Yes, but the paint makers’ main rule is about color: no darker than the original, because darker colors absorb more heat and can warp vinyl, Sherwin-Williams says. The exception is a vinyl-safe palette: Sherwin-Williams VinylSafe or Benjamin Moore Colors for Vinyl. Check with your siding maker first: Alside and Ply Gem exclude painted siding from their warranties unless they authorize it.
The color rule
Sherwin-Williams’ how-to says painting vinyl “with any color darker than the original shade can cause warping and other defects.” Its article for specifiers explains why: “darker colors absorb more heat, causing the plastic vinyl to warp, buckle and distort.”
Benjamin Moore’s Aura Exterior data sheet says not to paint vinyl “with any color darker than the original color or having a Light Reflective Value (LRV) of less than 57” unless the color is in its approved Colors for Vinyl palette and fits the siding maker’s guidelines. The Polymeric Exterior Products Association, the siding trade body, says polymeric siding “can melt or warp when exposed to significant heat.”
Vinyl-safe palettes
- Sherwin-Williams VinylSafe: its color page says the palette includes “a variety of delightfully dark colors” that “effectively resist warping or buckling your siding.” Its specifier article says 100 colors, formulated for “sound, stable vinyl siding,” each available in SuperPaint Exterior and Duration Home Exterior.
- Benjamin Moore Colors for Vinyl: its vinyl guide calls it “a palette of 75 handpicked colors,” and a later step on the same page says “75+ colors.” Its ideas page says you can use any of its exterior paints but recommends one of its vinyl colors.
Sherwin-Williams’ homeowner how-to recommends Emerald Exterior for vinyl, while its specifier article names SuperPaint and Duration as the VinylSafe lines. We’d confirm the color and the paint line together at the store.
Primer and temperature
| Source | Primer | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams how-to | “not required to prime vinyl siding that’s in sound condition”; two coats on new, bare siding, one coat on previously painted siding | Not stated |
| Benjamin Moore vinyl guide | “In most cases, a primer is not necessary”; pitted or porous vinyl “must always be primed” (it suggests Fresh Start 046) | Not below 40°F air and surface; avoid direct sunlight |
| Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior data sheet | “Only areas of pitted and porous vinyl siding must be primed.” | Down to 35°F |
Benjamin Moore’s guide says 40°F and the Aura Exterior data sheet says 35°F; we’d stay above the guide’s 40°F, the more cautious figure.
If your siding is pitted or porous, these primers name vinyl siding in their own words:
- Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Plus (data sheet): “excellent adhesion to vinyl and aluminum siding and fiberglass doors.”
- Zinsser SmartPrime (data sheet): its exterior list includes “plastics, aluminum and vinyl siding, fiberglass and masonry.”
- Zinsser Allprime Premium (product page): “Also great for vinyl siding, PVC, fiberglass and galvanized metal.”
- Benjamin Moore Fresh Start 046 (data sheet): names vinyl siding among “new, previously painted and properly prepared exterior substrates.”
- Zinsser’s comparison chart (a 2017 brochure) rates Bulls Eye 1-2-3 “E” (excellent) and Cover Stain “G” (good) on vinyl siding, and B-I-N for spot priming only.
Check your siding warranty first
- Alside: “The Warranty does not apply to Products that have been painted, varnished, or similarly coated over the manufacturer’s original finish unless coating is authorized by Alside pursuant to this Warranty.” It also excludes damage from heat buildup over 160°F on the siding.
- Ply Gem (Mastic and Performance Collection): excludes “Products that have been painted or whose surface has been altered in any way without written authorization from Ply Gem.”
- Polymeric Exterior Products Association: “Always check with your siding manufacturer before you consider painting it,” adding that painting “could void the product warranty.”
- Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore both say to check with the siding maker before painting.
If your siding is still under warranty, we’d ask its maker for written approval before buying paint.