How To Clean Metal Siding Before Painting

Then rinse off the siding again with clean water.

How to clean metal siding before painting.

It will definitely remove the dirt but the paint as well. The best way to get this siding clean is to power wash it. Expect to pay the premium for good paint. Put those away and simply make up a solution of 1 3 cup liquid laundry detergent and 6 gallons of water to use with the pressure washer.

Add liquid soap to the water to get the grime off. However badly rusted metal areas need more prep work and possibly a special primer. As long as the siding is clean you won t need to use a primer unless raw metal is exposed. Rinse frequently with clear water and allow the surface to dry before painting.

You don t need to get down to bare shiny metal just clean off the flakes and powdery surface rust that prevent paint from adhering. Water and electricity don t mix. How to manually clean your siding. When washing metal siding it s best to get the nozzle as close to the siding as possible which makes the most use of the powerful water stream.

Or you could wash it by hand with tsp or a similar product available at home centers and paint stores and rinse it thoroughly. I worked my way down the ladder blasting away the detergent and chalk cleaning one wall at a time. Sheets of chalky water streamed off the house like dirty milk. Set power washer to the lowest setting available.

Chemicals you might use on wood or vinyl siding can cause damage to steel. Choose one side of the house as your cleaning project of the day and stick with it. If a panel becomes difficult to clean continue rubbing longer but do not increase pressure. With the siding dry remove large pieces of debris with the wire brush broom and even a shop vacuum.

Make sure to use the power washer on the lowest setting it has. Check the label to be sure it s recommended for metal siding. The first step is to clean off loose rust and flaking paint and then apply a rust inhibitive primer. Soak a heavy cloth or sponge with glasswax.

When a panel section is clean rinse the washed panels with fresh water. Beginning at the bottom portion of a panel section wipe in a left to right motion until clean. Efflorescence mold and algae lichen and stains from chalking paint or rusting metal are problems that you should attend to before painting masonry which includes surfaces such as stucco brick and concrete block. It helps to mentally cordon that side into half or thirds as.

Using too much pressure can dent your steel siding or damage the paint.