. This will prevent splatters on your newly painted surfaces.

Painting Lap Siding

The type of siding you have will determine the painting technique to use. For most houses some type of horizontal siding will be the case. This can include old lap type siding where boards are nailed, one overlapping the one below, horizontally across the side of a house.

It can also include new aluminum and vinyl siding that is molded to look like old lap siding. These surfaces are best painted using a wide brush about 2½ inches or wider, to coat the horizontal runs. This will produce a nice, smooth paint finish if done right.

Start at the top of the siding and brush the horizontal boards, a few at a time, all the way across the side of the house. Use an extension ladder with rags or rubber bumpers wrapped over the end to protect the siding from marks and gouges. Set the ladder just under the last board you intend to paint on the first pass.

Start at the corner and brush the siding toward the other end of the house. Brush the top board as far as you can reach, letting the paint overlap onto the next board a little. Paint each individual siding board like this down to the one the ladder rests on. Let the paint overlap the board a little so you can more easily blend the finish when you return to paint the second run.

Reach as far as you can with the brush with each new section to minimize the number of times you have to move the ladder. When you're done as far as you can reach, move the ladder over to do a new section.

Start the new section at the farthest point and brush back into the first section of wet paint to blend the coat. Work across the house like this, a little at a time, until you reach the next corner and complete the run.

Work quickly when moving the ladder so the paint doesn't dry before you can joint it with the new section. When you've completed the run to the next corner, lower the ladder a little, move back to your starting point and paint another few boards across the house. Follow this porcedure to paint all the siding on one side of the house, down to the bottom, before moving on to the next side.

Painting Plywood Siding

A second, not as common type of house siding is plywood sheeting. Of the plywood manufactured for siding, T1–11 plywood is probably the most common. These are sheets of exterior grade plywood in thicknesses of 3|8th, 1|2, 5|8ths and 3|4 inch. A vertical groove is cut into the surface of the sheet for decorative effect.

This type of siding is usually finished with an opaque stain or sealer but may also be primed and painted with latex or alkyd paint.

Opaque stains seal and protect the wood while adding some color to the finish. These stains are semi–clear so they will also hide smudges and other discoloration on the wood. They come in a variety of colors so you can decorate the siding to complement the paint color on the trim molding.

Stains can sometimes be sprayed on with a compression sprayer if the existing finish is in good condition to start with. If the plywood is bare or the old finish is damaged or degraded however, the new coating will have to be rolled and brushed on to ensure good penetration.

To paint or stain plywood siding, work on a manageable 3 or 4 foot swath at a time and work from the top to the bottom of the house before moving on to the next swath. Roll the finish coating on with a thick roller and then brush it into the grooves, etc. if necessary to get good coverage. Some oil stains may require wiping with a rag just after rolling or spraying to remove excess coating for a consistent color in the finish.