If you are an interior/exterior design nerd like myself, you may ask yourself questions like “Can I paint aluminium or vinyl trims?”. However, this question is not asked enough within the industry, so good on you! There is a lot of confusion and hesitance when homeowners gauge this topic. Do not fret; if you are in this situation currently, you’ll be surprised that the answer is YES.
What is the Best Paint for Aluminum and Vinyl?
Painting exterior window trim is an essential aspect of home maintenance that enhances the curb appeal of your property and protects the trim from weather damage.
When painting aluminum and vinyl surfaces, choosing the right trim paint can make all the difference in achieving a professional, long-lasting finish.
Best Paint for Aluminum
So, what kind of paint do you use on aluminum trim?
When choosing the best paint for outdoor metal trim, choosing a high-quality exterior paint with a high acrylic or urethane resin level is essential. These resins ensure better adhesion and durability, providing a long-lasting and attractive finish. Some of the top paint options for aluminum surfaces include:
1. Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex:
This paint is known for its excellent adhesion, durability, and resistance to fading and peeling. It’s suitable for various surfaces, including aluminum, making it a popular choice for homeowners and professionals alike.
2. Benjamin Moore’s Regal Select Exterior:
This paint provides excellent coverage, adhesion, and resistance to weathering, making it a great option for aluminum surfaces. Its 100% acrylic formula ensures long-lasting protection and a beautiful finish.
3. Rust-Oleum Professional Aluminum Primer:
While not a paint itself, this primer is designed for aluminum surfaces and is an essential step in achieving a successful paint job. It provides excellent adhesion and prevents any reaction between the paint and the aluminum, ensuring a smooth and durable finish.
Best Paint for Vinyl
When painting vinyl window trim, choosing a paint specifically formulated for use on vinyl is crucial. These paints have better adhesion and flexibility, ensuring a long-lasting finish. One of the top paint brands for vinyl surfaces is Benjamin Moore. Their products are known for their high quality and performance, making them an excellent choice for homeowners and professionals. Some of the best Benjamin Moore trim paints for vinyl surfaces include:
1. Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior Revive:
This paint is specifically formulated for vinyl surfaces and is designed to provide excellent adhesion, durability, and colour retention. Its unique Vinyl Lock technology ensures a long-lasting finish that resists fading, cracking, and peeling.
2. Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior Paint:
While not specifically formulated for vinyl, Aura Exterior Paint is a high-quality, 100% acrylic paint suitable for use on various surfaces, including vinyl. Its exceptional adhesion and durability make it a popular choice for those looking to paint their vinyl surfaces.
3. Sherwin-Williams’ Extreme Bond Primer
Steps to Take Before Painting Vinyl Trims:
When first applied, Vinyl trim gives homeowners longevity and durability. Generally speaking, it is not usually painted when first installed. However, these trims go through a lot, and the painting world has yet to create a trim type to protect itself from all conditions. You must have suitable materials and tools before you begin any painting. These include:
- Painter’s tape
- Latex Primer
- Latex Paint
- Ladder
- Paintbrush
- Sandpaper
Now that you have the necessary materials needed to start this job, before the actually paint job, there is a lot one needs to do.
How to Paint Vinyl Trims:
Now comes the fun part. Painting Vinyl trims requires meticulous attention to detail; these smaller surfaces leave less room for error. If you are not confident doing the job yourself, always look for a contractor to do the job professionally. But if you are self-assured with your painting abilities, all the more power to you.
The process of painting vinyl trim includes:
• Prep the area extensively.
• Remove any dirt or debris that has built up.
• Use a top-of-the-line primer to ensure longevity before painting. Extreme Bond Primer from Sherwin Williams is the best primer to provide the best results.
• Apply painter’s tape to seal off the areas that do not need painting.
• Brush a thin coat of the chosen primer.
• Allow the primer to dry thoroughly.
• Begin painting the vinyl trim. Use even strokes of a thin first coat, and do not forget about the edges!
• Wait for the first coat to dry up completely.
• Apply as many coats as necessary, ensuring a polished and absolute job.
Vinyl trims are susceptible to waning over time, so if you notice this, you can apply a new coat of paint to add more freshness to your trims!
It is best to avoid using just one thick coat of paint on vinyl trims. Instead, opt for multiple thinner coats, as you can return to any blemishes or spots you may have missed. If you are unsure which paint to use for your vinyl trims, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have a vast selection of quality trim paints you cannot go wrong with.
How to Paint Aluminum Trims:
Now, this type of trim is a bit tricker. Aluminum trims are standard for older homes and have recently been trending down within interior/exterior design. However, as promised, you can still paint the aluminum trim. The process is very similar to painting vinyl trims. First, the tools you will need include:
• Painter’s tape
• Water bucket
• Latex paint
• Latex primer
• Cloths
• Paintbrush
Now that you have all the needed materials, the process starts with:
• Cleaning the aluminum trims with a brush and warm soapy water.
• Use a clean cloth to wipe down the surface, removing any residue.
• Prep the area, remove any clutter, and apply painter’s tape between the trim to guarantee honed paint lines.
• Prime the trim with one coat and allow it to dry before painting
Multi-Purpose Latex Primer by Benjamin Moore is an excellent choice when deciding on which primer to use. It bonds with pretty much any surface, so it is also the safest choice.
Steps to Take Before Painting Aluminum Trims:
You are now ready for the main event. Like painting vinyl trims, aluminum requires significant experience and skill to do the job successfully. But hey, if you are also doing this on a whim, and do not care about having perfect trims, then I guess you can read along too!
• Confirm that the paint you are using is appropriate for aluminum surfaces.
• Brush the paint and aluminum trim, using extended and even strokes each time.
• Allow the paint to dry.
• Apply the second coat only if it is needed.
Silver-Brite® Aluminum Paint by Sherwin Williams guarantees lasting results and will leave your trims looking fresh for years. Remember, you want quality paint and primer, which is essential for vinyl and aluminum trims.
Things to Avoid When Painting Vinyl or Aluminum Trims:
Plenty of things can go wrong when you begin painting vinyl or aluminum trims. Firstly, if you do not do the right research, you will most likely miss vital steps for a proper paint job. This is why you are here. You have come to the right place and are almost ready to tackle this task. Some other things to avoid include:
- Uneven strokes of paint.
- Not waiting for the paint or primer to dry.
- Applying one oversized coat of paint rather than several thinner ones.
- Choosing a cheaper paint or primer that does not adhere to vinyl or aluminum trims.
There is plenty that can go wrong when painting vinyl or aluminum trims. But now, after reading this post, you hopefully have new insight and knowledge on where to start. Remember, you can hire a contractor if you are unsure how it will turn out by doing it yourself.
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