Mobile Home Living 101: How To Paint Metal Siding

Metal siding gives mobile homes their distinctive look. Lightweight and inexpensive, this material has been used in the construction of mobile homes for more than 60 years. Today, we’ll cover everything you need to know about metal siding — its advantages, disadvantages, and how to paint it. If you’re a mobile homeowner or are simply curious to find out more about metal siding, continue reading!

Looking to sell? There are Michigan Mobile Home Buyers waiting to pay a good price. 

Metal Siding Profiles

Made of aluminum, metal siding comes in a variety of sizes and patterns, with the most common design being the wave profile. 

When constructing a mobile home with mobile siding, aluminum sheets are vertically aligned, with their seams running up and down. 

Disadvantages and Advantages of Metal Siding 

Fading and denting are some disadvantages of metal siding. When metal oxidizes, a powdery coating forms over it causing the metal siding to appear faded. Additionally, though metal siding doesn’t rust, the screws used to anchor the panels to the house do. To get rid of the rust, you’ll need a brush and a rust remover solution. 

Despite these drawbacks, metal sidings remain a popular material used for mobile homes because of their longevity. Metal sidings can last for years without rotting or rusting. Whatsmore, they’re immune to damage caused by water or insects.

Metal Siding Lasts Forever 

Metal siding can last over 40 years if it’s cleaned and maintained regularly. In addition, painting metal siding can make it look good as new. In the next part of the article, we’ll share three ways you can go about painting the metal siding of your mobile home. 

Painting Metal Siding on a Mobile Home with a Paint Brush

Painting the metal siding on your mobile home with a paintbrush can cost you less than $300 and will take up less than a week for your time. For reference, here are some materials and equipment you may want to consider:

• Behr Paint ($28 for 1-gallon of paint, $166 for 5-gallons)
• Rollers and Paint Pans
• Paintbrushes

Before you go ahead with painting your house, you should wash it first. This ensures that dirt or grime doesn’t affect the paint job. The key to a successful paint job is good preparation. You may choose to do it yourself or enlist the help of a professional cleaner to wash the metal siding. 

Though using paintbrushes and rollers to paint the metal siding of your mobile house is more tedious, your effort will pay off. Whatsmore, you’ll definitely get a good work out! If you can even make a day of it by getting your family and friends to lend a helping hand. 

Using Canned Spray Paint to Paint Metal Siding on a Mobile Home

The next option, using spray paint, is even cheaper and takes up less of your time. On average, most people who spray painted their mobile home spent $100 on the project and completed it in less than two days. If the metal siding of your mobile home looks faded, consider spray painting it!

Similar to using a paintbrush, you need to prep your mobile home before spray painting it. Give the exterior of your mobile home a thorough cleaning, to get rid of any oxidized coating and dirt to make sure that the spray paint adheres well. Some supplies you’ll need when spray painting your mobile home’s metal siding include:

• Spray paint (Rust-Oleum Enamel Spray works well on the metal siding)
• Cleaning supplies
• Masking tape 
• Face mask

One tip to take note of is to buy all the spray paint you need in one go. Stores won’t usually have more than 30 cans of the same color of spray paint. Thus, it’s best to call ahead and place an order in advance. To spray paint the entire exterior of your mobile house, you’ll need anywhere between 30 to 40 cans of Rustoleum spray paint. If there is any leftover paint, you can use it to paint your wooden items. Well, but can Rustoleum be used on wood? You can use Rustoleum if you know how to properly apply it on wood.

Once you’ve gathered all your supplies and cleaned the metal siding of your mobile home, it’s time to get painting! Simply shake the spray paint can a couple of times before proceeding to paint your house. It may help if you paint the metal siding in sections rather than just spraying randomly. 

Using canned spray paint may not be the most professional way of spray painting your mobile home. However, given that most people don’t have access to paint guns or air compressors, they’re the next best alternative. Furthermore, spray painting the metal siding of your mobile home is an easy and cost-effective way to spruce up the look of your mobile home.  

Spray Painting Metal Siding with a Sprayer 

If you’ve managed to get your hands on an electric sprayer, good for you! Out of all the three options covered in this article, using a sprayer is by far the easiest and fastest way to paint the metal siding of your mobile home. You still need to do the necessary prep work but with a sprayer, you’ll probably be able to finish painting your mobile home in a day! Consider using Valspar paint if you’re using an electric sprayer. 

Choosing the Right Paint for your Mobile Home’s Metal

Latex, oil-based, water-based, and alkyd are common types of paint that are available to paint metal surfaces. Apart from this, paints also come in various sheens like satin, semi-gloss, and gloss. Given all these options, what’s the best option for your mobile home?

When it comes to metal siding, oil-based paint tends to give the best results. As for the sheen, it boils down to personal preference. Some people prefer the looks of a semi-gloss sheen while others may prefer a satin sheen as it sheds water easily. 

Additionally, you may want to use an oil-based coating before painting your mobile home if you find that your paint isn’t sticking to the metal siding properly. Choosing a paint that is fade-resistant will also increase the longevity of the paint job. 

Conclusion

Painting the metal siding on your mobile home sounds difficult at first. But, now that you’ve read about the different ways you can go about painting your house, it shouldn’t seem too challenging at all. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get painting!