How To Prepare Siding For Exterior Painting On Hardiplank Siding

Don t paint in direct sun and add a paint additive like paint extender which will slow down the drying time and give the paint time to level out.

How to prepare siding for exterior painting on hardiplank siding.

All you should have to do is rinse your siding use a garden hose no pressure washers here to clean off any dust or dirt. A professional exterior painting expert will use a spray application for a smooth factory like finish. If all dirt grime is not removed prior to painting the paint will not adhere correctly. The cloth will likely come up dark gray with a layer of fine soot.

Follow these recommendations to clean the exterior of your home and to help maintain the beauty and value of your james hardie siding. After your surfaces are primed it is strongly encouraged to use acrylic exterior paint for your home. Using the proper materials and paint for fiber cement or hardiplank siding a very good latex primer should be used to prepare the surface for paint. Prepare to paint whether you ve got a colorplus finish or custom paint on your existing hardie siding you don t have to use primer when re painting hardie.

Here are the steps to prepare and paint your james hardie siding. Put on a mask and hold the spray gun about 1 foot from the siding. Stir the paint with a paint stick to blend the color pigments. This step is a very important one.

Acrylic paint is best suited for fiber cement stone and stucco exteriors. Wash down the exterior surfaces every 6 to 12 months with a garden hose to remove dirt and debris gently clean your siding with a soft brush or wet soft cloth in a side to side motion in the direction of the plank siding. Paint applied to dirty siding will adhere in the short term. The siding must then be allowed to dry thoroughly before any caulking is begun.

Pressure wash entire exterior. Later in the day the surface of the siding can get up to 150 degrees in direct sun light so paint the shady side first thing in the morning. Once all caulk is dry and your siding is clean you ll paint hardie plank with a high quality exterior grade acrylic latex. As an experiment rub a clean white cloth across the unwashed siding.