Siding Painting In Mississauga

We hear this concern fairly regularly because it’s common belief that aluminum and vinyl are too slick or smooth to be painted, and the paint will not adhere.  But there have been painters who have been painting these kinds of siding for over 40 years using commercially available products.  The key is proper preparation and application, but if done correctly, metal and vinyl are actually ideal substrates for a paint coating.

Aluminumn and vinyl are both impermeable to water, so a coating will not undergo the stress of water vapour constantly passing through as temperature and conditions change.  Compare to wood or masonry substrates, which does put this stress on the coating as water evaporates through it, causing it to eventually peel.  Once a coating has properly bonded to metal or vinyl siding, it is under far less stress and will never peel.

The following three components are vital for the all-important initial bonding of paint to substrate:​

• Proper preparation of the surface to be painted, especially cleaning

• The correct high quality and flexible product

• Proper application of the product in the right conditions

At We Paint Siding, we make sure all these criteria are always met using our systems, procedures, and experience.  Specialization is key here, our crews are doing the same kinds of jobs day in and day out.  But we don’t rely only on training and experience, we also utilize checklists and systems to ensure the job is always donw properly.

Please read below for more details:​

Cleaning

Dirt, dust, mold, mildew, or old chalky paint are all things that will interfere with the proper bonding of the new paint coating.  It’s imperative that the surface is properly cleaned beforehand and that these contaminants are removed.​

The cleaning is done using a high-powered pressure washer and each board is ‘scraped’ using the stream.  We have extension wands that allow us to properly clean even the higher areas on your home.

Most other painting companies will not wash the siding prior to painting.  It takes the proper equipment, set-up and training to be equipped to wash the siding the way it needs to be done.  Even those that do attempt to pressure wash can often be seen with weak machines and trying to get the high areas from the ground without an extension wand.  Misting water on the siding is not a proper cleaning!

Sometimes there is mold and mildew present, in which case we treat those areas with a mildewcide cleaner.

Scraping/Sanding

There may be things stuck to your siding like old dried caulking or ivy or other vegetation remnants.  We make sure to scrape and sand these off prior to painting.

These contaminants will be removed so that they do not interfere with the adhesion of the new paint job.  For vegetation remnants, if they are excessive, we will aim for 85-90% removal.  Anything remaining will not affect the longevity of the paint job in any way and will be marginally noticeable if at all.

Any wood surfaces that are part of the job, whether it be siding, trim, doors, or anything else, will be scraped, sanded, filled, and primed as necessary.

Products

It’s very important that the right product is used when painting exterior metal and vinyl. 

The paints we use are formulated for use on aluminum and vinyl siding.  Paints like these have been used on siding for over 40 years with outstanding results.  Coating technology is always improving and we use the most up-to-date versions of these products.

Besides just the substrate, it’s important that the product being used is ideal for spray-application.  Many paints are marketed towards the homeowner and DIYer who paint by brush and roller.  We use more specialized products that are both self-priming and fluid enough for application by spray.

Some of our competitors claim that there are no paints on the commercial market for painting exterior vinyl and aluminum, but that is untrue.  These painters claim that they have found the ‘secret sauce’ for painting siding, playing off the common misconception that it can’t be painted.

But the larger paint manufacturers like Sherwin Williams and Dulux have actually been producing products for use on various types of siding for many years.  These companies specialize in finding the best formulations of paint for different applications, and they have enormous resources at their disposal.  We trust the track record and expertise of these 100+ year-old companies for the top quality products that they stand by.​

Application

When painting outdoors we have to consider many factors when planning our jobs such as sun, wind, rain, bugs, humidity, and others.  We are always accounting for variables like weather conditions, local Mississauga forecasts, the time of day that direct sunlight will be on each part of the house, how large the crew is that day, the paint colour details and scheme, how dark the colours are, the need to access each area to paint (especially when heights are involved), and many others.​

Again we don’t rely only on experience, but the crews also complete checklists each day to remind them of all the possible factors they need to consider.  By combining these systems with practical experience and specialization, we can ensure a high level of quality control on our jobs.  This means an outstanding paint job for you.

Other painting companies offer various and very different painting services.  In most cases, the majority of their work is interior painting.  They will not have nearly as much experience in spray-painting exterior siding as we do.  As such they may not consider all the important details to properly applying the paint in those conditions.

For example:  It’s common for us to be either painting with a dark colour, or painting over a previous dark colour.  Dark colours really heat up quickly in the sun and so you should not be painting them (or over them) in direct sunlight.  So we anticipate the movement of the sun and plan our day from the beginning to avoid this problem.  This is just one of many items included in our checklists that remind the crew every day how to plan the job.

Because we are confident in our process, we include a 10-Year Guarantee on all of our aluminum and vinyl siding painting work.  We’ve been painting homes like these in Mississauga for many years now and we stand by our work!

Spray Application Vs. Brush and Roller

Spray painting results in a far nicer finish than painting by brush and/or roller.

Especially when painting smoother substrates like aluminum and vinyl, it’s important that the paint coating can bond laterally with itself (ie: paint molecules bonding tightly with neighbouring ones).  Any application method that includes friction, like brush and roller, actually inhibits this as grooves and stipples are always being put into the coat.  Spraying allows the paint to self-level and maximizes the lateral bonding and therefore the strength of the coating.

Hand painted surfaces also get dirtier and show dirt more readily than sprayed on finishes.  Again this is becuase of the grooves and stipple, creating many tiny ridges and ledges for dust and dirt to sit on.

The friction involved in brush and roller painting also means that only thin coats can be applied at a time.  It gets to the point where the tool just pushes the paint around and is unable to build up the layer as a whole.

When spray painting, it’s possible to paint larger areas at a time.  This means the coating can be applied thicker and more quickly, and it can all dry together which greatly improves the strength and longevity of it.  So spray painting produces a thicker, stronger, longer lasting, and better looking coating than any hand tool can.

The final coating we provide is thicker and more durable than 2 traditional hand-painted coats of paint.

A Superior Process

What you’ve read above are only some details and examples of our specialized process and why we offer a premium service compared to other painters.  Years of experience and refinement have resulted in our ability to offer this service for an affordable price.​

As such we are confident that we are your best choice for a beautiful and long-lasting paint job on aluminum, vinyl, wood, stucco, or brick siding.