6 Factors To Consider For Painting Vinyl Siding vs Replacing

Vinyl siding is a popular choice for modern homes. After all, it’s versatile and strong, making it a reliable choice to keep your home protected as well as looking its best. After a while, though, you might be wondering if it’s time to update your home. When it comes to the color of your vinyl siding, there are a few things that can cause a problem. For one, over the years, the color can fade or, alternatively, the color can fade from exposure to the elements. Another possibility is that you just want a change. So, when it comes to changing your vinyl siding, are you better off painting it or completely replacing?

Why to Paint or Replace Vinyl Siding?

When you’re considering whether you want to paint or completely replace your vinyl siding, there are a few factors that you’ll need to consider.

Painting vs. Siding Replacement Benefits Comparison

Factors	Painting Benefits	Siding Replacement Benefits
Cost	Lower upfront cost	Higher initial cost, long-term savings
Durability	Short-term protection	More durable
Maintenance	Requires regular upkeep	Minimal maintenance
Aesthetic Options	Wide variety of colors	Improved home exterior style
Environmental Concerns	Low amount of material waste	Can be more energy-efficient
Time to Complete	Quick to complete	Takes longer but less frequent updates needed

How old is your siding? The first thing to consider is how old your siding is. For instance, if you’ve had the siding that’s on your home right now for two decades, painting over the siding will only be a short-term solution. If you don’t know the age of your siding, you can hire a professional to inspect it and give you an estimate.

How much damage if any, does your siding have? Similarly, you need to consider the damage your siding has. If there are gaps in your vinyl siding or it’s starting to buckle, you’re dealing with more problems than a coat of paint can fix. Instead, you’ll need something that helps repair this damage, like replacing the siding altogether.

Is your siding under warranty? You’ll also want to consider your siding’s warranty policy. This way, you can see what you can do without voiding your warranty or using the policy to your advantage.

What is your budget? One concept that you can’t forget, though, is cost. Every home renovation comes with a cost and it’s crucial to make sure that you make decisions that will keep you within your budget. Since painting and replacing your vinyl siding comes with different costs, you’ll need to consider what options you have within your given budget for your vinyl siding.

Painting Pros & Cons

Let’s start off by taking a look at the pros and cons of painting old vinyl siding rather than replacing it with something fresh and new. First, we’ll start with the pros of painting your vinyl siding.

Pros of Painting

First and foremost, it’s often much more cost-effective to paint your vinyl siding rather than replacing it. We’ll take a closer look at cost and cost factors later but painting generally has fewer parts to spend money on.

For example, you won’t need to spend money on all-new vinyl siding which costs more than simply buying paint. If you’re worried about staying within your budget, painting your vinyl can be a lifesaver.

You can also reap the benefit of customization by painting your vinyl siding. When you’re buying vinyl siding, you’re limited to what a company has in stock or is willing to allow you to special order.

By painting your siding, you can customize your siding to any color you want since paint colors often have many more options.

Cons of Painting

The biggest con of painting vinyl siding is that the process is time-consuming. Not only do you have to take the time to paint the vinyl but you also have to wait for the paint to properly dry.

Before that even starts, though, you’ll need to make sure you thoroughly wash your siding and set down a layer of primer. You can expect painting your siding, as a DIY project, to take a few days.

You also need to make sure you have the right type of paint and the right way to apply it. The paint and techniques you’ll need to use to paint your siding differ from interior painting.

Painting vinyl siding may also void your warranty. If you’re worried about your warranty, make sure to review it thoroughly before you paint or even power-wash your siding.

It’s also worth noting that if your siding is damaged or old, painting it is a short-term solution. Plus, your paint job will only last about five or six years before you have to repeat the process or replace the vinyl siding.

Replacing Pros & Cons

On the other end of the spectrum, you can completely replace your vinyl siding which comes with its own pros and cons.

Pros of Replacing

First and foremost, replacing your vinyl is a long-term solution. When you replace your vinyl siding, you’re working with a brand new surface that won’t need to be replaced or touched up as quickly as a vinyl siding that’s been painted over.

You can also replace your vinyl siding and, if you like the color you choose, you don’t have to paint it at all. In fact, you wouldn’t have to paint it for quite some time if you don’t want to since it looks brand new.

While vinyl siding does come with a higher cost, it also comes with a higher value. For one, it’s a lasting investment that will improve the aesthetics and value of your home. Not to mention, the maintenance of new vinyl siding is much lower than quickly having to repair or replace old siding that was painted over.

In addition, purchasing all new vinyl siding can give you the chance to enjoy different patterns and designs in your vinyl siding rather than just changing the color of the siding alone.

Cons of Replacing

Again, the biggest con to replacing your vinyl siding compared to just painting it is that it’s more expensive. However, as we’ve discussed, there are a few factors that can make this cost worth it.

That being said, the return on investment is high. You can usually expect a 76.7% return on investment since this is the national average for this type of home renovation.

Cost Comparison

Generally speaking, painting your vinyl siding will cost you much less than if you want to replace your vinyl siding altogether. The cost of painting your vinyl siding is lower largely because the cost of paint vs. vinyl is lower.

The national average for painting your vinyl siding is about $3,737 with a typical cost range of $2,200 to $5,274. On the high end, the price usually caps out closer to $7,500.

As for installing new vinyl siding the place of your old siding, the national average is about $9,910 with a typical range of $5,640 to $14,202. The price, in this case, usually caps out around $23,000 so long as you’re replacing your old vinyl siding with siding that’s also made out of vinyl.

Which to Choose: Painting or Siding Replacement

When it comes to choosing which option is best for you, it can depend on your situation and your goals. However, to generally answer which is better, replacing your vinyl siding may serve you better in the long run.

After all, it will help do more to improve the aesthetics and curb appeal of your home, help resale values and allow you to start fresh without any damaged spots that your old siding may have had. On top of that, replacing your vinyl siding is a much more lasting change that will allow your home to go much longer before you need to replace.

What do you prefer when it comes to painting vinyl siding vs replacing? Let us know in the comments. For more related content visit our article on stucco vs siding here.