Houseworks: Painting vinyl siding

Published May 14, 2024 • 3 minute read

These 20-year-old-plus cabinets Maxwell built are finished with polyurethane over stain, a more durable option than typical lacquer finishes. Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell

Q How should we paint the white vinyl siding on our summer home on Cape Breton Island? We’ve been diligently removing the black slimy residue that develops on walls each year, but we’d like a darker colour so dirt isn’t so obvious. I’m thinking of a colour called Salty Dog by Sherwin-Williams.

A Thanks to advances in paint chemistry, painting vinyl siding can work quite well. The trick is to use the right kind of paint. I’d start by visiting a dedicated paint store and get recommendations. It will be a 100% acrylic formulation for sure, but beyond that some brands offer versions specifically for vinyl siding. All this said, there is a danger.

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Vinyl expands and contracts quite a bit with changes in temperature, and this can become an issue with darker colours in full sunlight. Vinyl siding will go wavy if it expands too much when it gets hot. An experienced advisor from a paint store should be able to tell you which colours are “vinyl safe”. If the person you’re talking to doesn’t seem to know what this means, look for someone else. Paint companies themselves can offer opinions on this, so I’d call customer service if you can’t find someone in person to answer definitively.

The colour you mentioned is dark blue, and this may be too dark for safety, but perhaps not. This is where solid advice from an experienced paint professional or paint company rep comes in. It would be a shame if your siding got wavy every summer, but that blue certainly does look nice.

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Refinishing kitchen cabinets

Q What’s the best type of product to choose for kitchen cabinet refinishing? Most of the quotes I’m getting list sprayed lacquer, but one company is using a cross linking polyurethane they say is far superior to lacquer.

A Lacquer is the industry standard for cabinets because it dries fast and works well. And though it does a pretty good job, in my experience it’s not all that tough. You can get decent protection from lacquer, but it takes at least three coats.

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My guess is that the urethane option would be tougher. Is there any chance the company could give you a sample piece of wood that’s finished so you could see what it looks like and test how tough it is? If it looks good, then I’d go with the urethane option. That’s what I used on my own kitchen cabinets when I built them, but there’s something else to consider.

In my experience, the lower the sheen level of a wood finish, the less flaws and damage shows up. I’d recommend something with only a moderate amount of sheen such as a satin finish. High gloss is great when a surface is perfect, but kitchen cabinets rarely stay that way.

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Maxwell maintains that his 1990 Ford pickup truck is rust-free after decades of winter driving on salty roads because of annual rustproofing spray. Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell

Vehicle rust prevention

Q How can I keep my vehicle from rusting? I bought a 2012 Jeep last fall. The body is good and I want to keep it that way.

A I’m a big fan of keeping my vehicles for a long time. My oldest is a 1990 Ford F-150 pickup truck. It’s rust-free, which these vehicles are not known for, especially here in the Salty White North. The reason vehicle rust is a non-issue for me is because I spray all my vehicles with a rust preventative oil-type treatment every year. I do the work myself, but there are shops around that will do it for you. Cost is around $150 for a treatment. My favourite options are either Krown or Rust-Check. Both are similar and both work well because they creep into every nook and cranny of the body and frame over months after application. I’d never use any product that doesn’t creep because no product gets into all body seams and hidden areas by spraying alone.

Steve Maxwell’s old red Ford can be seen rolling down the road on Manitoulin Island, Ontario and beyond. Visit him at BaileyLineRoad.com for hands-on how-to advice about home improvements, vehicles, woodworking, tools, gardening and a bit of philosophy.

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