Replies

1. 
   DanH | Jul 27, 2004 11:41pm | #1

   I'd always read that you should use 100% acrylic when painting vinyl siding.

   Probably your best bet is to check with one of the better paint manufacturers for their suggestions.

1. 
   KentA | Jul 28, 2004 08:26pm | #5

   Thanks for the input everyone.  Off to the paint store I go.

2. 
   strokeoluck | Jul 27, 2004 11:58pm | #2

   I know nothing about this but just thinking out loud here...have you asked Anderson what this means? If someone there created the spec then someone (may be a $25k/year engineer buried in a basement) must know something about it.

   Good luck,

   Rob

3. 
   erric | Jul 28, 2004 12:05am | #3

   http://www.hunterlab.com/appnotes/an08_96a.pdf

   The hunter scale is a measure of color, with white as 100. They're probably saying don't paint the vinyl too dark or it will warp. I actually screwed wood trim into my vinyl windows (only had two to do) so I could paint them to match the rest of the house.

   eric

4. 
   BARMIL48 | Jul 28, 2004 12:11am | #4

   Hunter L refers to a color value. Go to http://www.hunterlab.com. I would think that a professional paint supplier could help with the color value and the paint.

5. 
   caseyr | Jul 29, 2004 12:34am | #6

   I also need to paint some vinyl window frames and sashes to a dark color.  I found the following website which advertises a special paint for such applications.  Anyone heard anything about this stuff? 

   http://www.renocoatings.com

6. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Jul 29, 2004 03:55am | #7

   Ordinary house paint doesn't stick to vinyl windows.   I know, I tried it.   But Rustoleum makes a primer for plastic which does stick.  It itself is kinda soft, but when you overcoat it with house paint, it works pretty darn well.

7. 
   jbz | Jul 29, 2004 04:06am | #8

   Has anyone used that new Krylon spray paint for plastics?  I have to paint a vinyl basement unit and Krylon has this new fusion brand that they claim is ok for plastics.  Check out the Krylon web site-  Now if my window supplier could get the color right on the order I would'nt need the paint!!

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Jul 29, 2004 05:38am | #11

   I tried Fusion as primer, as well as the Rustoleum.  It works, but the Rustoleum sticks somewhat better.  Of course, if you like one of the Fusion colors, you'd have a one-step process.

8. 
   IronHelix | Jul 29, 2004 04:29am | #9

   From experience I can speak to the following:

   The hunter standard is closely equivilent to the Andersen color of "terratone", and as was mentioned, the concern is that with any darker color the vinyl wrap on the window expands and warps out of shape therfore allowing water to enter the wood sash member and rot it out.

   I have painted (20 years ago, and last year) my Andersen windows with an original white vinyl exterior to a color close to terratone.  I used Sherman Williams/Do-It-Best Exterior Acrylic House Paint in both paintings and have had no failure.   Primer was a flat acrylic exterior grade paint by S/W.

   I had a client that originally had white Andersen vinyl units in his white house and when they remodeled they went rustic with shake shingles, cedar siding and then painted the windows chestnut brown. 

   In a few years I was calling for an Andersen rep to check out the "faulty" windows I had sold to this client.-----All the south and west facing windows had failed!

   Chestnut brown is a lot darker than the allowed "hunter" value...Nixed the warranty! What's $7K to Andersen in this day and age....but it lost me a customer.

   .................Iron Helix

9. 
   kcoyner | Jul 29, 2004 05:07am | #10

   Kent,

   One of the 2 or 3 Andersen horror stories was that I got a window with a terratone frame and sandtone sashes. 

   The whole crew must have been color blind because we installed the window and almost had the gable topped out with cedar when the owner came by and asked what was wrong with the window.  HOW EMBARRISING.  Could it be that none of us had noticed or even worse that my client believed I didn't care? 

   I called the Andersen 800# and the rep asked why I hadn't noticed the problem before installing the siding.  The only think I could think to say is "Why didn't your quality control catch it before sealing the box?"  After some back and forth and them laying the blame at my feet their customer service solution was to send me a pint of ACRYLIC LATEX paint for the clad jamb to match the sashes.  I got the O.K. from my customer after a promise to repaint or replace the window down the road if it became a problem.  4 1/2 yrs and still looks great with no complaints.

   kcoyner

10. 
    rasconc | Jul 29, 2004 05:41pm | #12

    Check out "Cabot Finish".

1. 
   KentA | Jul 29, 2004 07:49pm | #13

   Thanks for the lead.  I checked out their website and they say it's for use on vinyl siding, etc. and also tintable.  Now if only I can find a dealer.

1. 
   rasconc | Jul 29, 2004 08:25pm | #14

   You are welcome.  We used it to paint our steel doors and grids.  Here in Western NC I used Holladay Paint and Wallpaper.  I am surprised that The Cabot lonk does not have a referral/dealer where to but it.  Cabot will send samples , or at least they used to.

11. 
    davidmeiland | Jul 29, 2004 09:55pm | #15

    I almost always use Benjamin Moore paint and have had great luck calling their chemists for tech support. They used to have the number on their website but took it off, so call 800-555-1212 and get the number. Moore basically has paint for anything and everything...