Tips On Painting External Vinyl Shutters

Vinyl external shutters are extremely effective at keeping extreme weather out of your home, providing shade in summer and protection from storms during the winter.  Over time, vinyl shutters can lose their colour and become faded and tired-looking.  With a little time and effort, you can repaint your external vinyl shutters to smarten them up and extend their life.  Read on to find out how.

What you'll need

• washing-up liquid
• water
• cloths
• garden sprayer
• household bleach
• scrubbing brush
• garden hosepipe
• primer
• acrylic, latex paint
• paint brushes

You can obtain everything you need for this project from good DIY stores.  The paint and primer you'll need should be high-quality, exterior products that are suitable for use on vinyl.  Note here that you shouldn't choose a darker shade of paint than the original.  This is because a darker colour will absorb more heat in hot weather and could cause the shutters to warp.

How to do it

1. Before the shutters can be primed and painted, they must be clean.  Your first job is to get rid of any mould or mildew that is growing on the surface of the shutters.  To do this, make up a solution of one part household bleach to four parts warm water and decant it into a clean plant sprayer.  
2. Spray the shutters with the bleach and water solution, and then allow the mixture to activate for a few minutes.
3. Now use a garden hose to rinse the bleach solution off the shutters.  Don't use a pressure washer for this job, as the water jet may be too powerful, causing damage to the shutters.  
4. Next, you'll need to get rid of any remaining surface dirt or 'chalking' that has formed on the vinyl.  To do this, make up a solution of washing-up liquid and warm water.  Scrub the shutters with the cleaning solution, paying attention to any nooks and crannies that might be harbouring ingrained dirt.  
5. Rinse the dirty soap away with your garden hose and allow the shutters to air-dry completely before proceeding.  
6.  When the shutters are dry, you can apply a coat of primer to them, following the manufacturer's instructions.  The primer will help the top coat of your paint to adhere to the shutters.  Allow the primer to dry completely.  
7. Now you can paint your shutters.  Start at the top and work your way down so that you can catch any drips and incorporate them into the coat.  Use a smaller paint brush to get right into all the corners, seams, and underside of the shutter frames.  
8. Allow the top coat to dry completely as per the manufacturer's directions before applying a second coat.

In conclusion

You can easily spruce-up your external vinyl shutters by re-priming and painting them.  Just follow the above guidelines and you can complete this project in a few hours. For more information, contact Shutterflex or a similar company.