If your exterior is starting to look a bit worn-out, you may want to consider a siding replacement. Wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to give your siding a fresh coat of paint instead of replacing it? While painting your siding may seem more cost-effective at first, it arguably makes more financial sense to replace your siding in the long run. Paint may be able to hide signs of wear and tear on siding at first. But over time, it becomes harder and harder to cover clear signs of deterioration. 

You might have your eye on a new vinyl siding product, but you’re also considering taking a less costly route – painting your current siding. It seems like repainting is the easiest way to give your home’s exterior a makeover. However, replacing your siding won’t only refresh your home’s look, but also give it more protection. You might want to consider the following:

1. The Siding’s Age

A fresh coat of paint might make it look newer, but what you need to be concerned about is if the siding is protecting your home. If your siding is 20 years old, consider replacing instead of painting, because that’s likely going to happen in the next five or so years anyway. A professional siding contract can inspect your siding to determine its age and condition and recommend the steps to take next.

2. Cost of Painting vs. Replacing

In some cases, it makes more sense to paint. For example, if your siding is in decent shape and you have a custom color in mind that siding manufacturers don’t produce, painting might look more attractive, because you’ll get the color you want and you’ll save money. For example, the national average for painting a home is around $3,700, but the average for putting up new vinyl siding is around $5,500 for a 1,500 square foot home.

3. Condition

If there are buckles, gaps and moisture is getting through, it’s time to replace. You don’t want to paint siding that has rotten sections, dents or holes – it just doesn’t make sense to put money into something that is already failing.

4. Aesthetic Appearance

If you decide to paint over your siding, you’re going to give it a fresh new look that will not only be pleasing to your eye, but to those around you. The same can be said of new siding – it’s an aesthetic appearance that will make others envious.

5. Preserve Home Value

A fresh coat of paint on your siding can possibly increase your home’s value by two to five percent. By many accounts, should you replace your siding to try to get more money out of your home sale, you’ll likely only see around 80 percent of those costs recouped. However, what’s not taken into account is the curb appeal that attracts buyers to your home. Would they have been as forthcoming with a bid had the old siding remained on the home?

6. Warranty

Most siding contractors will work with siding manufacturers that offer a warranty on their product. Warranties differ, so make sure you do your homework if you decide to replace your siding instead of painting it. But if you decide to paint over siding, know that most manufacturers will void the warranty.

If you still have questions, talk to a siding contractor and get an inspection. That will help you make a fact-based decision about the steps you need to consider next.