[JWindmill]

I finished putting up new siding and need to start painting. It’s about 1000 sq ft with lots of windows, etc, so I plan to paint with a 4in brush rather than spraying. Using Benjamin Moore Aura. My main question is what should I do to clean/prep for the paint?

 

[mark sr]

If the siding is dirt/dust free you should be ready for primer, then paint.

 

[JWindmill]

It’s pretty clean. There may be a few spots that I need to wipe off. I think scrubbing it all down with TSP or something similar would be overkill for new siding.

LP recommends painting directly over the factory primed surface.

 

[mark sr]

While TSP is a great cleaner it must be rinsed well or it can pose adhesion issues.


It may be ok to paint directly over the factory primer but I've always felt better about repriming them first.

 

[JWindmill]

I think I’ll just take a wet rag to spots that look like they might have gotten dirty during installation. I’m a bit nervous as I’ve never painted the exterior of a house. Certainly not a job you want to get wrong.

 

[mark sr]

It's not that big of a deal. The main thing is to not paint over dirt that can be wiped/scraped off [smudges are ok]. Normally you don't want to paint in the hot sun as it can cause the paint to dry too fast.

 

[JWindmill]

Good to know. Thanks for the help.

 

[Gymschu]

Smartside is about the easiest substrate to paint. You could even use a roller to speed up the process. Just use the roller sideways and roll horizontally, then you can backbrush with your 4 inch brush and also paint the overlapped areas.

 

[JWindmill]

I got a little start today, and it is very easy to paint. I’ll probably use a 6” roller tomorrow and a brush where needed.