What’s The Best Paint For Vinyl Siding? [Inc. Recommended Colors]

Over time, a home's exterior colors naturally fade. Professional paint jobs, while certainly worth the investment, can be a cost-prohibitive solution to your problem. DIY painting, on the other hand, is an excellent alternative to improving the aesthetic of your home while saving big bucks. If you have chosen to paint your vinyl-sided home, there are two things that you will want to know. What is the best paint to use on vinyl siding, and what colors work best? We've done the research and have found your answer.

Acrylic-based paints are the best paints for vinyl siding because they are specially formulated to be lightweight with vastly superior adhesion to unique and porous textures like vinyl. While there are many high-quality paints and brands available to select from, we have chosen a few (listed below) of the most popular that repeatedly receive positive professional and consumer usage reviews. 

• Behr Premium Plus Exterior Paint
• Kilz Exterior Siding, Fence, and Barn Paint
• Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec EXT
• Clark+Kensington Paint & Primer
• Glidden One Coat Paint & Primer

With a few paint options selected, be sure to continue reading on for our further insight and details regarding these paints, their composition, and how they will add value to your home.

What Makes A Good Paint For Vinyl?

Let's begin our critiques with a quick overview of the paints we will be using. We will immediately identify which colors should be found in our selections and which we should actively avoid.

Paint Consistency/Composition

100% acrylic and urethane modified acrylics have proven to be the best selection for painting vinyl siding. As was previously mentioned, they provide superior adhesion to surfaces,  in our case, flexible vinyl siding. Unlike oil-based or latex paints, acrylic paints are far less likely to crack or chip because of weather and exposure.

Typically latex and oil-based paints have a consistency that makes them much weightier, which impedes the vinyl's ability to "breathe" with the home. The unfortunate result being the flaking, chipping, and cracking we often see with older homes or homes with poorly executed paint jobs. It should also be noted that non-acrylic paints, when compared alongside acrylic paints, tend to dull and lose their sheen quicker (in half the time) while also requiring ore maintenance on a more frequent basis. This is a prospect we would happily avoid if possible.

Color Recommendations

The most popular colorways we see when it comes to vinyl are commonly seen shades of blue, green, tan, gray, and brown. If you are looking to update your vinyl siding with a new coat of paint, you should be careful not to go darker than your original coloration. When vinyl siding is manufactured, it undergoes a heat rating test. There is an acceptable heat tolerance assigned to each panel.

Going darker than advised will force the vinyl to absorb more heat than it was rated to handle and will cause premature wear and tear. There are specially engineered palettes and colors designed for vinyl, which come in darker shades. If you choose to go darker, you need to ensure that the color is labeled and deemed vinyl safe.  Not verifying the correct paint is being used will damage and prematurely void product warranties.

Vinyl Paint Selections

While the paints we have chosen do share several similarities, it would seem pertinent to highlight the most notable aspects and pricing to determine which one you may want.

Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior

• Paint & Primer (100% Acrylic)
• Stain Resistant (Mildew, Mold, Dirt)
• Nanoguard Color/Finish Technology (Sunlight Protection)
• Low VOC Rating
• Greenguard Gold Certified
• Limited Lifetime Warranty
• Approximately $40 per Gallon
• Limited Vinyl Safe Colorways

For any additional product details or questions regarding paint application and colors available, visit the BEHR website.

For more products like this, visit Amazon.

Kilz Exterior Siding, Fence, and Barn Paint

• All-Purpose/All Weather Paint & Primer (Latex/Oil-Based)
• Superior Durability/Longevity (Cracking, Fading, Peeling)
• Low VOC Rating
• Limited Warranty
• Approximately $35 per Gallon
• Limited Colors (Red & White)

For any additional product details or questions regarding the application, visit the KILZ website.

For more products like this, visit Amazon.

Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec EXT

• Paint & Primer (100% Acrylic)
• Stain Resistant (Mildew, Mold, Dirt)
• Low VOC Rating
• Colorlock Technology (Color Retention/Sunlight Resistant)
• Gennex Color Technology
• Approximately $50 per Gallon
• Limited Vinyl Safe Colorways

For any additional product details or questions regarding paint application and colors available, visit the Benjamin Moore website.

For more products like this, visit Amazon.

Clark + Kensington Paint & Primer

• Paint & Primer (100% Acrylic)
• Stain Resistant (Mildew, Mold, Dirt)
• Low VOC Rating
• Lifetime Warranty
• Superior Durability/Longevity (Cracking, Fading, Peeling)
• Approximately $35 per Gallon
• Limited Vinyl Safe Colorways

For any additional product details or questions regarding paint application and colors available, visit the Ace Hardware website.

For more products like this, visit Amazon.

Glidden One Coat Paint & Primer

• Paint & Primer (100% Acrylic)
• Stain Resistant (Mildew, Mold, Dirt)
• Low VOC Rating
• Superior Durability/Longevity (Cracking, Fading, Peeling)
• Approximately $60 per Gallon

For any additional product details or questions regarding paint application and colors available, visit the Glidden website.

For more products like this, visit Amazon.

