Tips for Painting Vinyl Shutters

Sun-fading vinyl shutters can be painted or replaced. But replacing shutters can be costly. Prices for two packs of plastic shutters depending on size and style. Costs add up quickly for homes with multiple shutters.

Unless it is severely cracked or warped, self-painting is a much cheaper alternative to buying new and the job is easy when done correctly. The main challenge is getting rid of them, which often requires further ladders. But I will share some tips to make this process easier.

Remove the shutters

The easiest and fastest way to paint vinyl shutters is to remove them and use a sprayer to paint them. Attempting to spray paint from stairs takes too much time to cover the walls and glass around shutters, and brush painting takes more time. When you need additional reading on vinyl shutters painting, check Available Paints Blog.

You can rent an airless sprayer from a paint shop. But if you don't want to mess with the sprayer, another option is to spray with aerosol spray paint. But I still recommend using an airless sprayer because it's much faster.

Equipment needed for this project:

Bucket hook
5 gallon bucket
Electric drill
Black mark
Step/Extension
Airless sprayer
Premium exterior paint

If the shutters are not accessible from the step ladder, an extension ladder is required to remove them. But you will need somewhere to safely place the drill after removing the screw from the shutter. Place your drill and screw into an empty 5 gallon bucket attached to the ladder with a bucket hook.

Marking the back of each shutter with a black Sharpie is important if they are of different sizes, so don't get confused about installing them at the end. I counted from left to right, starting with the tall shutters first.

Do you have a plastic shutter button instead of a screw?

Vinyl shutters sometimes have plastic buttons instead of screws. But the buttons are often difficult to remove. If the button doesn't come off, scrape it off, pull the plastic piece inside out with a wrench and buy a Shutter Lok fastener from your home improvement store. These fasteners can be painted.

Clean the shutters

Shutters collect dirt and mildew, which must be cleaned before painting. An electric washer or garden hose can clean well. But if the paint is peeling, an electric washer is the best choice. Vinyl cleans well with a washing machine without damaging wood like wood.
Scrub with warm, soapy water first using a coarse scrub pad. No harsh cleaning chemicals are required. But if mildew is present, you can add a little bleach to the mix to help remove mildew.

Is a primer necessary?

If the vinyl is fading and in good condition without peeling paint, a primer is not necessary, use the premium paints I recommend in this article that are safe to use with vinyl. The surface should be polished before painting or painting.

The peeled paint should be lightly rinsed and scraped until no paint residue remains, then the plaster primer can be sprayed onto the shutters. A fixing primer designed for stripping paint allows the old paint to remain under the new paint. Products like Mad Dog latex primers work well for this purpose. Only one coat of primer is required.

The best way to spray is to use a drop cloth horizontally below to prevent the grass from spraying too much. For storing freshly painted shutters, I used the same clothesline I used for painting the cabinets. But you can place them on a bucket or board to keep them above the grass while drying. Two coats are best for durability and color.

Best Colors for Vinyl Shutters

Not all exterior colors can be applied to vinyl. In my experience, the two best paints for painting plastic shutters are Duration and Super Paint from Sherwin Williams. I've been spraying shutters with these products for years without any problems. Price wise, Super Paint. It costs less than Duration and offers excellent durability. The satin finish on both of these products looks great on plastic shutters.

Summary

As with vinyl siding, not all paints are safe for plastic shutters. Some paints can absorb too much heat, resulting in warping and color failure. Sherwin Williams offers a large vinyl paint palette that's safe, though, which makes choosing a color a breeze.