Your home’s exterior is the most public-facing part of your home.

So, naturally, you want it to look presentable and appealing and make sure it’s secure against the elements, age, and other factors.

To make sure your home’s siding lasts as long as it can, the choices you make about siding—and whether or not you need a separate paint project for your home—are very important. 

So how do you know if you need a separate paint project for your home? With almost 20 years of experience in the exterior renovation industry, the answer here at Pacific Exteriors is that it depends: every home is unique.

Let’s get down to business and figure out which solution will suit your home best.

Should I Paint My Siding? 

In short, yes. Siding should be protected from the elements in some way, and it depends on what material your siding has.

If you decide to leave your siding unpainted, just be aware that there could be different types of damage—such as cracking and warping.

Is Painting Included in a Siding Project?

Generally, a paint job is not included in the price of a siding replacement and will add an extra cost for the labor and materials. The cost will vary depending on the size of your home and area being resided.

If you’re going with a siding material that needs paint, contractors will encourage you to paint at the same time as your installation. This ensures less of a hassle for you as the homeowner—the construction set up is already there and present. A good contractor will never pressure you, though.

There are other materials that come pre-colored that won’t need an additional layer of paint like metal, vinyl, or James Hardie ColorPlus. While the upfront cost of these materials may be higher than the cost of an untreated siding material, choosing to reside your home with one of these options will save you money on the overall cost of the project.

What Are My Other Options?

Good news! There have never been more no-paint siding options in the market.

James Hardie ColorPlus® is a product line through James Hardie where the color is baked into the planks. This means that the color is inseparable from the siding itself. It is also extremely low maintenance as a result: it requires only an annual cleaning you can do yourself. It’s also incredibly strong and durable, lasting up to 100 years. There are also touch-up kits you can purchase separately in case something looks off about your siding.

NuRay Metals is a metal roofing and siding company that Pacific Exteriors partners with. They have a large variety of finishes and colors for both siding and roofing, and one of their product lines, D2 Kynar W/ Ocean Guard 24GA comes with an extra thick primer coat—4 times thicker than standard.

Vinyl siding Certain varieties also come prefinished colors and styles. Let’s say you like the style of cedar siding but you don’t want to deal with the potential concerns that cedar siding has. CertainTeed, a popular vinyl siding brand, has a line called Cedar Impressions Perfection Shingles that replicates the look of cedar shakes but comes painted already. CertainTeed also has different styles of shakes available.  

If budget is a point of concern for you, choosing a pre-colored vinyl as opposed to a paint job would be economically efficient.

Make The Smart Choice for Your Siding

With so many options it can be hard to decide what will work best for your home. Reading through your options and understanding what will best suit your needs as a homeowner is the smart road to take.

While this post was comprehensive regarding paint jobs and types of pre-finished materials, Pacific Exteriors has more resources available to you: check out a comprehensive list of the different types of siding materials available on the market as well as signs that you need a siding replacement immediately.

As always, if you have any questions about what’s written here, reach out to us at Pacific Exteriors! With over 20 years of experience helping our local communities beautify and protect their homes, we’re happy to help you too.