How to strip/paint aluminum siding?

[MO_cows]

Looking at a cheap foreclosure house as a "rent to own" for a relative in trouble. Looked at the outside today and some of the aluminum siding has been stripped to bare metal already, some still has cracked, peeling paint on it that needs stripped.

Wondering if we could strip it with a 3000 psi power washer, then wash with TSP or something to prep it, then prime and paint? Oil based primer and paint for metal? Anybody got an experience with this? Can't afford to hire it out, gotta do it ourselves and on the cheap to make this deal work.

[siberian]

Think I would presure wash, and TSP wouldnt huret. Next thing is head to a Sherwin Williams and they have a product that you mix with the paint for a bonding agent. (not saying that I would use their paint). Another point is that unlike other sidings, aluminum needs more drying time after washing. The water seems to stay in the bottem lip of each peice and if you paint to soon you will have lots of runs.

[ronbre]

possibly a sand blaster or a larger wire wheel grinder??

[cfabe]

We did this on a house, we pressure washed to get any lose paint and chalking off, then painted with 2 coats Sherman Williams Super Paint with a bonding additive in the 1st coat, I think it was called emulsabond or something like that - made the paint stick to the old paint/metal better. Only lived there a year after that but drove by recently and the paint looks fine 5 years later.

[OkieDavid]

I would start with a power washer. If you are lucky, it will get it all. For the stubborn stuff there is a product available at most paint stores called "aircraft aluminum paint stripper". Put it on with a brush and 30min to one hour later hose it off. Kind of a nasty chemical and I would enourage you to work from a ladder as you don't want the stuff to fall on your face/skin. I used it to completely strip a 1985 Nissan Pickup to the bare metal in about 2 hours..... All I had to do was wash, wipe down and then apply primer coat and three coats of paint. Did it start to finish in a weekend.

[millerized]

Zinc Chromate is the primer to use on aluminum.
Not saying that anything else won't work, but aircraft paint jobs that I used to do required ZC to complete correctly.

[Stephen in SOKY]

I've had good success with Alumiprep between pressure washing and painting: http://www.chemical-supermarket.com/...?productid=365

[Troy]

This is part of what I do for a living. I've done thousands of this type of jobs.

Pressure wash will work , but I would TSP before I PW. You can get Emulsibond at any paint store , Lowes , Home Depot , Hardware. If they don't have in stock they can get it. Zinc Chromate primer is better way to go than emulsibond , but not everyone has it. I'm not sure where you are , but there is a guy at Phillipsburg that has just the products you need. Les Wienert , Wienert Grabber paints. The old guy is kinda differant , but knows exactly what he's talking about. He has pictures of a quanset building just west of Rolla on I44 that has been painted since mid 80's with his system that still looks new. I drive past it a couple of times a week and it still looks great. Tell Les Troy said hello. I worked for him for about 5 years manufacturing his paint system before he sold the company. His shop the last I knew was cross the street from the Post Office in Phillipsburg Mo.