How to Paint Gutters
Why Paint Your Gutters?
Your gutters create a frame that transforms your roof into a practical, yet beautiful picture of the home structure. It is important to make the most out of them.
American Hill Country Gutters works towards giving you the best looking gutters on the market. That includes a variety of color, material, and style options. These are designed to give you the exact look for your gutters when you are installing them. We would like to think we are pretty thorough about our choices, too.
At some point, you might want to paint your gutters. Tastes change and it only makes sense. There is a common misconception that you are unable to paint gutters. They are made of metal, so why would the paint be able to stick?
This misconception is wildly false. Not only can you paint your gutters, but it is remarkably easy. As long as you know the steps, you will be able to paint them to look slick and avoid the cost of professional painters. It might be easy to settle and let your gutters sit there. Instead, take the time to change your home.
Step One
Prepare Gutters for Painting
Before you even take one brush to your gutter, you have got to prepare. While it is easy to paint gutters, you cannot apply the paint to them directly. This would make the paint fall off and make your life miserable. We like to create steps that avoid that misery.
Clean your gutters first.
We are not just talking about getting the leaves out of them. You will need to use soap and water to get your gutters spotless. Use scrub brushes to get any dirt and grime embedded deep within the structure. If the gutters are not clean before you paint them, the paint will not stick. For more, see How to Clean the Outside of Gutters.
Remove the braces of your gutters.
You will have to paint the entire gutter to get the unanimous look you want. To get those hard to reach spots, you have to paint the brace as well as underneath the brace.
Step Two
Apply Primer
You cannot paint anything without applying a coat of primer. This gets the surface ready to accept the paint, improving the sticking and preventing the gutter from too much damage. Without primer, the paint may cause the gutter itself to rust and fade much faster.
For applying primer onto an aluminum gutter, you have two options: clear acrylic bonding primer or regular oil based. Whichever one you want to use is fine so long as it is ammonia free. Ammonia can create gas bubbles within the paint which a.) look horrendous and b.) can create unreliable paint jobs. The professional preference is clear acrylic bonding, as it just works better.
When you have applied a finished coat of primer across the entire gutter, leave it alone for about 48 hours. This will allow it to settle properly and for the gutter to accept it. Do not touch it with any additional work until two days later.
(Optional) Apply enamel paint
This is not one of the necessary steps, but it can be a pretty good idea to apply it. Enamel paint is another layer of protection for the gutter. It is a hard paint that can help boost the integrity of the gutter when the real paint finally gets applied.
It is important not to confuse enamel paint with “painted enamel”. Enamel paint is a heavier duty material that prevents rusting for the actual gutter. Painted enamel is a vastly different material that can be applied, but doesn’t need to be and will not help your gutters in the slightest.
Step Three
Apply First Coat
Now that your gutters are prepped, paint them. Apply an even coat to the entire surface, inside and out. Make sure no spot is left unpainted and make sure it has a nice, even coat. You can utilize any brush you want so long as it is providing the results you want. Afterward, let the first coat dry and set.
Step Four
Apply the Final Coat
Leave about 24 hours until you apply the second coat of paint. It will even out better and the gutter will accept it by then. Implement the next layer in the same fashion as the first coat and get it nice and even.
Once the second coat is applied, you should have a nice and thorough paint job on your gutter. Best of all, the paint is guaranteed to stick, as you have utilized the necessary steps to ensure a good stickiness to it. If you want to paint this again, remember to Strip the paint. Start with a blank canvas when re-embarking on your painting journey.
And Now You’re Done!
Want your gutters painted for you?
American Hill Country Gutters is a leading provider of seamless gutters in San Antonio. We offer our seamless gutters in over 27 colors, from white to black and aluminum to copper! Contact us today to learn more about our gutter installation services!
