How To Paint An Aluminum Screened Porch
Having a porch is one of the fastest ways to add value to a home, but only if it looks nice. The easiest way to give a porch a facelift is to add a fresh new coat of paint to it. Of course, that means that you will need to know how to paint your porch properly. If you have an aluminum screened porch, it quickly becomes an “easier said than done” matter.
First, prime the aluminum with an aluminum-friendly primer, then add a coat of your paint. However, make sure that you scrape and sand off all the old paint first. After sanding and scraping, wash the porch with soap and water, and let it dry. Then, you can begin priming your aluminum porch for painting.
When you’re trying to paint over aluminum, the results you get are going to be all in the prep work. This guide will help you make your aluminum porch look perfectly painted.
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How To Prep An Aluminum Screened Porch For Paint
Prepping your porch is going to be the bulk of this project, and it’s also going to be the most important part of your project. To do this, you’ll need painter’s tape, a paint scraper, sanding blocks (or a sander), a sponge, and powdered soap. Once you have all those in your hands, follow these steps:
- Scrape off the old paint on your porch, then use a sander to buff away any of the remaining paint. You want to get the porch as clean of paint as possible. It’s best to take your time with it and look for any extra details that may need help. Obviously, scraping away the paint can take several hours, or even days. Even so, it’s worth it.
- Use painter’s tape to tape over the screen windows. If you have glass shutters behind the screen, cover them with tape and close them.
- Grab some powdered soap and a sponge, and wash down the windows. This should give you the cleanest possible surface for your paint. Let it dry.
- Grab a can of primer that works on aluminum surfaces, and give your screened porch at least one layer of primer. Choose your painting day on a day that is not overly warm, extremely cold, or too sunny. Once you apply the primer, let the primer cure according to the directions on the can.
How To Paint A Primed Aluminum Screened Porch
Now comes the fun part–painting! To finish your paint job, you will need cans of freshly mixed paint that’s graded for use on aluminum, a paint roller, a paintbrush, and two trays. For paint, we strongly suggest using a high gloss latex-based paint because it’s easier to work with, comes in different finishes, and also dries quickly. Now let’s talk about doing the paintwork:
- If you have any portions of your porch that you want to paint an accent color, place painter’s tape over it. The tape will prevent your main paint color from hitting those portions of your porch.
- Pour some of the paint for the main portion of your porch in a large tray. If you have large swaths of flat surfacing, use the roller to apply a smooth, even coat of paint to those areas. If you have a textured porch (shingles), use a paintbrush instead. When painting, work in patches of five feet by five feet to ensure that you have an even spread. Once you’ve covered the main portion of the patio, let it dry.
- If you only have one paint color that you want to paint your porch, remove the tape on the screen. Single color painters will be done after this step. If you’ve got an accent paint color you want to add, continue on to step four.
- Remove the painter’s tape from the accent portions, and add painter’s tape to the areas surrounding your accent portions. You will need to prevent the accent paint from getting on the area you just painted. Painter’s tape will be gentle enough to prevent paint from being stripped up from your porch.
- Grab another tray and pour your accent paint into it. A little bit at a time is usually enough with accents like brickmolding or windowpanes.
- Use a 1-inch paintbrush to apply the accent paint to your porch. You can usually do one accent piece (a doorframe, a windowpane) at a time. Once you’re done applying paint, remove the painter’s tape and let it dry.
- Once everything is dried, remove any additional painter’s tape that you have on your porch. Ta da! You’re done!
How Much Does It Cost To Get An Aluminum Screened Porch Painted?
If you don’t feel like going through all the hassle that comes with painting an aluminum screened porch, I don’t blame you. It’s a lot of work! Hiring someone to paint your porch is a better option if you’re low on time. Painting a porch professionally will cost between $500 and $2500 if there is extensive aluminum siding involved. If you just have minor accents to paint, you can expect it to be between $800 to 1700 for 600 square feet of space.
Painting costs are calculated by square footage, which means that the exact price you’ll pay hinges on the side of your porch. The larger your porch is, the bigger the price tag will be.
Are There Any Issues You Should Know Before You Paint An Aluminum Porch?
The biggest issue that you want to be aware of is regulations and rules that may be enforced by your HOA. Many homeowners associations and towns have a specific set of colors that they allow home exteriors to be painted. The most common approved colors include beige, white, cream, and grey.
If you aren’t sure that you can paint your porch a certain color, call up your HOA and ask. Most representatives will be happy to help. On a similar note, it may be wise to check local building codes since some have “nuisance codes” dealing with a home’s exterior appearance.
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Related Questions
What paint should be used on a porch?
If you have a wooden porch or are working with an aluminum porch, using a latex-based high gloss porch or floor paint is best. If you have a wooden porch, oil-based paints are also a doable option. Concrete porches require latex-based paints exclusively.
How durable are porch and floor paints?
Both porch and floor paints are designed to be as durable as possible. They are typically waterproof and come with UV light resistance. If maintained well, you can expect your paint to last for 10 years without any need for repair or touchups.
What’s more durable, painting or staining?
Most people wrongly assume that staining a deck will keep your porch or deck pristine for longer. This isn’t actually true. A quality exterior paint will last for around 10 years. Staining wood, on the other hand, will only last for one to eight years. This means that painting will require fewer touchups throughout the year.
Why is my porch paint peeling?
Peeling paint is a sign of wood expanding underneath the surface due to moisture. To fix minor peeling, just remove the peels, add primer, and add a small coat of paint on top of the peeled area.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.
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