While many people don’t know it, one fun, simple way to add pizzazz to your house is by painting gutters to match your home. Although many folks think painting the gutters is impossible since they are made of metal or subjected to the elements (as americanhillcountrygutters.com shares), the truth is it’s a relatively easy process. With this in mind, you may be wondering, "how can I paint my gutters?" The answer is simple, and we have it covered in the rest of this article.
First Steps to Gutter Painting
When painting your gutters, it’s important to clean your gutters before you begin. Focus on both the outside of the gutters and the inside of them. Using a garden hose, blast away loose leaves, dirt, and debris before getting into the finer details. Once the water runs clear as you hose down the exterior and interior of the gutters, you’re ready to get into the nitty-gritty of the gutter cleaning.
With a scrub brush in hand, scrub away any noticeable spots of mud or dirt with the scrub brush. To thoroughly clean the entire gutter, you might have to take apart the braces that keep the downspouts from moving. This is one step that needs some attention to detail. If you don’t successfully remove all the dirt, grime, and leaves, your paint will not stick to the gutter.
Priming
After you’ve made sure your gutters are squeaky clean, apply a primer such as an oil-based primer or an acrylic bonding primer to the gutters, as leafguard.com suggests. Take a quick read over the ingredients of the primer before applying it. If it contains ammonia, choose a primer that is ammonia-free to avoid getting bubbles in your paint finish. If you’re not too picky, you can use any primer. However, if you want your DIY job to have a professional flair, follow their footsteps and use a clear acrylic primer. After applying the primer, leave it so it can dry for at least 48 hours. After 48 hours, it will be cured properly and ready to take the paint finish.
Painting
Once your primer has dried for 48 hours, it’s time to apply the first coat of paint finish. Opt for enamel paint or acrylic paint in a color that matches your house. Either paint type will do. Enamel paint gives a heavy-duty finish that can weather the elements, but acrylic is also durable. Once you’ve applied an even coat that covers every inch and cranny of the gutter, allow the paint to dry for 24 hours (even if the paint can’s manufacturer promises a shorter window for drying).
Even if the paint looks solid, you will still want to apply a second coat using the same method and brush as you did for the first coat. Let paint dry for 24 hours between coats. Before reinstalling parts, ensure they are fully dried and have at least two coats of paint. Now, you can stand back and admire your handiwork.