If your home’s aluminum trim or siding is more than about 15-20 years old, the exterior color may be peeling off. This is the normal lifespan for paint applied to aluminum trim, so don’t worry — there’s nothing wrong with your trim. After so many years, the aluminum underneath has begun to oxidize (a process similar to what happens when iron rusts) and this process causes the paint to detach from the surface. Aluminum trim is often used alongside vinyl siding for edges and accents. Your home may also have full aluminum siding, with or without aluminum trim edges.
If your aluminum trim is peeling and you’re worried that it’s reaching the end of its lifespan, don’t despair! You have a few options when it comes to handling your peeling aluminum trim.
Repaint It
One of the most cost-effective options when dealing with peeling aluminum trim is to repaint it. Although ambitious, this is possible as a DIY project for a motivated homeowner. The peeling paint will need to be scraped off, the surface will need to be sanded, and a special primer will need to be used. This is not regular wood primer — it’s a specific primer intended for metal/aluminum surfaces that are about to be painted. After the primer, you can add acrylic paint in a color of your choice.
Have It Repainted
If that all sounds like a lot of trouble, and a lot of time up a ladder, you can also hire a local siding repair company to come out and repaint your aluminum siding or trim. The process will be the same, but you won’t be the one up the ladder! (If you choose to hire a company for this type of work, confirm with them the steps they will use to complete the process. Some try to skip the sanding step, or use a primer that isn’t specific to aluminum surfaces — both of these decisions will mean this is a repair you’ll need to repeat again sooner than you should have to.)
Replace It
If you no longer like the look of your aluminum trim, or your siding is also in need of replacement, you can also have your aluminum trim or siding completely replaced with vinyl siding. This is a total refresh for the look of your house, and will give you 15-20 years (or more!) of a hassle-free home exterior. Call your local vinyl siding installation company to find out more about siding replacement options in your area.
Leave It (For a Little While)
If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that aluminum trim that is peeling has already oxidized — that’s why the paint is flaking off. It doesn’t look very nice, but it isn’t an intensely urgent problem. (It shouldn’t be left like this indefinitely, because peeling trim does indicate a part of your home exterior that needs attention. By ignoring it completely, it will continue to deteriorate, and will eventually let water in behind it where it might find its way up under your roof, around your windows, or into your walls.) In the short term, though, this isn’t an urgent problem. If you’d like to have your trim or siding completely replaced, you can start investigating different options and finding yourself a great home exterior company to do the work without too much time pressure. This is an issue you want to address, but it doesn’t have to be dealt with today.
If your home has peeling aluminum trim, consider which approach feels the best for yourself and your home. Whether you opt to repaint, have someone else repaint, or replace the trim and/or siding completely with new vinyl siding, you’ll want to take care of this part of your home’s exterior. And we’re here to help if you’re in the Cincinnati area and this doesn’t feel like the right job for you to take on yourself. Give us a call here at Harper Siding and Roofing, and we can help get the outside of your home in tip-top shape.