Do You Need To Prime Vinyl Siding Before Painting?

Historically speaking, priming your home's surfaces before painting was an important and necessary step. With the improvements made in recent years to painting technology, it is no longer a separate step in the process. One coat paint and primer combinations are increasingly popular. Whether or not you need to apply a primer before painting your vinyl siding is largely dependent on two factors:

1. Condition Of Vinyl
2. Recommendations Of Manufacturers

Condition Of Vinyl

If the original vinyl surface is visibly deteriorating or the panels are porous and pitting, you will need to use a primer before painting. By priming, you will improve the surface that the paint will adhere to and, ultimately, the outcome of the painting project. Fortunately, as was just mentioned, for the DIY'er many brands have consolidated the primer and paint into one product to avoid purchasing each independently.

Recommendations Of Manufacturers

If your paneling is in good condition and you are merely looking to update your color, you should follow the manufacturer's recommendations for the best results. If the paint you have selected advises using a primer in addition to the product, then arguably, you should do so. Failure to follow recommendations can result in a poor final product and finish. Saving money and being thrifty on the front end of a project rarely turns out well on the back end.

How Do You Prep Vinyl Siding For Painting?

With the paints picked and our direction clear, it is time to get to the project at hand. What do we need to do to prepare our home for this vinyl siding paint job? We have identified the best possible approach and the steps you will need to follow to complete. They are as follows:

1. Stage Materials
2. Clean Exterior
3. Mark Off Trims (Doors & Windows)
4. Prime Siding
5. Paint Siding
6. Clean Workspace/Touchup

Stage Materials

Before setting out to perform any home improvement projects, you should aim to have all the equipment you need in advance. The better prepared you are in the preliminary phases of the painting job, the more likely you will be thorough in your execution.

Clean Exterior

You must always make sure to be working with a mess-free surface. Start your cleaning by gently rinsing the vinyl siding with water and then following up with a cleaning solution. You can use either a specially formulated vinyl cleaning solution or a combination of light washing detergent, dish soap, and brushes to remove buildup and grime from the siding's surface. We want to avoid trapping debris beneath the paint and between the paint and vinyl surface. If you opt to use a power washer for cleaning, be sure not to direct the water stream upwards or in a way that will force water behind the paneling.

Tape Off Trims (Doors & Windows)

For a complete result, crisp/sharp lining is going to be important. Painting tape and plastic tarps should be used to cover trims and areas that will not be painted and don't want to be stuck touching up later. This will also directly benefit you and your time in the Cleanup/Touchup stage of the project.

Do You Need to Prime Vinyl Siding Before Painting?

All areas that are going to be painted will need to be primed. You can do this with a roller brush applicator but spray painting the primer will create a discernably more even coating across desired surfaces.

Paint Siding

Since most paint jobs require more than one coat of paint, the exterior of your home will not be an exception to that fact. After following priming recommendations, proceed to paint the primed areas with the selected paint. Allow for the first coat to dry and check the evenness. Proceed to apply the second coat of paint. When this has been completed and has dried, if the outcome is to your liking, it's time to round off and complete the project. You can repeat the coat and dry stage as frequently as needed.

Clean Workspace/Touchup

When the project has been finished, it's time to discard all the trash and clean your painting equipment to be ready for the next time you need it. This is the point in the process where you have the ability to make any necessary cosmetic changes should you need them.

Can You Paint White Vinyl Siding A Darker Color?

You should not paint your white vinyl siding a darker color for any reason. Dark colors and light colors will retain heat in completely different ways. If there is a need to change your home's color, you can go lighter via painting but not darker. Make sure that the colors chosen are vinyl safe and usable without jeopardizing the paneling of your home.

What Makes Vinyl Siding Warp?

The warping of vinyl will take place under the following two conditions:

1. Poor Installation (Harnessed Too Tightly)
2. Paint Selection

Poor Installation (Harnessed Too Tightly)

If during the original panel installation your hardware was secured too tightly, the vinyl will be deprived of the ability to expand, contract, and shift in the way vinyl siding requires. Repeated stresses applied to the vinyl panels will ultimately succumb to their damage and leave you with an even larger decision to make. To replace or to repaint.

Paint Selection

This should be easy enough to avoid, but let's make sure we drive the point home if it wasn't clear before. If you select a darker color and that once again restricts the vinyl's natural shifting, wrapping, cracking, and peeling are inevitable.

How Much Does It Cost To Paint Vinyl Siding?

You should anticipate paying anywhere between $500-$3,500.00 to repaint your home's vinyl siding. However, it is important to note that it is one of the least costly methods to touch up your home compared to other options available. Changing your home's siding finish would likely cost twice as much as painting and would be excessive unless the damage is significantly past the point of painting. Either way, if after this, there are still any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to enlist or consult experienced professionals.

In Closing

If you decide to paint your home's vinyl siding, always check your products to make sure they are vinyl safe paints. Be smart in your color selection, tactical in your approach, and thorough in the application. Painting your home and vinyl siding is a tough project, but the results will be well worth it.

For more helpful articles, tips, and guides regarding home improvement, visit us at Uooz.com.

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