Siding Painting In Oakville & Burlington

This is a common question that we get because many people think that paint won’t stick to ‘slick’ surfaces like aluminum or vinyl siding.  The truth is that painters have been using acrylic paints on these surfaces for more than 40 years.  Preparation, application, and product are all very important, but if done right, aluminum and vinyl are actually great substrates for paint.

​These substrates do not allow water to evaporate though them, unlike wood and masonry.  Typically it’s the evaporating water that puts major stress on a paint coating that is on wood or masonry, eventually causing it to peel.  When on aluminum and vinyl however, once the coating is fully bonded and cured, there is very little stress on it.

Making sure of the initial application and bonding of the coating is therefore absolutely essential, and is comprised of the following factors:​

• Correctly and thoroughly preparing the surface

• Choosing the appropriate product

• Properly applying the paint

At We Paint Siding, we use procedures that ensure these factors are always accounted for.  Our crews are specialized and perform these kinds of paint jobs every single day.  On top of the training and experience, we also employ the use of checklists and systems to guarantee quality on every job.

​More details about our process can be seen below:

​Cleaning

Any contaminants that may be on the surfaces to paint must be cleaned off.  Usually there is a degree of dirt, dust, mold, mildew, and chalky paint that we will remove by pressure washing.​

The washing is done carefully and thoroughly, even on higher access areas.  We are able to ‘scrape’ the contaminants off using a powerful machine and large extension wands.  

​Many other painters will not even try to clean the siding, or will not do it properly.  It’s surprising how many are not properly equipped with the extension wands or powerful enough washers to reach the higher areas.  Second story siding, soffits, and eaves cannot be properly cleaned from the ground level with a standard washing gun.

​If mold or mildew is present, we treat those areas with an exterior mildewcide cleaner as well.

​Scraping/Sanding

​If anything is stuck onto the siding, we will scrape and sand it off as necessary.  We often have to remove the remnants of ivy plants or other vines, old hardened caulking, or even remains of eggs once thrown at the house (from when a previous owner lived there, of course)!

​We’ll be sure that nothing that is stuck on the siding will interfere with the adhesion or longevity of the paint job in any way.  For areas that have a lot of vegetation remnants, we will remove 85-90%, making it almost unnoticeable once the repainting job is done.

​We also prepare and paint wood surfaces like trims, windows, doors, the siding itself, and almost anything else.  Wooden surfaces often need scraping, sanding, and/or filling.

​Products

​It is essential to use the correct products when painting aluminum and/or vinyl siding, and when painting outdoors in the elements.  

​The products we paint with are engineered for use on exterior aluminum and vinyl.  While paint technology is always getting better, these products and their predecessors have been applied to these substrates with great success for over 40 years now.  They are tried and true, which is why we use them.

​Having a product that is ideal for spraying is also important.  Using the right paint will prevent overlap lines and form a thick and durable coating.  Paint that is self-leveling and stays ‘open’ for longer (ie: doesn’t dry too fast) is key to a good spray-paint job.

You may have heard from other painting companies that there are no readily available paints on the market for painting exterior vinyl and aluminum, but that is simply not true.  They’re trying to create a narrative about how they’ve discovered the secret formula for painting these substrates to boost their image and sales.

​The main paint manufacturers like Sherwin Williams or Dulux have been producing products for use on various types of siding for many years.  The expertise of these companies’ chemists and the track-record of these products is where we put our trust, and they have not disappointed yet.

​Application

Painting outdoors means there are many different factors to plan around such as sun, wind, rain, bugs, humidity, and others.  Our crew leaders always account for variables like weather conditions, local Oakville and Burlington forecasts, the timing of direct sunlight on each part of the house, the size of the crew, the number of different colours to paint, and how dark they are, the difficulty of access (especially heights), and many others.

​The We Paint Siding system includes checklists and procedures so that our crews are always considering all the external factors that may affect how to plan the job correctly.  The combination of experience and refined systems ensures that we are applying the best possible job in any conditions.

​Being Specialists, we are far better at working in exterior situations than most painters.  Most painting companies rely mostly on interior painting jobs for the bulk of their business and only do exterior jobs sparingly.

​As an example:  We often come across a situation where we have to either paint over a dark colour, or paint a new dark colour onto the substrate.  We realize that this must be carefully planned around the movement of the sun, as painting dark colours (or painting over them) in direct sunlight is risky.  So we anticipate the movement of the sun and plan our day from the beginning to avoid this problem.

​The process that we’ve developed makes us confident and proud to include a 10-Year Guarantee on all of our aluminum and vinyl siding painting work.  These are the types of jobs we’ve been doing in Oakville and Burlington for many years now.

​Spray Application Vs. Brush and Roller

​Applying the paint by spray produces a much better finish than by brush or roller.

When applying paint onto a smooth surface like aluminum or vinyl, it’s important to maximize the bonding properties of the paint.  But application by brush or roller causes grooves or stipples in the finish which actually weaken the lateral bonding characteristics of paint.  The coating will have high spots and low spots caused by the friction of the tools.

​The surface will actually become dirty more easily because dust and dirt will rest on the ‘rougher’ finish, compared to the original finish, or a sprayed-on repaint. 

​The paint can only be applied in very thin coats by brush or roller also.  Again because of the friction, it doesn’t take long for the tool to simply push the paint around.  

​When spray painting, the paint can be applied to a large area all at once.  The coating can go on thicker and more quickly allowing it to all dry together and greatly improving the strength of it.  Painting by spray results in a thicker and smoother coat that will last longer and stay looking clean for years to come.

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

​A Superior Process

​The descriptions above offer only a brief insight into the various aspects of our process and experience that demonstrate the expertise We Paint Siding can bring to your job. 

​It’s for these and many other reasons that we are confident that we are the best choice for a beautiful and long-lasting paint job on aluminum, vinyl, wood, stucco, or brick siding.