Instructions for Painting Exterior Vinyl Shutters

Are your external shutters looking a little tatty and in need of replacement?  It can be very expensive to replace all external shutters, sometimes too costly.  However, the alternative of leaving up shabby looking shutters really is not a good option. It detracts from the outside appearance of your home and no matter how beautifully cared for the garden is, or how nice your patio looks if your shutters look shabby your whole home will look shabby.

So, what can you do if you cannot afford all new shutters yet yours are obviously in need of being replaced?  One great and fairly low cost alternative is to repaint your shutters. It is not as difficult as it may appear, though be prepared that it is going to take some time to complete the task fully, especially if you have several shutters that need painting. Still, it is usually well worth taking a bit of time to map out your plan and to do the job properly especially if it saves you from having to buy all new external (or internal) shutters.

The only cost involved in painting shutters is the investment you need to make into buying the right kind of paint. You will also need some sandpaper possibly if you need to sand over any scratches on your shutters and paintbrushes for the actual job of painting. Compared to buying all new shutters, that is really a small investment to make.

Regarding the time investment needed, as mentioned above, that will depend on how many shutters you have to paint.  You should plan on leaving about three days for the shutters to dry properly depending on local weather conditions. Naturally, if the weather is raining or the skies overcast it may take longer. For that reason it is probably good to try to schedule this task for a few days when it seems like you will have fine weather. While you can leave the shutters inside to dry, they will dry much faster and better if they are left outside to dry, under a sheltered area.  Make sure it is not going to be too windy either, as wind will send all sorts of small pieces of debris and dust swirling through the air which may end up getting lodged in your newly painted shutters.

One thing to realize with vinyl shutters is that the vinyl tends to naturally expand and contract during the course of a day.  During the hot daylight hours vinyl expands. When the cooler nighttime rolls around, the vinyl will shrink.  This means that regular paint used for wood surfaces, even exterior paint, will not be able to stick to the vinyl shutters very well. They will soon begin to peel off and you will be right back where you started.

You need to look for an acrylic paint that with urethane resins. You will probably need to look for this paint in a paint store, not at your regular home supplies store.  It is fairly common, just not regularly carried as stock in regular stores.

The urethane resin is the main ingredient that will help the paint to stick to the vinyl whether it is expanding or contracting.  It is a very sticky substance which makes it perfect for this type of job.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you will not be able to radically change the color of your shutters. If you have brown or green shutters, do not expect to paint them white.  Instead you should look for a color that is fairly close to your existing shutter shade as this will work well and look the best.

Here is a simple guide explaining how to paint vinyl shutters. First of all you should assemble all of the items you will need, buy your paint and find a suitable location to work in. Decide on how many shutters you think you can paint at one time. You do not want to take down more shutters than you can actually paint in the time allotted. Be realistic.

• Unscrew the shutters and take them down. Set your screws aside in one place, a small resealable bag taped to the window frame works well.
• Wash each shutter with soapy water. Use a soft scrub brush to dislodge dirt that will not wash off. Use a sponge for the rest of the shutter. Once they are clean and all the dirt is gone rinse them thoroughly with clean water. You could always just hose them down afterwards, that will rinse them off fairly quickly.
• Dry the shutters well. If you washed them outdoors take them to a location away from direct sunlight.
• Lay your shutters down on some newspaper and paint one side, making sure you get all of the louvers and shutters painted. When one side is dry enough you can turn it over and paint the other side.
• Stand them up somewhere, against a wall or a sawhorse and let them dry thoroughly before attempting to hang them again. You may need to leave them for several days.
• Once dry, reattach them to your windows.