Vinyl siding has a unique ability to shed water and debris like no other type of siding. This also means that it can be relatively straight-forward to remove paint from in some cases.
One reason is that vinyl siding is a through-body material—the color continues all the way through, from top to bottom. Unlike wood or fiber-cement siding, the vinyl type has no top layer that might peel away in the process of trying to remove the paint. It also helps that vinyl doesn’t bond with paint very well. For this reason, when painting vinyl, special paints must be used.
So, what makes changing the color of vinyl siding with paint a short-term prospect is actually a good thing when you want to remove the paint.
Basics of Removing Paint From Vinyl Siding
- Wet Water-Based Paint: Water-based latex house paint can be cleaned up with water. Using warm water and adding detergent is even more effective.
- Dry Water-Based Paint: Fully cured water-based latex paint can be peeled or scoured off.
- Wet Oil-Based Paint: Wet oil-based paint must be cleaned with a petroleum-based product like mineral spirits or paint thinner.
- Dry Oil-Based Paint: Dried oil-based paint is not as pliable as latex paint and must be scraped or chipped away.
Further details for how to deal with each of these paint types on vinyl siding are outlined below.
Source: The Spruce
