Shake siding is a beautiful type of siding; sometimes it's made of wood, although it can be made of other materials as well, including vinyl. If your shake siding is looking a bit rough, you can add a splash of paint to give it new life. Painting shake siding can be a bit of a chore, as it is difficult to get in between the grooves of the shake, and it has multiple pieces that you have to paint around. If you aren't up to painting your shake siding yourself, you should hire a professional painter to do this job for you. Read on for tips to help you get this job done yourself.

Prep Your Siding

The shake siding needs to be prepped before you can paint it. The siding more than likely has a lot of mold and mildew on it, or it could have algae built up on it. You need to use a pressure washer to clean this off of the siding before you paint it. You need a clean surface to work with, and cannot simply paint over the dirt. Using a siding cleaner will also help clean the siding and remove stains. You should make repairs to your siding as well at this time. Fill in holes and gaps with wood filler if you have a wood shake or with silicone if you have a vinyl shake. Repair damaged areas so they aren't visible when you paint them.

Paint The Shake

Painting your shake siding should be done using a paintbrush and a roller. You need a thick paintbrush and a thick-nap roller to get in between the grooves of your shake. Be sure you have any areas you don't want to get paint on taped off so you don't get paint on it, such as adjoining siding, gutters, soffit, and fascia. Paint the shake using the proper type of paint depending on what your shake siding is made out of. Wood should be painted in exterior wood paint. Vinyl siding should be painted with latex paint made for exteriors. Paint first with the paintbrush to cut in the paint, then use the roller on the face of the shake.

If you have shake siding that is still in good shape, but in need of some freshening up, you can paint it to give it a new look. Hire a professional painter to help you achieve this on your home.

For more information, contact an exterior painter near you.